Cheerleading abuse accusations increase to 20 with Ohio case

By JAMES POLLARD
Associated Press/Report for America

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The latest lawsuit alleging widespread misconduct across competitive cheerleading says officials permitted two choregraphers to continue working with young athletes after they were investigated for sexual abuse. Twenty plaintiffs have now brought allegations against various coaches since the founder of an elite South Carolina cheerleading gym reportedly killed himself in late August amid an investigation into abuse. Federal complaints filed in Ohio and five other states throughout the Southeast accuse the sport’s governing bodies and leading competitive institutions of failing to protect underage athletes.