World champion gymnast Kara Eaker retires, says she was verbally and emotionally abused at University of Utah
Eaker is a two-time world champion gold medalist and was a Team USA alternate for the Tokyo Olympics
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University of Utah gymnast Kara Eaker announced her retirement from the sport on Saturday, alleging verbal and mental abuse from a coach. Eaker posted a letter on social media describing her side of the story over the weekend.
"For two years, while training with the Utah Gymnastics Team, I was a victim of verbal and emotional abuse," she wrote. "As a result, my physical, mental, and emotional health has rapidly declined. I had been seeing a university athletics psychologist for a year and a half and I'm now seeing a new provider twice a week because of suicidal and self-harm ideation and being unable to care for myself properly. I have recently been diagnosed with severe anxiety and depression, anxiety induced insomnia, and I suffer from panic attacks, PTSD, and night terrors."
The 20-year-old was part of the Utes team that finished third at the NCAA championships in 2022 and 2023. She also won gold medals with Team USA at the 2018 and 2019 world championships and was named an alternate at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
While Eaker's letter did not mention the coach's name, this comes a month after an investigation was done into head coach Tom Farden, who is entering his ninth season at the helm of the program. The investigation concluded Farden "did not engage in any severe, pervasive or egregious acts of emotional or verbal abuse of student-athletes" and also that he "did not engage in any acts of physical abuse, emotional abuse or harassment as defined by SafeSport Code."
However, the investigation also mentioned that "a few student-athletes alleged that Coach Farden made comments to student athletes that, if corroborated, would have likely resulted in a finding that they violated the Athletics' Well Being Policy's prohibition on degrading language." Those alleged statements were denied by Farden and "could not be independently corroborated."
Eaker said the investigation was "incomplete at best" and that she disagreed with the findings.
"I don't believe it has credibility, because the report omits crucial evidence and information and the few descriptions used are inaccurate," she wrote.
Eaker said she was "scared to death by the loud and angry outbursts from the coach" and would hear phrases such as "What the hell is wrong with you!" "What the f--k are you doing!" "You better get your s-- together!" and "Pull your head out of your a--!"
She claimed that she was felt dismissed and gaslighted when she tried talking to the athletic department about the issue.
"During my recruiting process, I was promised a 'family' within this program and a sisterhood' with my teammates, who would accept me, care for me, and support me," Eaker wrote.
"But instead, after I entered as a freshman, I was heartbroken to find the opposite in that I was training in an unhealthy, unsafe, and toxic environment. I have now reached a turning point and I'm speaking out for all of the women who can't because they are mentally debilitated and paralyzed by fear."
