The University of Utah has engaged an outside agency to review its nationally acclaimed gymnastics program after former gymnasts and parents allege head coach Tom Farden verbally and emotionally abused and physically intimidated members of the team.
As reported by the Deseret News in a 4,000-word story posted late Sunday, the university has turned to the Kansas City-based law firm Husch Blackwell to conduct the review. According to article co-authors Trent Wood and Dennis Romboy, several athletes, their parents and Utah gymnastics staffers — current and former — have been interviewed as part of the investigation. The firm specializes in issues facing colleges and universities, including conducting independent investigations and culture and climate reviews of sport programs.
"Gymnasts and parents reported the alleged abuse to university administrators and campus victim advocates," Wood and Romboy wrote. "The former gymnasts are not alleging sexual abuse of any kind, but maintain that Farden verbally and emotionally demeaned them."
According to five former members of the gymnastics team (which goes by the nickname Red Rocks, not Utes), mothers of four gymnasts and two former staff members who worked with Farden during his 23-year collegiate coaching career — all of whom spoke with the Deseret News on the condition of anonymity — Farden’s alleged behaviors as a head coach include:
- Verbal degradation and public shaming, wherein Farden would single out and demean gymnasts, both in practices and meets, demoralizing athletes and causing feelings of worthlessness.
- Creating an environment where gymnasts, including those under age 18, were isolated from family and pressured to refrain from any communication outside the program.
- Lack of concern or interest in gymnasts’ physical and emotional well-being, be it after serious injuries, illness or mental and emotional issues.
- Creating an environment that rewards and encourages gymnasts to report on their teammates’ lives inside and outside the sport.
- Physical intimidation, including throwing objects in the gym and forcefully handling equipment, making some gymnasts feel generally unsafe.
Though she competed at a high level, receiving All-Pac-12 and All-America honors, one former Red Rock said Farden told her she was a failure, lazy, a waste and that she didn’t bring value to the team, Wood and Romboy reported.
“You knew, no matter what you had done, Tom would take it and blow it up and it would be your fault because you’re flawed as a person, not because you made one little mistake or having a hard day,” she said.
“Throughout my time as a gymnast there, all I felt like was a thing, a business asset. If you’re doing stuff that doesn’t look good for this business that he’s running, then he thinks you’re irrelevant.”
Citing the ongoing review, university officials declined to answer questions but did issue a statement.
“The well-being and safety of our student-athletes are of the utmost importance to the university and the athletics department, and we are committed to our student-athletes feeling respected, supported and safe. When issues are brought to our attention, it is our practice to conduct a thorough review to ensure that our practices and policies are being followed. I can confirm that an outside independent review of our gymnastics program has been underway,” said Christopher Nelson, chief university relations officer.
The University of Utah's student-athlete wellness policy requires coaches, among other things, to “act ethically with good judgment, discretion and integrity both on and off the job ... and treat all persons with courtesy, friendliness and respect for their personal dignity.”
As reported by Wood and Romboy, emotional and verbal abuse are “expressly prohibited” under the policy, which says abuse can include when a coach “excessively” singles out an athlete through negative interactions or personal attacks, uses degrading language, devalues a person or ignores an athlete.
Farden arrived at Utah as an assistant coach ahead of the 2011 season. In 2016, he and Megan Marsdem were named co-head coaches, following the retirement of Greg Marsden. Farden became the sole head coach in 2020 after Megan Marsden retired.
The Marsdens say the allegations leveled at Farden “don’t make any sense” and in no way reflect who he is as a coach or a person. They said they never saw him demean, embarrass or make gymnasts miserable during their time together, Wood and Romboy reported.
“He is as professional as they come and he is one of the best coaches out there in the sport of women’s gymnastics. He’s one of the best spotters. He’s one of the best technical coaches and he cares about the athletes,” said Megan Marsden, who hasn’t coached with Farden the past four years, but doesn’t believe he has changed his style. “I don’t think he’s become an abusive coach.”
The Marsdens attribute the allegations to “disgruntled” gymnasts and parents, saying athletes don’t always have “storybook” careers and become stars or don’t meet the high expectations of their parents.
The Deseret News reported that is has learned that two Utah gymnasts were hospitalized for more than a week to address mental health concerns and suicidal thoughts. Both hospital stays came toward or at the end of a gymnastics season.
“During my time on the team, I was cussed at, had things thrown at me and was emotionally abused by Tom Farden to the point of being so broken down I wanted to take my own life,” one former All-American gymnast wrote to a student-athlete advocate.
Other parents and gymnasts allege that Farden has thrown objects at gymnasts, including a cellphone and a bars scraper, a metal tool used to scrape excess chalk from the uneven bars, in addition to physically intimidating team members.
Examples of physical intimidation include sprinting across the gym in a rage directly at individual gymnasts or slamming equipment such as mats on the ground aggressively in close proximity to gymnasts, Wood and Romboy reported..
Moreover, some gymnasts allege Farden flouted NCAA rules regarding voluntary offseason training sessions and scholarships.
According to Wood and Romboy, Utah administrators said the report from the independent investigation would be shared publicly after the university receives it.
