USA Gymnastics has become the latest sports organization to be investigated for its handling of a student’s suicide attempt.
According to the Associated Press, gymnastics coach Matt Jones is under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education for failing to report to authorities the incident in question and failing to inform authorities of his plan to commit suicide, which he attempted in September.
The Associated Press reports that Jones is accused of failing to notify authorities of the June 29 suicide attempt, which was a result of a personal injury from a fall, while the U-M athletic department is also under investigation for not properly documenting the incident.
A U-S.
Gymnast Assn.
spokesperson said in a statement that the company would cooperate with authorities.
“We are disappointed that this case has come to light, and we will continue to support our student athletes and our U-mathletes.
The company and our athletes are committed to our students and are committed with our coaches and staff, and our students have been our priority throughout this difficult time,” the statement read.
Jones, who is from Ohio, was a member of the UMass Dartmouth team that was recently voted the nation’s top gymnastics team and was the first gymnast to graduate from the school since former UMass senior Katie Ledecky in 2013.
He also holds a degree in education and human services.
USA Gymnasts spokesperson Kelly Cusack told the AP that Jones would be working closely with the organization’s athletics program, as well as with its leadership team, to ensure that his actions do not negatively impact the school or its students.
This is not the first time USA Gymniasts has come under scrutiny for the handling of an incident involving a student.
In 2015, USA Gym nastics director of sports operations Katie Leder, who was the lead gymnast in the UMD team that lost to the U of M, resigned after she was accused of leaving a student in the hospital after an injury and then failing to warn her about the incident, according to The Associated Press.