Prominent Charlotte coach suspended from USA Swimming for allegations of misconduct
Jeremy Gregory, a prominent local swim coach who most recently worked at Mecklenburg Swim Association, has been temporarily suspended by USA Swimming through the U.S. Center for SafeSport for allegations of misconduct.
Gregory, 33, was hired by MSA Swim in February 2020; the club has more than 900 year-round swimmers. He has been under investigation since July 6 for allegedly violating the USA Swimming code of conduct. Specifically, Gregory is alleged to have committed (an) act of fraud, deception or dishonesty in connection with a USA Swimming-related activity, per USA Swimming/SafeSport.
The investigation by SafeSport, a non-profit organization that works to end all forms of abuse in sports, is expected to take 6-to-8 weeks and prohibits any work related to USA Swimming.
When contacted via email, MSA head coach Peter Perers indicated that Gregory was alleged to have violated the code of conduct “relating to inappropriate texting and communication.”
Named North Carolina Swimming Senior Coach of the Year in 2018 and 2019, Gregory is no longer an employee of MSA, Perers told The Observer. Prior to working for MSA, Gregory was employed by the Aquatic Team of Mecklenburg (ATOM) for almost six years before being terminated in February 2020, head coach and CEO of ATOM Shaynah Jerrell said.
Gregory’s time at ATOM came to an end due to a variety of events, including acting verbally abusive with multiple swimmers, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the situation. Gregory was with ATOM for almost six years, from May 2014-February 2020, according to his LinkedIn profile, and served as the Head Senior Coach for the last two years of his time there.
At the time of Gregory’s firing in February 2020, there was not enough information to report Gregory to USA Swimming for misconduct. Jerrell, however, contacted Perers when she received word that Gregory was potentially going to be hired at MSA. Jerrell told The Observer that Perers did not seek a reference or return her communication for more information on why Gregory had been let go.
Perers declined further comment when reached by email, citing the ongoing investigation. Gregory did not return emails or phone calls requesting comment.
Jerrell made a complaint to USA Swimming regarding Gregory in November 2020 based on new information she received from swimmers that had spent time with him at her club. SafeSport looked into the situation but did not suspend Gregory. He later became MSA’s National Prep Swim Coach in March 2021 and had five swimmers qualify for the U.S. Olympic Trials.
He isn’t the first North Carolina swim coach to be investigated by USA Swimming/SafeSport. There are currently nine coaches from the state listed as permanently suspended or ineligible for membership. Former owner and head coach of Charlotte’s New South Swimming, Jamie Thomas, is banned for life from USA Swimming after he was found to have committed four code of conduct violations in 2014.
Over the past few years, more athletes in a variety of sports have come forward with different abuse claims regarding youth coaches. In 2020, six women filed civil lawsuits against USA Swimming, its associations in California and three banned coaches claiming that USA Swimming did not protect them from abuse by coaches, per The Associated Press.
Gregory was part of the 2006-2007 Auburn swimming team that placed first at the NCAA Division I National Championships. He also swam at Queens University and placed third in two individual events at the NCAA Division II National Championships. In 2017, he was named an assistant coach with Queens University’s triathlon program, but he is no longer employed by the school.
More information on USA Swimming Safe Sport can be found here.
This story was originally published July 14, 2021 at 9:13 AM.
