U.S. Center for SafeSport fires CEO in latest sign of crisis for Olympic watchdog

The U.S. Center for SafeSport fired CEO Ju'Riese Colon on Tuesday in the latest and most visceral sign of a crisis that began after revelations the centre had hired an investigator who would later be charged with rape.

The centre told The Associated Press about Colon's removal in an email. It brought an abrupt end to a tenure that began in 2019, when she was hired to help the then-two-year-old centre, which was established to combat sex abuse in Olympic sports, bring its operation to full speed.

The centre said its board chair, April Holmes, would lead an interim management committee composed of board members while they search for Colon's replacement.

"We are grateful for Ju'Riese's leadership and service," Holmes said in the statement sent to the AP. "As we look ahead, we will continue to focus on the Center's core mission of changing sport culture to keep athletes safe from abuse."

Colon did not immediately respond to a text message from the AP seeking comment.

In her five-plus years at the Denver-based center, Colon failed to fully untangle its struggles with long delays in processing an ever-growing caseload, or the stream of complaints from both accusers and accused who had been dragged through a resolution process that could take years.

No issue, however, illustrated the centre's struggles more than its handling of former Pennsylvania vice squad officer Jason Krasley.

Krasley was hired as an investigator for the centre in 2021 but was fired last November when the centre learned he had been arrested for allegedly stealing money from a drug bust he was a part of while with the police force.

The centre made no public mention of that until the AP reported about the connection on Dec. 26. Then, two weeks later, Krasley