U.S. Lawmakers Launch Sexual Abuse Probe of Youth Sports Giant AAU

Key Points:

• Bipartisan leaders from the House Energy and Commerce Committee have launched an inquiry into the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) over its handling of child sexual abuse allegations, following investigative reports by ProPublica and The Washington Post.
• The committee criticized the AAU for failing to implement standard reforms to protect young athletes and accused it of misleading the public about its preventative measures, demanding detailed information on abuse allegations and coach discipline by October 21.
• The AAU, which has about 760,000 athletes and coaches nationwide, was found to lack child abuse prevention training, suppress allegations, and use confidential arbitration to keep abuse lawsuits out of court, despite past pledges to improve safety following a 2011 scandal.
• The Energy and Commerce Committee, which previously investigated abuses in USA Gymnastics, is leveraging its oversight role and the Safe Sport Act to push for transparency and reforms, noting that much of the law’s protections do not currently cover the AAU.
• The AAU responded by pledging full cooperation with congressional inquiries and reaffirming its commitment to athlete safety, citing its existing protection policies and compliance efforts.