As abuse allegations swirl, Penn covers up the signage at rowing center named for coach Ted Nash
Once an icon, his name and reputation is now clouded by child sexual abuse allegations being investigated by UsRowing.
The University of Pennsylvania has covered up the signage at the rowing center named for coaching legend Ted Nash pending the results of an ongoing probe of child sexual abuse allegations against him.
The signage at the Coach Ted A. Nash Land Rowing Center was covered on Thursday, according to a Penn sports spokesperson.
The abuse allegations against Nash, who died in 2021, were first made public less than two weeks ago by filmmaker Jennifer Fox, now 63. At that time, the Narberth native identified the storied coach as the 40-year-old man who she said manipulated her into having a sexual relationship when she was 13.
The incidents do not involve Penn or its rowing program, but USRowing is currently conducting an investigation of a complaint about the alleged abuse filed by Fox. USRowing is the national governing body for the sport of rowing.
“Penn Athletics has covered the signage in the indoor rowing center until the results of the USRowing commissioned investigation are known,” according to a statement by Penn Athletics given to The Inquirer.
USRowing has retained the law firm Shearman & Sterling LLP to conduct an independent inquiry into Fox’s charges.
» READ MORE: Late rowing great Ted Nash subject of child sexual-abuse allegations
On Thursday, the Daily Pennsylvanian, Penn’s student newspaper, published an article that quoted Fox calling for Nash’s name to be removed from anything tagged in his honor.
“My goal is to have Nash’s name taken off everything, not just at Penn, but everywhere,” Fox is quoted as saying. “I think hurting his legacy is a big blow to Ted Nash and all the abusers out there.”
The Nash signage on the rowing center, which was named in his honor in 2013, was not covered in response to the Daily Pennsylvanian article, according to a Penn spokesperson.
“Conversations have been occurring internally over the past week,” the spokesperson said.
Nash, who died at age 88 of Lewy body dementia, was a revered figure in his sport. An Olympic medal winner, he went on to become an esteemed Penn rowing coach from 1965 to 1983 who led his athletes to many victories. He was also cofounder of the National Women’s Rowing Association.
For years, Fox kept silent about the real perpetrator depicted in her 2018 The Tale which stars Laura Dern, Jason Ritter, and Ellen Burstyn. Although all the names in the film were changed, Fox made no secret of the fact that it was based on her own memories of abuse as a young teen at a horseback riding program.
She finally decided to identify Nash as the man, she said in a recent article in the New York Times, because of the way he was being eulogized.
“The adult part of me wants to move on, but that child in me, she wants to face him and get it over with and name him,” she said. “There was a part of me saying, ‘I will not let you rest until you name him.’ ”