SHARP EDGES

US Ski & Snowboard Officials Accused of Interfering in Harassment Probe

Erin O’Malley, who claims a coach cornered her in an elevator and tried to kiss her, told ESPN that officials failed to file a report on her behalf.

New details regarding allegations of sexual assault by Peter Foley, the head coach of U.S. Ski & Snowboard, reveal that employees within the organization may have actively interfered with an investigation. ESPN reports that while U.S. Center for SafeSport was probing Foley, U.S. Ski & Snowboard began its own investigation and started contacting the three athletes and one employee who made accusations against Foley. One medalist claims that after these calls, she felt discouraged from participating in the formal SafeSport investigation. Another accuser, snowboarder Erin O’Malley, who claims Foley cornered her in an elevator and tried to kiss her, told ESPN that U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s general counsel, Alison Pitt, told her she could be trusted but then failed to file a formal report on O’Malley’s behalf. She said she later learned that Pitt had mixed up her own report with that of the anonymous medalist. “It felt really dishonest and sneaky,” the medalist said.