Peter Foley, the founding coach of the U.S. snowboard team in 1994 and a longtime coach of the snowboard cross program, is no longer with U.S. Ski and Snowboard.
As of last Sunday, “Peter Foley is no longer employed by U.S. Ski and Snowboard,” the organization said in a statement. “Mr. Foley has been on a leave of absence since February 21, 2022.”
Rob Fagen was named interim head coach while a search is on for a new snowboard cross head coach.
U.S. Ski and Snowboard did not say why Foley, its 2021 Coach of the Year in snowboarding, was no longer with the program, nor why he was on a leave of absence.
Last Friday, Foley was issued a temporary suspension by the U.S. Center for SafeSport due to allegations of misconduct that it did not specify. The center opened in 2017 to handle harassment and other abuse allegations inside U.S. sports.
During last month’s Olympics, U.S. Ski and Snowboard was investigating allegations that Foley took naked pictures of female athletes and that Olympic snowboard cross rider Hagen Kearney used racist language to provoke a teammate in 2014.
Callan Chythlook-Sifsof, a retired 2010 Olympian, wrote in a February Instagram post that in addition to taking the photos, Foley had made inappropriate comments, and that Kearney repeatedly used the N-word to “intentionally get under my skin.”
Chythlook-Sifsof is from Alaska and describes herself as Yupik and Inupiaq.
Nine days before Foley was put on leave, U.S. Ski & Snowboard released a statement during the Games that said it “takes all allegations seriously. Peter Foley remains as U.S. Snowboardcross team head coach while all recent allegations are being investigated.”
Foley said during the Games that he was surprised by the allegations in a text to The Associated Press.
“I vehemently deny the allegations,” he continued. “I’m doing my best to concentrate on supporting the athletes at the Olympics.”
Kearney posted on Instagram during the Olympics that he faced expulsion from the team after the episode with Chythlook-Sifsof, and apologized shortly after.
“I did not have the same head on my shoulders back then as I do now and Callan was a huge part of me changing and growing as a human,” Kearney said.
The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee said in a statement during the Olympics: “We take all allegations of sexual misconduct seriously and follow protocols to ensure it is reported and managed properly.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
