Ex-Stanford swimmer Brock Turner, who was convicted of the sexual assault of an unconscious woman and whose six-month-plus-probation sentence has been the subject of a firestorm of controversy, has been banned for life by USA Swimming, USA Today reports.
The newspaper says, “Swimmers must be USA Swimming members in order to compete in any USA Swimming event, which includes the upcoming U.S. Olympic Trials, the meet that selects the Olympic team every four years.”
But USA Today quotes USA Swimming spokesperson Scott Leightman as telling it in an email that, “Brock Turner’s membership with USA Swimming expired at the end of the calendar year 2014. He was not a member at the time of his crime or since then. USA Swimming doesn’t have any jurisdiction over non-members.
“Brock Turner is not a member of USA Swimming and, should he apply, he would not be eligible for membership. … Had he been a member, he would be subject to the USA Swimming Code of Conduct. USA Swimming strictly prohibits and has zero tolerance for sexual misconduct, with firm Code of Conduct policies in place, and severe penalties, including a permanent ban of membership, for those who violate our Code of Conduct.”
Turner is serving a six-month jail sentence for three counts of sexual assault, but can be released in as little as three months. He faced a maximum of 14 years behind bars.
The judge who handed down the sentence has drawn condemnation from many quarters, as has Turner’s father for his defense of his son.
