Institutional Liability for Sexual Abuse by Coaches and Trainers

When the Coach You Trusted Uses That Trust Against You

Survivors who sit with Horn Wright, LLP, our sexual abuse attorneys often talk about the early parts of their athletic life first. Not the harm, never the harm. They talk about the smell of the gym floor, the nervous excitement before competitions, the coach who said they saw potential. These memories are complicated because they’re tied to something that once felt hopeful.

What eventually comes out is the moment that hope shifted. Survivors describe feeling singled out, praised in ways that didn’t sit right, or pressured into one-on-one practices that no one else questioned. Some say they didn’t even have the language at the time to explain why something felt wrong. Others remember how teammates whispered about the coach’s “favorites,” or how adults brushed off early discomfort as part of being a dedicated athlete.

Why Institutions Must Treat Athletic Power Differently

A coach doesn’t just teach technique. They decide who plays, who sits, who travels, and who gets pushed toward larger opportunities. Athletes, especially young ones, learn quickly that pleasing a coach can shape their entire future in the sport. Institutions know this dynamic exists, and because of that, they’re expected to supervise coaches with real vigilance.

The U.S. Center for SafeSport has pointed out that athletic environments become dangerous when organizations rely too heavily on a coach’s reputation. And survivors often describe that exact problem: the “legendary coach” who wasn’t questioned, the popular trainer nobody wanted to confront, the volunteer who was “too important to lose.” All of this creates space where misconduct can hide in plain sight.

When something does go wrong, survivors often look back and see a long chain of adults who had authority but didn’t step in. That failure is not just disappointing, it’s institutional negligence.

How Institutional Breakdowns Appear Inside Teams and Programs

Survivors usually recall small details before they remember the larger picture. They mention team rules that were never enforced, or how the coach seemed to operate without oversight. Some talk about reluctance to report because doing so felt like risking the season, their position, or the one adult who seemed to shape their dreams.

Institutions may be liable when:

• Complaints, even subtle ones, were minimized or reframed as “normal coaching style.”
• Coaches or trainers were given too much access, closed-door sessions, late-night texts, or travel arrangements with no other supervision.
• The organization failed to check a coach’s history, or ignored red flags entirely.
• Winning, fundraising, or reputation mattered more to leadership than athlete safety.

Survivors rarely see these failures as systems issues at first. But with time, they begin to understand how each overlooked warning created the conditions that allowed abuse to happen.

Why Reporting in Sports Is So Emotionally Difficult

Sports often demand loyalty, grit, and silence about anything that might be seen as weakness. Survivors say that culture shaped how they handled early discomfort. Many felt that speaking up would make them appear uncoachable. Some feared backlash from teammates who adored the coach. Others sensed adults wouldn’t believe them because the coach “got results.”

The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) has stressed that youth sports organizations must create safe reporting pathways. Yet survivors often describe the opposite. They explain how warning signs were rationalized: “That’s just how they motivate players,” or “They push the kids they care about most.”

When the entire environment teaches athletes to endure, not question, the silence that follows isn’t a personal failure, it’s a cultural one.

The Moment Survivors Learn They Weren’t the Only One

Few moments hit survivors harder than discovering another athlete experienced something similar. Sometimes this comes from a news report, sometimes from a teammate’s confession, and sometimes from institutional investigations long after the survivor has left the sport.

That discovery reframes everything. Survivors often feel a mix of heartbreak and fury: heartbreak that others carried the same pain, and fury that the institution had earlier warnings it ignored. Seeing the pattern is often what finally makes survivors realize the institution didn’t just miss signs, it allowed harm to continue.

Evidence That Exposes Institutional Negligence

Institutions rarely hand over the truth willingly. But patterns tend to surface once someone starts digging. Survivors often find out that coaches were quietly warned about boundaries, that parents raised concerns, or that administrators tried to manage problems “internally” instead of contacting authorities.

Evidence may include:

• Prior complaints about inappropriate conduct that were never escalated.
• Emails or messages revealing attempts to downplay boundary violations.
• Travel or training arrangements that violated safety policies.
• Witness accounts from other athletes or staff who sensed something was wrong.

Each piece begins to form a picture, not just of the coach’s behavior, but of the institution’s decisions.

What Justice Means for Athletes Who Were Failed

Survivors who pursue claims against athletic organizations often describe justice not as a moment, but a shift. They begin to separate the sport they loved from the institution that failed them. Some seek compensation for therapy, lost opportunities, or long-term emotional harm. Others want recognition, an acknowledgment that they were not at fault and that adults with power could have protected them.

Legal action can lead to long overdue reforms: supervised practices, transparent complaint systems, limits on private communication, or meaningful training for volunteers. Survivors often say these changes help them heal because they transform their private pain into public accountability.

You Don’t Have to Go Up Against an Institution Alone

Athletic organizations often have deep community ties, strong reputations, and legal teams ready to protect them. Survivors deserve someone who focuses solely on their story, not the institution’s image.

At Horn Wright, LLP, our sexual abuse attorneys work with survivors to uncover institutional failures, expose overlooked warning signs, and pursue accountability with care and dignity. If a coach or trainer abused their authority and the institution failed to protect you, reach out so we can help you take back your narrative and find a path toward justice that feels right to you.