USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland in a letter to staff "spelled out the reasons for terminating" VP/Sports Medicine Bill Moreau, who "worked at the federation for 10 years," according to Eddie Pells of the AP. Hirshland in the letter also "defends the USOPC's handling of cases Moreau brought up in the lawsuit he filed this week; he claims his persistence in pressing higher-ups to take the cases more seriously led directly to his firing last May." Hirshland wrote, "There is absolutely no merit to the suggestion of retaliation as a cause for the separation of Bill Moreau." Pells noted Moreau in his lawsuit "brought up a number of instances in which he urged the USOPC to take stronger action in the case of athletes who needed help." While this "isn't the first lawsuit along these lines filed by plaintiffs who believe the USOPC failed to protect them, it is the first that largely encompasses events that occurred since Hirshland took over as CEO" in '18. The lawsuit "paints a bleak picture of the overall effectiveness of the reforms Hirshland has instituted since taking over" (AP, 2/7).
