Update May 23
Since this story initial ran in December, Golden West president Wes Bryan has released a clarification letter, retracting his position regarding any activities within the Golden West Swim Club.
Bryan's May 22 letter
Dear Board Members,
The purpose of this letter is to provide clarification to the comments in my letter dated November 30, 2012 pertaining to the investigation which I authorized on behalf of Golden West College regarding Mark Schubert and Bill Jewell, because the intent of my comments apparently may have been misinterpreted or misconstrued.
My comments were intend to be directed solely and exclusively to the activities at Golden West College, and indeed, the primary focus of the investigation from the beginning was on Golden West College, not the Golden West Swim Club. Moreover, at the time that I wrote that letter, I was not aware of some factual information that has been brought to my attention relating to certain actions that may have occurred at the Club. I certainly did not intend to convey that the investigation was “extensive” or “complete' with respect to the Golden West Swim Club, and in fact, the investigation looked into the activities of the Golden West Swim Club merely tangentially because the Club only utilizes College facilities on a limited basis through a written agreement. Indeed, Golden West College has made no determination as to anything that may have occurred at the Golden West Swim Club outside of Golden West College pertaining to either Mark Schubert or Bill Jewell.
I regret if my letter may have inadvertently caused any harm or distress to Ms. Dia Rianda or to anyone else.
Sincerely,
Wes Bryan
HUNTINGTON BEACH, California, December 8. MARK Schubert and Bill Jewell, the head coach and assistant coach, respectively, of Golden West Swim Club and Golden West College's swim team, have been cleared of accusations of a cover-up involving sexual misconduct in the club's internal investigation.
The Orange County Register reports that a letter was sent to the members of the Golden West Swim Club and the student-athletes at Golden West College, signed by the college's president, Wes Bryan.
“The investigation into these matters is now complete, and I am pleased to announce that the investigation did not reveal any evidence to substantiate allegations of inappropriate conduct by Mr. Jewell while working with GWSC or Golden West College,” Bryan wrote. “Independently and as a consequence, this finding means that the allegations levied against Mr. Schubert for failure to report inappropriate conduct are also unfounded.”
The investigation was prompted by a wrongful termination lawsuit filed by former Golden West coach Dia Rianda, who claimed that she was fired after speaking out about allegations of a sexual misconduct cover-up between June 2011 and September 2012 involving Schubert and Jewell.
The Orange County Register article states that the lawsuit will continue despite the findings of Golden West College's investigation.
“We are looking forward to presenting the entirety of the evidence in a court of law without any bias or influence,” said Rianda's attorney Robert Allard. “All we ask is that we be given the opportunity to prove our case before 12 objective people and we are supremely confident that coaches Schubert and Jewell will be held accountable for their actions or more specifically, inactions that left minors vulnerable to sexual assault.”
Swimming World has also received the letters from Golden West College and the Golden West Swim Club regarding this matter:
Golden West College letter to Mark Schubert
Letter from Golden West Swim Club board