A federal complaint says that many cheerleading instructors in South Carolina, including a coach who recently committed suicide, sexually assaulted at least six boys and girls and supplied them with drugs and alcohol.
According to one of the accused victims’ attorneys, Rockstar Cheer of Greenville was surrounded by a “coven of sexual predators” for more than a decade.
Attorney Bakari Sellers argues that what occurred is a result of the same type of institutional failure as in the case of Larry Nassar, the former USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University doctor who is serving a minimum of 40 years in prison for molesting some of the country’s top gymnasts for years.
Four girls and two boys filed the complaint on Thursday, alleging that Scott Foster and others linked with Rockstar gyms molested them. It seems that there might be up to 100 additional abuse survivors.
“Scott Foster and his friends did all they can to scare and isolate their targets, making them feel alone and responsible. Well, they are no longer alone “Attorney Jessica Fickling announced the lawsuit in a statement.
Foster, age 49, was discovered dead in his vehicle on August 22 at a state park. According to the Greenville County Coroner’s Office, he shot himself in the head.
“He knew this would be a time when the spotlight would be cast on what I believe would be a coven of sexual predators around Rockstar,” attorney James Bannister said.
According to the complaint, a lot of individuals either knew that Foster was abusing his cheerleading students and did nothing about it, or there were no regulations or processes in place to prevent the abuse.
According to the complaint, Foster and other unnamed instructors had sex with cheer students, sent and requested obscene images through social media, offered them drink and marijuana at their houses and hotel rooms during cheer contests, and cautioned them not to tell anybody.
This week, Sellers said during a press conference, “We have Snapchat footage of Scott Foster using beer bongs with his underage cheerleaders.”
The action also names Varsity Brands, which organizes cheerleading contests; the U.S. All Star Federation, the national governing body for competitive cheerleading; Bain Capital, which purchased Varsity in 2018; and others.
Bannister said that state and federal authorities are investigating Foster’s Rockstar Cheer and other cheering organizations, confiscating laptops, mobile phones, and other evidence. He said that the investigative authorities requested that attorneys not name them.
Several state and federal authorities have declined to disclose their involvement to the media.
Kathy Foster, the wife of Foster, pledged to work with “everyone engaged” to ensure that athletes may safely learn and develop.
She added in a statement issued this week, “I am saddened by the recent claims made by current and former athletes from Rockstar Cheer and other cheer academies in our community.” “I hope the survivors seek and get the necessary help. I have empathy with their situations.”
President of Varsity Brands Bill Seely described the allegations as terrible.
A Message from Bill Seely, our President pic.twitter.com/oo64w1CPu3
— Varsity All Star (@VarsityAllStar) will begin tweeting on September 1, 2022
“Our hearts are as sad as yours,” he tweeted on Thursday. The alleged behavior contradicts everything the cheer and dance community is meant to represent.
Bain Capital did not respond to a request for comment through email.
Facebook.com/RockstarCheerGreenville; Scott Foster
More than a dozen gyms in South Carolina, Georgia, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Arizona bear the Rockstar Cheer moniker.
This Monday, ten of the gyms issued a statement denying any affiliation with Foster and announcing that they would be removing the Rockstar brand name.
In 2007, according to his website, Foster established his Greenville gym. He said that he joined the University of Louisville cheerleading squad, which went on to win three national team titles.
Foster remarked on his website, “I’m still a highly competitive guy by nature, and coaching gives me the excitement of competitiveness.” There is no greater fulfillment than coaching and making a difference in the lives of young people.
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