Izuchukwu Okosi
A lawsuit has been filed by 2014 Olympics bobsled bronze medallist Aja Evans against a doctor who worked as a member of Team USA for ‘subjecting her to sexual abuse and harassment during the Covid lockdown’.
The doctor, Jonathan Wilhelm, as well as the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) and USA Bobsled and Skeleton Federation were named as defendants in the lawsuit filed on Wednesday in a state court in upstate New York.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelEvans, 35, noted in a news release on Thursday that Wilhelm’s “repeated molestation and sexual assault” left her “physically and emotionally damaged.
Ryan Stevens, a lawyer for Wilhelm, said his client “wholeheartedly denies the detestable claims against him,” and called comparing Wilhelm to Nassar “disgraceful and defamatory.”
The USOPC said it had not reviewed the complaint, but “remains committed to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of Team USA athletes,” including by eliminating abuse.
USA Bobsled did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Evans’ lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for additional comment.
The lawsuit said Wilhelm began treating Evans in 2012, and that during the treatment he “touched and groped Ms. Evans’ genitals and body in contravention of any applicable medical standards.”
Evans said it was well known among athletes that Wilhelm would, regardless of their injuries, find a reason to “go for the adductor,” a group of muscles located on the inner thighs.
She also alleges that Wilhelm had been reported for videotaping and photographing Evans and others in various states of undress during treatment sessions and prior to competition at the USOPC training facility in Lake Placid, New York.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
