The former Clemson University gymnastics coach, Amy Smith, was dismissed last spring, and the university claimed Smith had violated her contract through improper personal conduct and inappropriate treatment of players.
Smith recently spoke with The Charlotte Observer in defense of her coaching style, saying that Clemson “destroyed my entire career.”
Several gymnasts and their parents complained to Clemson that Smith “engaged in verbal, mental and emotional abuse of athletes.” And this was not the first time Smith had been accused of such behavior. She faced similar allegations from athletes at North Carolina and Utah State.
Gymnasts reported feeling pressured to compete while injured, favoritism and a “divided” roster between the upperclassmen and the younger athletes.
Said Smith, “You don’t come to college to continue to be coddled and treated like a child. You come to learn, to critically think ... and it’s my job to help develop those things. And when you’re put in a position where maybe you’re held accountable for the first time, it’s going to feel harsh, it’s going to feel hard, it might feel unfair. But accountability does not equate abuse, and I know that there was no abuse taking place.”
However, for Smith and her lawyers, the bigger issue at play — beyond the abuse allegations — is the double standard facing female coaches.
Smith’s lawyer, Tom Newkirk said the handling of the investigation by Clemson was “a clear example of gender stereotyping,” and that female coaches run into this double standard often when applying accountability and discipline.
“A female coach will be very often accused of abuse or being mean or a bully because she’s failing to meet the emotional needs of one athlete on one particular day,” says Newkirk.
As a result of the gender stereotyping that Smith and Newkirk believed played a role in her dismissal, Smith is considering a lawsuit against Clemson University.
In two seasons as head coach, Smith twice led Clemson to the NCAA tournament, and she said she has “no regrets” about how she approached the coaching position.
