Photo: Oleg Nikishin/Epsilon/Getty
Former Professional Skating Association president Gerry Lane tells PEOPLE, “Friends of mine … have contacted me and said [Coughlin] was really in a bad place in terms of not feeling like he was able to defend himself.”
“Obviously most grievance procedures — and SafeSport’s no different — require confidentiality so this was kind of hanging over him,” Lane continues. “I think he wanted to say things, but he couldn’t and I think that was frustrating for him to be able to tell his side of things.”
Lane, who was not in touch with the athlete at the time of his death, also recalls hearing from a friend who was speaking with Coughlin in the days after his Jan. 17 suspension that he was “in a low spot.”
“I think he felt the hopelessness that [the allegations] would be more of a permanent problem for him,” Lane explains. “That he would never be able to regain his reputation.”
The details of the investigation or why he was suspended were not provided, as it is against SafeSport’s policy to comment on ongoing investigations.
A source familiar with their process previously told PEOPLE of the investigation, “a suspension means there have been enough allegations or concern about safety to where we say, ‘This person just cannot participate at all.’ ”
Well before the suspension and allegations, Lane says Coughlin “was great” and “very well-respected,” adding he last saw the skater about eight or nine months ago.
He went on to call Coughlin “a fun guy to be around, there’s no question about it,” before recalling the time he spent with the skater when he was around 10 or 11 years old.
“He always had a big personality even when he was a little kid,” Lane muses. “I would teach him a little bit in Kansas City where he grew up and started skating. … He was always a sponge, just wanted to learn, had a good sense of humor, didn’t get down on himself, wasn’t hard on himself, could laugh at himself.”
Lane believes SafeSport’s process for investigating abuse allegations may have played a role in Coughlin’s sense of “hopelessness.”
John Coughlin.Harry How/Getty Images)
“I don’t think that’s always the case. There could be other triggers to suicide besides that,” he says. “You would never guess if you met him. You would think he would be a strong individual, but everyone has their tipping point.”
While some people have been calling for SafeSport to continue their investigation into Coughlin, the source previously told PEOPLE the center only operates on concerns of safety, rather than punishment, and they likely would not continue investigations after someone has died.
On Jan. 7, Coughlin toldUSA Todaytheallegations against him were “unfounded.”
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Cheryl Laird-Wilde, one of the staff coaches at the Broadmoor World Arena in Colorado Springs — a training ground for many top figure skaters — also remembered Coughlin warmly.
He was “always the most kindest, sweetest person you would ever meet,” she previously told PEOPLE. “This gentle giant. He always had a smile, always had a hello, how you doing. Just a pleasure to see when you’re walking in and out.”
“He was a beautiful skater…a treat to watch. He’s gonna be missed dearly,” she added.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text “help” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or go tosuicidepreventionlifeline.org.
source: people.com
