Rick Butler sexual abuse allegations

Rick Butler, was the head coach of the Chicago Breeze in Major League Volleyball. He started the Sports Performance Volleyball Club in 1981. The club has since won 100 national championships. ==Sexual abuse allegations==

In 1995, Butler was accused of having had sexual relationships with three of his female players in the 1980s. During the time the relationships are alleged to have taken place, the legal age of consent was 16 years of age, and there were no applicable rules or laws expressly prohibiting the alleged coach/player relationships. Butler acknowledged having sexual relations with the three players, but alleges the relationships were consensual and only occurred after the players were 18 or older. ==2018 class action lawsuit==

In February 2018, a class action lawsuit was brought against the Butlers and their business, GLV, Inc. The lawsuit was filed by Laura Mullen, a mother of two athletes who trained in various GLV programs between 2012 and 2017. Mullen claimed that, had she and other parents known about the prior accusations made against Butler, they would have never sent their children to play in any GLV programs. The court ruled in favor of the Butlers and dismissed the case against them. == 2021 lawsuit filed by the Butlers and GLV, Inc. ==

In December 2021, Rick Butler, Cheryl Butler, and GLV, Inc. filed a lawsuit for $250 million against Nancy Hogshead-Makar, Champion Women, Sarah Powers-Barnhard, and Deborah DiMatteo. The lawsuit alleges a conspiracy to force the Butlers out of business, claiming the defendants used the threat of negative publicity related to the allegations against Rick Butler, legal repercussions, and cancel culture to force hundreds of organizations to cut ties with the Butlers and their business. ==Reactions==

USA Volleyball Butler was initially banned by a USA Volleyball ethics panel from coaching girls in August 1995, but the ban was partially lifted in 2000 and Butler's membership was reinstated. The Sports Performance Girls’ Program has not participated in any USA Volleyball events since 2007. In December 2017, Butler was banned for life by USA Volleyball after the organization determined that Butler violated a rule which prohibited him from disclosing any information about USA Volleyball's complaint against him. After banning Butler for life in December 2017, USA Volleyball held another hearing against him in January 2018 seeking to issue another lifetime ban for the alleged misconduct from the 1980s. Butler refused to participate in the hearing, calling it a "sham". USA Volleyball held the hearing without Butler's participation and issued a second lifetime ban in January 2018. In June 2016, the AAU was sued by one of Butler's accusers for allowing him to coach an under-18 team in the AAU Girls' Junior National Volleyball Championships. On February 5, 2018, USA Volleyball's CEO, Jamie Davis, wrote a letter to the AAU citing the media coverage of the Butler controversy, announcing USA Volleyball's refusal to tolerate any association with Butler, and notifying the AAU that it would no longer recognize the AAU as an affiliated organization. However, Hahn acknowledged that the JVA would have to follow the lead of the AAU, because the AAU was responsible for sanctioning JVA's largest events. After the AAU permanently disqualified Butler from participating in its activities, the JVA followed with an indefinite suspension on Butler's participation in JVA events. On May 15, 2018, a hearing was held by the State Senate Task Force on Sexual Discrimination and Harassment Awareness and Prevention to hear the testimony of two former volleyball players who have accused Butler of sexual assault. In an April 18, 2018 letter, ESPN Wide World of Sports announced that Butler was prohibited from participating in events held at their sport complex, including the AAU Girls' Junior National Volleyball Championships. ==References==