UVA Swimming head coach Todd DeSorbo was named the Coach of the Year at the USA Swimming Foundation‘s annual Golden Goggles Awards banquet on Saturday.
Figures – he’s won five straight national titles with his women’s team.
Still troubling me: his handpicked associate head coach, Gary Taylor, admitted to emotional misconduct of swimmers at three previous jobs, accepted a two-year probation from the USA Center for SafeSport, and DeSorbo has yet to say a single thing publicly about any of that.
ICYMI
- UVA Swimming coach Gary Taylor on probation after admitting to emotional abuse of athletes
- UVA extended contract of coach two weeks after he was put on probation
- D1 swimmer: ‘It was hard for me to go to practice every day and face Gary Taylor’
- Former Y swimmer: Unable to get through practice ‘without planning how I’d end my life’
- UVA All-American: ‘The kids that quit at Cavalier Aquatics had horrible attitudes’
- I gave UVA Athletics a chance to make amends on the coach misconduct story: They don’t wanna
Not a good look there for your now-two-time Coach of the Year.
Apologies from me for not being sufficiently impressed.
“I am so excited to have won a Golden Goggle my second one,” DeSorbo said, per a statement from UVA Athletics that went out on Sunday. “I want to thank USA Swimming for just providing the opportunities to us coaches and to all the athletes and honoring me with this award amongst a lot of other great coaches. It’s pretty special to be part of this swimming community, both coaches and athletes. This summer was pretty amazing for both us and in the entire U.S. contingent.
“I have to give a special thanks to the athletes, because without them, we’re not here. We’re not being able to be nominated for awards like this, and they’re the reason why we’re here. They’re doing the hard work, and it’s just a tribute to all that hard work and commitment and discipline.”
I hope the issues with UVA Swimming aren’t a matter of the fish rotting from the head.