In an email sent to the Golden West Swim Club and the Southern California Swimming LSC today, the two groups were informed that coach Bill Jewell has been suspended for three years.
“USA Swimming’s case against Mr. Jewell was based on a pattern of inappropriate behavior, including making sexually explicit comments toward athletes and other individuals affiliated with the club,” the email stated. “There was no allegation of or evidence to support inappropriate sexual touching.”
This ends at least one branch of a drawn-out and very complex saga where a former colleague of Jewell’s at the Golden West Swim Club, Dia Rianda, sued her former employer claiming that she was fired after reporting Jewell’s behavior to head coach Mark Schubert. That wrongful termination suit, which is a civil suit, has not yet been settled.
Among Jewell’s other prior roles in the sport include as the head coach of the FAST club in Fullerton, California when it was designated and funded as a USA Swimming Center of Excellence.
There is a somewhat more than professional relationship between Mary Jo and Bill Jewell.
Speak to coaches who have no dog in the fight.
Adults. Nothing wrong with it. Legal. Violates no rules.
Does cause one to ask questions when one sits in judgement on the other.
At least Jill Chasson had the courtesy to resign when faced with a situation involving her husband Mike’s former Sun Devil assistant Greg Winslow and another involving John Cadigan at NBAC.
Just saying.
Importantly…
Don’t take my word for it! Ask the questions! The truth is hard to hide.
Could someone please explain why Bill Jewell received only a three year ban from USA swimming when he massaged under age girls and commented on their breasts and that a coach from Oakland, Ben Sheppard, last month got a life time ban from USA swimming when he made some flirtatious comments (not even sexual) to former swimmers or current swimmers on their Facebook pages who were already 18 years old when he did so? His “crime” doesn’t seem to fit the punishment especially in comparison to the much lighter “sentence” that Jewell received.
I mean an average age group team replaced the world class team that Flip Darr had coach By the 1980’s it was known as Golden West since it merged Huntingon Beach and Fountain Valley.
Thanks for the history lesson!
You are correct, as a kid in 1971, I swam for the Phillips 66 team at Huntington Beach and there was Phillips 66 Long Beach. In 1972 Huntington Beach broke away from Long Beach and was known at Huntington Beach. Darr left in 1973 to Coach Community College at Saddleback in Mission Viejo and stop the program since he didn’t like the communte. A average age group team still called Huntington Beach and later Golden West since the combined the Huntington Beach club and Fountain Valley Swim club together, according to their website.
Probably only five people read this thread, and i wouldnt had someone not told me that my name was thrown in the mix. But to clear up Lets Make A Deal’s perception of SCS and Jeri Marshburn. I am not the reason for Jeri’s appointment to ANY leadership role with SCS or USA Swimming. She has come by her leadership roles through her thoughtful consideration as to what might make swimming a better sport and her willingness to provide that leadership. As the General Manager of Novaquatics, Jeri has always asked for my advice and approval for her roles with SCS and USA-S. She has been and continues to be a valuable asset to swimming.
As to MaryJo, i… Read more »
Pretty good odds when Austin, Berkoff, Dussliere, and Salo comment on an article relating to socal swim when “probably only five people read the thread”.
Loving that my name is being associated with David Salo, John Dussliere and that I got top billing over Berkoff.
I think in the olden days, before USA Swimming, the AAU had competition with the varoius novice programs that had some good swimmers that sometimes refused to go to AAU.
Bill Jewel like many that coach made a lifetime at it. Its probably better that he leaves. Jewel was a world unveristy swimmer I think in 100 meter butterfly in the early 1960’s and swam for USC . Stupid behavor on Jewel’s part has disappointed me who was coached by him long ago and he helped some of my swimming.
Interesting history, but didn’t Gary Hall Sr swim for the Phillips 66 club that swam out of the old Golden West College pool? Did Phillips 66 eventually become GWSC?
See my comment above. GWSC was the merger of Fountain Valley Aquatics and the Huntington Beach Aquatic Club in the early 80’s.
Wrong
Beware in California because USA Swimming just gave Southern California Swimming more ways to discriminate against individuals. How many people will be retaliated against due to a “sexually explicit comment”. Individuals better arm themselves with tape recorders because socal is full of dirtbag board members who lie and cheat and will go to extremes to get rid of people they do not like.
Well, some of them probably have been around when it was AAU in the 1970’s. As for Santa Barbara, FAST heyday before the national training idea was in the 1970’s and 1980’s, Clary is the last home grown talent there since Janet Evans. Santa Barbara is really not worst than FAST or Golden West. Golden West… Read more »
FYI – Golden West Swim Club didn’t come into existence as a USAS club until 1982 or 83 (when the Huntington Beach Swim Club and Fountain Valley Swim Club merged). Greg Holland and Dave Pickford were the original coaches. Didn’t Shirley swim for Mission Viejo? She may have also swum for Golden West Community College at some point…
Well, Jewell early career was with the Newport Beach Swim Club back in the 1970’s. I swam there for a year. He had one national caliber swimmer and top senior swimmers and average age group swimmers like myself. Not certain when he left Newport Beach and what he did after and before FAST. I don’t remember strange comments back then, Jewel was a young man then probably in his thirties.