A recent investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice revealed that the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) failed to protect students from sexual harassment and discrimination by the former head swim coach. The probe, initiated in 2020, found that the university violated Title IX, a federal law prohibiting gender-based discrimination in education.
The investigation uncovered a troubling environment within the university's Division I swimming and diving program, where male student-athletes were subjected to unwanted sexual touching, inappropriate comments, and other forms of sexual misconduct by the coach, Chad Cradock. Cradock, who had led the program for nearly two decades, was placed on leave in 2020 during the investigation and later died by suicide in 2021.
