Nardiello ousted by USOC

The skeleton coach lost a monthlong battle to clear his name.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
In his eyes, U.S. skeleton coach Tim Nardiello was vindicated by one small victory -- then finished by one massive defeat.
He'd beaten sexual harassment allegations when an arbitrator found no evidence that he made inappropriate, innuendo-laden comments. The accusers, including two women who failed to make the Olympic team and a man who had only minimal contact with Nardiello as a coach, apparently lacked a compelling case.
Even so, he'll watch the Turin Olympics from home.
A costly, monthlong battle to clear his name fell short Tuesday when the U.S. Olympic Committee decided not to send him to Italy after all, citing violations of ethical standards and other indiscretions while coaching the American sliders.
His apparent undoing: a relationship with Kelly Moffat, a skeleton athlete from New Zealand.
The USOC's decision had left open the possibility that he could coach for another country. But on Wednesday, the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (FIBT) said it chose someone else to lead its team of "small nations" athletes because it couldn't keep waiting for the Nardiello saga to end.
And with that, the last realistic door Nardiello had at becoming an Olympic coach this year slammed shut.
Done for season
Now Nardiello -- whose case has gone through the courts, countless federation meetings and the arbitrator who finally saw it his way -- says he's through, at least for this season.
"I spent two years' salary fighting the first fight, and that's $36,000 a year times two," Nardiello said. "It's definitely not any fun anymore. My funds are gone. This thing has wiped me out. I have no means to take on another big fight. And I'm not going to dip into the kids' college fund. But even now, I regret nothing."
The USOC said Nardiello failed to use proper judgment and violated ethical codes and other standards. And while the committee didn't cite her by name, most of Nardiello's alleged violations pointed to his relationship with Moffat.
What happened
The two began dating in the fall of 2004, about two months before he was asked by the FIBT to coach her and three other athletes on its "small nations" team for countries without a widescale skeleton program.
"I know the appearance, to some, looks inappropriate," FIBT vice president David Kurtz said. "But we were glad the U.S. coaches were helping the athletes from developing nations, because that was best for the sport. If there were any problems with Kelly and Tim, he would have been terminated immediately. There weren't."
Maybe not in the eyes of the FIBT, but several of those who filed grievances against Nardiello with the USBSF -- which were obtained by the Associated Press and reviewed Wednesday -- cited his involvement with Moffat as something they considered to be an ethical breach.
Those accusers who alluded to the Moffat-Nardiello relationship included Chuck Panza, a jury member for some FIBT events; U.S. women's athlete Rebecca Sorensen, who also said she was a sexual harassment victim; and Marsha Gale, the mother of 2002 Olympic gold medalist Tristan Gale.
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