AAU Removes Rick Butler After Investigation for Sexual Abuse of Underage Girls

Volleyball coach Rick Butler has been "permanently disqualified" from participating in Amateur Athletic Union events and had his membership in the organization revoked following "a multiyear investigation into sexual abuse allegations," according to ESPN.

Per that report, "Butler allegedly had sexual contact with five underage girls, including two accusations that were made as part of a Chicago Sun-Times investigation published in November. He has also been accused of abusive coaching methods."

Sarah Powers-Barnhard, a former player under Butler, described to Jon Seidel and Michael O'Brien of the Chicago Sun-Times the first time Butler kissed her, during a road trip when she was only 16.

"He said come here, and I went into the middle of the gym and he’s holding a volleyball...and he goes 'Jesus f---king Christ,' and he threw the ball as hard as he could against the wall. So I went upstairs scared to death and he's sitting there and he said to me, 'You have to know you have to follow me blindly, if you have goals and you want to be great.'

"And of course, what am I going to say? Yes, I said 'OK,' and then he leaned over and kissed me. I mean, I was 16, I was a dork. I mean, I was a virgin. I hadn’t had a boyfriend."

Powers-Barnard said he sexually abused her for two years, with the kiss eventually leading to intercourse. Butler, meanwhile, conceded he had sex with Powers-Barnhard and two other accusers, though only after they were 18 years old and had consented.

Powers-Barnhard has since sued the AAU for failing to address the issue and not cutting ties with Butler. The former AAU coach—who headed the Sports Performance Volleyball program in Chicago and was well-known as a strict disciplinarian and as one of the most powerful coaches in youth volleyball—has never been charged with a crime.

Per ESPN, the AAU began investigating Butler in 2015 due to the reports of his abuse from 20 years ago. According to that report, he was banned by USA Volleyball in 1995 " after an ethics panel found he had sexual relationships with three underage girls, though the ban was partially lifted in 2000."