Chad Cradock, the former head swimming and diving team coach at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County (UMBC), passed away on March 7, 2021, three days before his 47th birthday, according to an obituary. He was born in Ontario, Canada, and graduated from high school in that country.
Cradock was a UMBC alumnus from Canada who came to the school on a competitive swimming scholarship. According to the obituary, he graduated from UMBC in 1997 and remained at the university with the school’s Retriever Aquatic Club and as an assistant swimming and diving coach. He was appointed head coach in 2001 and remained in that position for 19 years.
However, his legacy is now heavily overshadowed by serious allegations. A Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation revealed a troubling pattern of misconduct during Cradock's tenure, which has led to significant repercussions for the university and its athletic program.
Allegations of Abuse and Discrimination
A Department of Justice investigation claims Chad Cradock, the former head swimming and diving team coach at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County, sexually abused student-athletes and discriminated against others. Baldwin is reportedly representing five swimmers whose allegations helped trigger a university investigation into Cradock, who inappropriately touched male swimmers and discriminated against female members of the team, according to the 105-page final report.
The DOJ report was released while UMBC is on its spring break, which runs through March 24. On Monday, the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice released a damning letter to the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, finding the school violated Title IX from 2015 to ’20.
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Per the DOJ, Cradock, who stopped coaching at UMBC in 2020 and died by suicide in ’21, committed “unwanted sexual touching” of male athletes and “sex discrimination” against female athletes, which included “degrading” comments about their bodies. He created a “hostile environment based on sex” that included “invasive questions” about athletes’ sexual relationships, the DOJ said.
“Our investigation revealed an enduring hostile environment based on sex in the Athletics Department that affected many student-athletes, both male and female,” according to the letter, signed by Shaheen A. Simons, chief of the Education Opportunities Section in the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “It revealed not only despicable actions by one individual, but profound failures in the university’s response during [2015 to 2020]. As the DOJ said in its report, these students deserved better,” she said.
“UMBC’s Title IX process prioritizes the school’s reputation over student safety,” Baldwin told The Baltimore Sun last week.
“This sent a terrifying but galvanizing message to the other female student-athletes on the team. In the fall of 2020, teammates overheard a male team member physically assaulting a female teammate in his off-campus apartments. “Instead, he required the female student-athlete to return to practice alongside her abuser, with bruises and other physical evidence of the violent assault,” the DOJ letter stated.
Details from the Lawsuit
According to the lawsuit, the plaintiff’s romantic relationship with a male member of the UMBC swim team “quickly became violent.” The complaint outlines repeated sexual assaults, stalking, and sending countless text and social media messages, and other harassment that persisted even after the couple’s relationship ended. The plaintiff claims her mental health worsened as a result, causing her to miss mandatory training sessions for UMBC’s swim team.
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In response, Cradock allegedly threatened to take away her scholarship and said that her situation would “get worse” if she brought her complaints to UMBC’s Title IX office. Cradock is also accused of forcing the plaintiff into a mediation session with her abuser and neglecting to report the misconduct to the UMBC’s Title IX coordinator as required by university protocol.
UMBC's Response and Actions Taken
UMBC responded to the allegations in a statement, saying the university takes full responsibility. “UMBC takes full responsibility for the breakdown in Title IX enforcement,” says Kacey Hammel, the chief of staff to the UMBC president, in a statement to Front Office Sports. “We deeply regret the pain this caused for students who were directly impacted by the misconduct.
“UMBC remains focused on our ongoing actions to build a community where sexual violence and misconduct are never acceptable,” said UMBC spokesperson Dinah Winnick. “This work is already underway,” she said.
School president Valerie Sheares Ashby, who was not at UMBC when the sexual assaults and misconduct took place, said in a letter to the community that an agreement with the DOJ is forthcoming that will outline changes for how the university responds to reports of wrongdoing. Sheares Ashby also detailed ways the university has already acted to amend its processes.
“As UMBC has acknowledged, the University is working cooperatively with the Department toward a resolution.
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In a statement provided to Maryland Matters on Friday evening, Kacey Hammel, chief of staff to UMBC President Valerie Sheares Ashby, said, “UMBC has cooperated with the DOJ every step of the way and is committed to meeting the terms of the agreement, including the financial relief for individuals.
“The United States Department of Justice’s Title IX findings were difficult to read and the University’s failure to properly respond to the harms suffered by our students are inexcusable,” he said in a statement Friday evening. “The students that were harmed deserved better than what they got. President Sheares Ashby committed to ensuring that failures like this ‘never happen again’ and that those who failed would be held to account. I take President Sheares Ashby at her word.
State officials are set to vote early next month on a proposed $4.1 million settlement with two groups of individuals who were abused by a former University of Maryland, Baltimore County swimming and diving coach.
Key Figures in the Aftermath:
- Valerie Sheares Ashby: Current UMBC President committed to ensuring such failures never happen again.
- Kacey Hammel: Chief of Staff to UMBC President, emphasizing UMBC's cooperation with the DOJ.
- Rignal W. Baldwin V: Attorney representing five swimmers who brought allegations against Cradock.
“Because of these relationships and his visibility, his image became synonymous with the University itself: he earned the nickname, “Mr.
Title IX coordinators within the University System of Maryland convene to review relevant laws, regulations, standards and practices. Title IX requires colleges to address sexual assault allegations as they would other forms of gender discrimination.
“This event serves as an introduction of the Office of Equity and Civil Rights (ECR) to the student body. They oversee the office of Title IX,” according to a forum description.
Seven UMBC alumni, including trailblazing House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones (D-Baltimore County) currently serve in the Maryland General Assembly. One of those alumni, Sen. Charles E.
“While this is a painful moment for the greater UMBC family, I cannot imagine how greater the pain must be for the students who were victimized,” said Sydnor, whose district incudes the UMBC campus and whose daughter attends the school.
A senior administrator knew about the letter and another “tipped off” the head coach that university police planned to search his locker. Meanwhile, the head coach had male “favorites” on the swimming and diving team, who he took for haircuts, off-campus meals and other informal gatherings. Cradock also helped secure mental health services for the male team members but not the women.
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Name | Chad Cradock |
| Position | Former Head Swimming and Diving Coach at UMBC |
| Allegations | Sexual abuse, discrimination against student-athletes |
| DOJ Findings | UMBC violated Title IX from 2015 to 2020 |
| UMBC Response | Taking full responsibility, cooperating with DOJ, implementing changes |
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