University of Utah gymnast retires amid alleged 'verbal and emotional abuse' from coach

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A member of the University of Utah women's gymnastics team announced her retirement from the sport and withdrawal from the school on Friday, citing "verbal and emotional abuse" from head coach Tom Farden and being "completely dismissed" by the athletic department when she tried to report it.

Kara Eaker, a two-time gold medalist at the World Championships and alternate for the 2020 Olympics, said she has recently contemplated suicide and self-harm and was recently diagnosed with "severe anxiety and depression" while also suffering from "panic attacks, PTSD, and night terrors."

"I accepted an athletic scholarship to the University of Utah because I truly believed the school was a place where I could contribute to the community, be a strong asset to the gymnastics team, and be free to develop myself and future career," Eaker wrote in an Instagram post.

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Kara Eaker of the United States during balance beam for women at the 49th FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Hanns Martin Schleyer Halle in Stuttgart, Germany, on October 13, 2019.  (Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

"For two years, while training with the Utah Gymnastics team, I was a victim of verbal and emotional abuse. As a result, my physical, mental and emotional health has rapidly declined. . . .

"During my recruiting process, I was promised a ‘family’ within this program and a ‘sisterhood’ with my teammates, who would accept me, care for me, and