Paralympian Robert Griswold Handed Permanent Ineligibility by SafeSport
The United States Center for SafeSport on Monday gave Paralympic swimmer Robert Griswold a permanent ban over sexual misconduct.
The case stems from accusations that Griswold sexually assaulted a disabled teammate while they trained together in Colorado, as well as at the 2021 Paralympics in Tokyo. A lawsuit was filed in 2022, and though it was eventually dismissed, SafeSport took up an investigation into alleged patterns of grooming an assault that began on the trip to Tokyo.
“Accountability is the path to long-term culture change,” SafeSport’s new CEO Benita Fitzgerald Mosely said in a press release. “We are grateful to those who come forward with their stories because they make it possible for the Center to take action and protect others.”
Griswold’s entry to the SafeSport database is marked “Subject to appeal/not yet final”. It carries a no contact directive.
Griswold, 29, was born in North Carolina was raised in Freehold, New Jersey, before relocating to Colorado to train in Colorado Springs, home of the USOPC training center. He swam at the Paralympics in 2016, a year after his graduation from high school, and took bronze in the S8 100 backstroke. He won gold in the S8 100 back (in a world record that still stands) and S8 100 butterfly at the Tokyo Paralympics. He suffers from cerebral palsy. He won six gold and 14 total medals at the World Paraswimming Championships from 2015-22.
Griswold was suspended in 2020, then reinstated in 2021 before a temporary suspension in 2022 led to his removal from the team.
Attorneys for the plaintiff in the case – who was named in the 2022 accusations – said that “the findings mark an important step toward accountability and justice.” The lawsuit at the time included allegations of a coverup and improper handling of the case by the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, but Monday’s decision includes only action against Griswold.
