UC Berkeley ousts former Olympic swim coach following allegations of abuse and discrimination

A one-time Olympic swim coach has been fired from her job as the head of University of California, Berkeley women's swim team after an investigation found that she was abusive and had discriminated against some of her student-athletes, the university announced Tuesday.

Director of Athletics Jim Knowlton said the university "parted ways" with Teri McKeever after a probe found "numerous violations of university policies that prohibit race, national origin and disability discrimination" and "verbally abusive conduct that is antithetical to our most important values.”

"After carefully reviewing an extensive investigative report that was recently completed by an independent law firm, I strongly believe this is in the best interests of our student-athletes, our swimming program and Cal Athletics as a whole," the university said Knowlton wrote in a letter to the women's swim team and the athletic department staff.

McKeever, who spent 30 years coaching the Golden Bears' women's swim team prior to her dismissal, was put on paid administrative leave last May following the publication of an investigation by the Orange County Register that featured allegations of verbal or emotional abuse from 20 current or former Cal swimmers, according to NBC Sports.

The university subsequently retained a law firm to conduct an independent investigation, which included a review of approximately 1,700 documents and interviews with 147 people, including McKeever, current and former swimmers, parents of swimmers, coaching staff, and university personnel, among others, according to a redacted copy of the report obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle.

The report alleges that McKeever violated university policies by creating a "hostile environment" for some swimmers based on their race, national origin and disability, including by allegedly questioning their reported injuries and using a racial slur while mimicking rap music, and that she used "humiliating and belittling language" with some swimmers, including allegedly calling them "worthless," a "waste of a scholarship" and an "embarrassment."

It also alleges she violated official policy by creating a negative team environment in which she pressured swimmers to turn on and publicly critique each other.

Other allegations include that McKeever pressured some team athletes to swim through their injuries and to reveal personal information about their medical histories, grades and psychological traumas. But investigators could not make a definitive judgment about whether she violated university policies in those instances, the report states.

"I deny and unequivocally refute all conclusions that I abused or bullied any athlete and deny any suggestion I discriminated against any athlete on the basis of race, disability or sexual orientation,” McKeever said in a statement obtained by NBC Sports.

McKeever also alleged in her statement that she was dealing with "double standards" as a female coach and that she was "terribly disappointed and saddened at the way in which the investigation process was conducted."

“While I am disappointed in the way my CAL Career will conclude, I wish to thank and celebrate the many student-athletes and staff that made my time in Berkeley a true blessing and gift," she said.

According to NBC Sports, McKeever's lawyer said that she “will be filing suit to expose the manner in which gender has affected not only the evaluation of her coaching but harmed and continues to harm both female and male athletes.”

McKeever took the Cal team to four NCAA and five Pac-12 team championships over the course of her career, according to her biography on the university website, which also says she's "regarded as one of the most accomplished swimming mentors in the United States, if not the world."

She also served as head coach of the U.S. Olympic women's swim team in London in 2012, and as an assistant Olympic coach in 2004 and 2008. She was a seven-time assistant coach for the U.S. team at the World Championships, according to her biography.

Before coaching the Golden Bears, she spent five seasons coaching the women's and men's teams at Fresno State. She started her coaching career in 1984 at the University of Southern California, where she graduated the year prior and was an All-American collegiate swimmer, according to her biography.

McKeever and representatives for UC Berkeley did not immediately respond to requests for comment from NBC News.

Former Olympic coach Dave Durden will continue as the university's acting director of swimming and diving while the department works to find permanent leadership, Knowlton said.