Four bipartisan members of Congress introduced a bill Friday that aims to significantly increase federal funding for the U.S. Center for SafeSport, a nonprofit agency tasked with policing abuse in Olympic sports.
The new legislation would provide $10 million of federal grant money specifically for SafeSport’s training and education programs, up from the roughly $2.5 million the organization currently receives from taxpayers. SafeSport currently collects the majority of its roughly $20 million annual budget from the national governing bodies of sports that are part of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee.
The bill also would push SafeSport to complete all investigations into alleged abuse within 180 days of receiving a report.
Rep. Deborah Ross, D-N.C., said Friday that she hoped the new funds would help SafeSport spend more of its overall budget on investigating claims of abuse.
“A lot has been learned about how to move things forward,” said Ross, who led the efforts to create the legislation. “We think that combined with the appropriations for other activities will free up money for investigations.”
Congress empowered SafeSport to oust abusers from youth and Olympics sports starting in 2017 in the wake of the USA Gymnastics sexual abuse scandal. Athletes, federal lawmakers and others have criticized SafeSport for taking too long to complete investigations and for not being transparent enough in its processes, among other complaints. In some cases, individuals who were eventually banned from their sport were allowed to continue coaching or participating for years while their investigations languished.
SafeSport made policy changes earlier this year to try to address athlete concerns. The organization’s leaders say they have been inundated by the tens of thousands of cases they received in the past seven years and need more resources to meet the expectations of athletes and Congress.
A spokesperson for SafeSport told ESPN that they are concerned that while the new bill would authorize increased grant money, it doesn’t guarantee the full amount would be appropriated. The organization also is concerned it wouldn’t have the flexibility needed to spend money where it’s needed most. SafeSport spent $2.4 million on education and outreach in 2023, according to public financial disclosures, and $11.5 million on its investigative duties.
“While the Center is supportive of aspects of the bill as they relate to education, survivor engagement, and trauma-informed training, we also have concerns,” CEO Ju’Riese Colon said in a statement to ESPN. “In its current form, the bill contains a series of cost-intensive mandates and does not provide adequate or guaranteed funding for implementation. We worry about unintended consequences that could compromise our ability to support the safety and well-being of the nation’s athletes and erode the trust we’ve been working to build with them.”
The bill also would require SafeSport to share more information with national governing bodies to help the leadership groups of an individual sport impose interim sanctions on coaches or athletes who are accused of abuse while SafeSport completes its investigation.
“We worry about unintended consequences that could compromise our ability to support the safety and well-being of the nation’s athletes and erode the trust we’ve been working to build with them.”
SafeSport CEO Ju’Riese Colon, in a statement to ESPN
SafeSport was originally created because national governing bodies were failing to handle abuse cases properly. A spokesperson for the organization said it would like to work with legislators to mitigate unintended consequences that could arise from NGBs receiving information early in an investigation.
Grace French, a former gymnast and founder of the advocacy group The Army of Survivors, said sharing information should keep athletes safer as long as those groups act with courage rather than cowardice. She and others who helped shape the new legislation said they are optimistic that the culture of NGB leadership has shifted enough in recent years that they can be responsible partners in helping SafeSport keep athletes out of harm’s way.
“Shining light on this stuff really does help,” said Mana Shim, who leads a safety task force for U.S. Soccer. “I think NGBs have changed over time. They’ve had to face some really hard realities in their sport, and I’m an optimistic person. I’m hopeful they will continue to move in that direction. They certainly can’t do it without SafeSport.”
The bill arrives with only two weeks remaining in a lame duck session of Congress. Ross said she is confident that the legislation has bipartisan support and will be reintroduced when the new Congress is seated in January. She co-authored the bill with fellow Democrat Kathy Castor of Florida and two Republicans, Reps. Dave Joyce from Ohio and Don Bacon from Nebraska.
“We’ll be glad to carry this flag in the next Congress,” Bacon said.
