Concerns of coaches, athletes prompted Crowe investigation
Speed Skating Canada’s head coach placed on leave
CEO Susan Auch said Speed Skating Canada hired a professional firm to investigate head coach Mike Crowe’s tenure with the organization after hearing concerns from Canadian athletes and coaches.
“Our investigation was launched as a result of concerns for our athletes and coaches in our program,” said Auch, adding the investigation began Jan. 9.
“My responsibility is for Speed Skating Canada, its members, our athletes and our coaches. There is a pretty big event happening next month,” she said of the Winter Olympics. “Obviously, this is not ideal timing.
“But to be clear, Mike Crowe is the coach of the coaches, right. He’s the head coach. He doesn’t coach any individual athletes personally. A decision was made in the best interests of our athletes and coaching staff who deserve to train and compete in a safe and respectful atmosphere. A decision was made to initiate a professional investigation.”
Crowe, who joined the Canadian program in 2007 and was promoted to head coach in 2015, is on leave at least through the Winter Olympics, set for Pyeongchang, South Korea next month. Auch would not say if Crowe is receiving his full salary.
Crowe has not responded to several emails and phone calls seeking comment from him since Speed Skating Canada announced that he would be on leave through the Olympics.
Auch, who would not identify the company retained to conduct the investigation, said there is no timeline for its conclusion.
“We’d like it to be done as quickly as possible.”
She would not specify the nature of the feedback that prompted the investigation.
“I cannot get into those details.”
She did say the probe was not a response to information Speed Skating Canada received about Crowe’s relationships with female skaters in the United States when he was a member of the U.S. national team coaching staff.
One of those former skaters, Chantal Cermak, said she and Crowe had a “totally unethical” two-year affair between 1993 and 1995 while he coached her on the U.S. national team. It began at a competition in Italy when she was 28 and he was 40 and married.