Ex-Swim Coach Curl Sentenced to 7 Years For Sex Abuse

Hall of Fame swim coach Rick Curl was sentenced Thursday to 7 years in prison for sexually abusing one of his swimmers in the 1980s, according to several news accounts.

On Thursday, Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge Mariesla A. Bernard sentenced Curl to the maximum 15 years, but suspended all but 7, The Baltimore Sun reports.

The New York Times is reporting that the victim is now demanding the departure of three USA Swimming leaders whom she claims knew about the abuse but failed to act.

Kelley Currin, 43, said the abuse happened when she was 13. She swam for the Curl-Burke Swim Club (now known as Nation's Capital Swim Club)—a club known for training Olympic athletes, The Washington Post reports.

Currin said three men knew about the conduct prior to USA Swimming’s investigation in 2011 and reportedly told The New York Times:

If there is to be any meaningful change, Currin said, it must start with the resignation of the USA Swimming executive director Chuck Wielgus and the technical vice president David Berkoff; and the barring from the organization of Mark Schubert, a former United States team director, an eight-time Olympic coach and a Hall of Fame member.

For the full account, see Abuse Victim Seeks Ouster of U.S. Swimming Officials at NYTimes.com.

Curl, 63, pleaded guilty to sex abuse in February 2012. The relationship began at North Bethesda's Georgetown Preparatory School, where the club leased the pool, Patch has reported.

Currin said she wanted to tell her story of the four-year relationship after having signed a non-disclosure statement in 1989 when her family first pursued the issue. Curl and Currin’s family reached an agreement under which the family would not pursue the case publicly, Patch has reported, citing coverage from The Washington Post.