A major new investigation has exposed critical failures by the United States' premier sports safeguarding body in a disturbing abuse case involving a gymnastics coach, with one insider branding it 'Nassar 2.0'.
Warnings Ignored for Years
According to the Associated Press investigation, young gymnasts and their parents began raising alarms about coach Sean Gardner as far back as December 2017. This was the same year the U.S. Center for SafeSport was established by Congress in the wake of the Larry Nassar sexual-abuse scandal that devastated USA Gymnastics.
Despite these early warnings, it took a further five years for SafeSport to sanction Gardner with a temporary suspension in July 2022. The coach was not arrested until August 2025 on federal child pornography charges, after an AP investigation uncovered allegations he installed hidden cameras in a girls' bathroom at a gym in Purvis, Mississippi.
A Deal for a Lifetime Ban That Never Happened
The report reveals that months before his arrest, Gardner was prepared to accept a lifetime ban from coaching gymnastics. According to three anonymous sources involved with the case, he was willing to admit to abuse as part of a deal with SafeSport in early 2025.
This permanent ban was never finalised. Sources told the AP that internal politics and allegations of retaliation within SafeSport prevented the agency from levying its harshest sanction. The case, involving multiple alleged victims and Gardner's history at three gyms across different states, became one of the most troubling in the eight-year-old agency's history.
"It was like, 'Well, this is 'Nassar 2.0,' so let's figure out what we can figure out and wrap it up," one person said, criticising the agency's approach.
Consequences of Delay and a Dysfunctional Culture
Experts argue that finalising the lifetime ban would have had significant protective benefits. It would have eliminated the need for traumatised athletes to be re-interviewed in arbitration, removed the risk of a ban being lifted if Gardner was acquitted in his criminal case, and sent a clear message to parents and potential employers.
Attorney Michelle Simpson Tuegel, who represented gymnasts in the Nassar case, stated a final determination "means something. It's not like it's something that's being adjudicated and maybe this guy is falsely accused."
Critically, the delay may have had real-world consequences. Despite his temporary suspension from gymnastics, Gardner was able to secure a job as a surgical technologist at an Iowa medical centre in May 2024, a position involving direct patient care.
The AP's sources described a dysfunctional culture inside SafeSport, where employees feared speaking up. An internal survey cited "significant concerns about retaliation, perceived favoritism and unqualified promotions" within its investigation and legal departments.
Parallels to the Nassar Catastrophe
The parallels to the Larry Nassar case are stark. Civil lawsuits allege that USA Gymnastics and SafeSport were notified of Gardner's inappropriate behaviour in December 2017. The complaints included allegations that Gardner required minor gymnasts to hug him after practice and conducted intimidating closed-door meetings.
SafeSport has stated it received a notification in January 2018 but did not investigate further as the initial report was not classified as sexual misconduct. Gardner subsequently moved to a prestigious Iowa gym, Chow's Gymnastics and Dance Institute, which produced Olympians.
He was not fired from that gym or placed on temporary suspension until 2022, when new allegations were reported. Attorney John Manly, who represents gymnasts in both the Nassar and Gardner cases, was scathing: "This center's one job is to protect child athletes from predators. And they are failing."
Sean Gardner has pleaded not guilty to the federal charges. His trial is scheduled for 2 March. Both SafeSport and USA Gymnastics are now named as defendants in civil lawsuits filed by two gymnasts who allege the organisations failed to protect them.
