Jago Times "English Edition" Best Online Newspaper
In the latest chapter of an unfolding scandal in competitive cheerleading, twin sisters alleged in a lawsuit Monday that a former coach who worked with them at Frisco and Plano gyms sexually abused the girls for years, beginning when they were 15 years old.
The litigation filed today on behalf of 22-year-old Jessica and Hannah Gerlacher names their former coach Jason McCartney, Texas cheerleading gym Cheer Athletics and the U.S. All-Star Cheer Federation as defendants.
According to the Gerlachers’ lawyer, McCartney, who goes by Jay, now works at an Austin gym. The Cheer Athletics Austin website lists Jay McCartney as one of the franchise’s two owners.
The Gerlachers, who as teens were award-winning cheer competitors and who now coach youngsters in the sport, say McCartney’s lewd behavior included frequently using the pretense of “spotting” the twins as an excuse to touch their breasts, crotches, and buttocks, and push his erection into them, according to the lawsuit.
“Spotting” is a technique in which coaches stand near athletes during difficult maneuvers to ensure their safety.
National sexual assault and victim’s rights attorney Michelle Simpson Tuegel and co-counsel Andrew Dao are representing the twins, who live and coach in the Dallas area. The lawyers and their clients revealed the allegations at a news conference Monday morning in the Simpson Tuegel law offices in Deep Ellum.
The twin sisters’ Instagram account has 65,000 followers and their YouTube videos – both of their own competitions and that of the children and teens they now coach – are popular in the cheer community.
Hannah Gerlacher, speaking for herself and her sister, who tightly held hands throughout the news conference, said they came forward “to make sure another sexually abusive coach doesn’t harm one of these athletes.”
She noted that she and her sister were children who were told he could take them to the next level of excellence in their sport.
Hannah said that shame and fear kept them from reporting the abuse for a long time. “We decided to report to our sport, but nobody contacted us, nothing was acknowledged and nothing was done about it.”
Simpson Tuegel said much the same. “These brave young women came forward today first to hold him [Jason McCartney] accountable and also to hold the institutions, such as U.S. All-Star Cheer Federation, who they reported the abuse to and who as far as we know has taken no action up to this time.”
Calls have been placed seeking comment from the U.S. All Star Federation, Cheer Athletics and Jason McCartney.
Simpson Tuegel noted that questions have previously emerged about Cheer Athletics as the result of the recent scandal involving former Netflix reality show star Jerry Harris, who was arrested and accused of soliciting nude photos and sex from minors.
Harris now faces multiple felony charges, including sexual exploitation of children and transportation with intent for illicit sexual conduct. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Although Harris previously worked for Cheer Athletics and the operation initially supported him after the allegations, Cheer Athletics has since severed ties and said it was completely unaware of any wrongdoing.
The allegations against Harris were first published by USA Today as part of an investigation into sexual misconduct in cheerleading. That investigation revealed across-the-board failures in how the U.S. All Star Federation, the governing body of competitive cheerleading, handled allegations of misconduct involving minors.