Paralympic gold medalist Robert Griswold accused of rape, sexual assault of teammate in Tokyo
Ryan Young
·Writer
Mon, 14 November 2022 at 10:55 pm·2-min read
Robert Griswold allegedly “targeted and groomed” a 19-year-old autistic teammate both at the Tokyo Olympics and afterward. (Xiong Qi/Xinhua via Getty Images)
American Paralympic gold medalist Robert Griswold was accused of raping and sexually assaulting an intellectually impaired teammate at the Tokyo Olympics and afterward, according to a lawsuit filed last week, per The Washington Post.
Griswold, a swimmer who won two gold medals at the Tokyo games, allegedly “maliciously targeted and groomed” a 19-year-old autistic teammate and took advantage of his intellectual disability that “rendered him vulnerable and naive to abuse.”
Griswold, 25, has cerebral palsy. He won a gold medal in the 100-meter butterfly in Tokyo and set a record in the 100-meter S8 backstroke. He was suspended in August briefly for “allegations of misconduct,” which followed a suspension in Sept. 2020.“This case is a horrific tragedy, where a young man who defied all odds to become a world-class Paralympic swimmer had his life utterly shattered by rape and abuse when he was paired with a team member who was a violent sexual predator,” the complaint states, via The Post.
According to the lawsuit, the alleged victim was born with autism and “has the mental capacity of a five year old.” Griswold reportedly befriended the 19-year-old at the Paralympic trials in 2021, and became his “de facto chaperone” for the Tokyo games. The two even shared a room together in the Olympic Village.
Griswold allegedly started abusing and raping him in Tokyo, and then again after the two became roommates after the games at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee training center in Colorado. There was at least one witness to the abuse at the Olympics, per the report. That witness punched a wall after he “became so enraged” by the abuse he witnessed, the filing said, and was later reprimanded by team officials.
The alleged victim later revealed the abuse to his parents, who said they reached out to USOPC officials — who allegedly “failed to investigate” and told them their son was “just fine.” They eventually took their son home, and he has since stopped swimming.
The lawsuit also named the USOPC and SafeSport. Griswold did not respond to The Post for comment.
“The allegations brought forth by the complaint filed today are extremely concerning and we take them very seriously,” a USOPC spokesman said in a statement. “We’ve made the decision to place two staff members on administrative leave and have also stopped the work of several contractors with U.S. Paralympics Swimming. We're also continuing our investigation of the allegations to help us determine the facts, and we are committed to taking appropriate action.”