Shareece Wright says he has primarily fond recollections from his 4 years at Colton Excessive College, aside from each time he was alone with a feminine athletic coach who occurred to be the top soccer coach’s daughter.
Wright alleges in a lawsuit that she started to groom him in 2002, when Wright was a 15-year-old freshman on the workforce and the coach was 21, and ultimately sexually abused him in school and at his coach’s dwelling.
Wright, a former USC and NFL cornerback, is one among 9 plaintiffs who’ve alleged that they had been sexually abused by athletic coach Tiffany Strauss-Gordon whereas they had been minors taking part in for her father Harold Strauss’ Colton Excessive soccer workforce in the course of the 2000s. The allegations have been made in two lawsuits filed in San Bernardino County Superior Courtroom.
Wright was one among six plaintiffs within the first such lawsuit, which was filed in September 2022. Though he and the opposite plaintiffs in each had been listed as John Does, Wright just lately turned the primary of them to publicly reveal his id.
“I used to be studying about how typically this occurs to youngsters and the way a lot is so swept beneath the rug and the way a lot folks don’t come out and speak about it,” stated Wright, 36, who’s the daddy of two boys, ages 10 and a pair of. “And I used to be simply going by way of these totally different feelings and I simply felt like I wished to do extra to assist. … And I really feel like I used to be able to have the ability to and I’ve a platform to have the ability to try this, to shine a light-weight on it. And I simply felt like if I didn’t say this and I didn’t come out then I’m form of doing the identical factor that everyone else is doing and I’m not serving to the trigger.”
The lawsuits, which identify Strauss-Gordon and the Colton Joint Unified College District as co-defendants, allege that Strauss-Gordon “took benefit of her place of affect, authority, and energy — given to her by CJUSD — to develop the gamers’ belief after which to sexually assault, harass, and molest them.”
“These had been male soccer gamers, they had been recruited, they had been largely African American they usually had been from susceptible households,” stated lawyer Morgan Stewart, who represents Wright and 6 different plaintiffs within the lawsuits. “So that you’ve bought that combination of mainly a college district utilizing these youngsters for their very own profit and appearing like they’re not liable for something that occurred to them.”
Colton Excessive soccer coach Harold Strauss, who died in 2019, is proven in November 2002. In separate lawsuits, his daughter Tiffany Strauss-Gordon is being accused of sexually abusing 9 of his former gamers, together with Shareece Wright.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Instances)
Strauss-Gordon has denied all of the allegations towards her in a number of courtroom filings and through a 2022 police interview, as seen in a video printed by ESPN. Strauss-Gordon’s lawyer, Daniel Kolodziej, additionally maintained his consumer’s innocence in an e-mail to The Instances.
“Ms. Gordon denies these previous allegations, already investigated and presumably rejected by legislation enforcement personnel, and can proceed to vigorously defend the joined lawsuits to realize a good disposition,” Kolodziej wrote. “The courtroom of public opinion won’t determine that consequence, however she appreciates the continued assist from those that acknowledge her dedication to and substantial constructive contributions to the Colton Excessive College group.”
Strauss-Gordon was athletic director at Grand Terrace Excessive when the primary lawsuit was filed. The Colton Joint Unified College District advised The Instances in an e-mail that Strauss-Gordon is presently suspended with out pay pending the end result of her self-discipline case.
“From the second the District was introduced with the allegations, we instantly took decisive motion by putting the celebration in query on administrative depart, in addition to contacting the Colton Police Division,” the varsity district stated in a press release emailed to The Instances.
“The District has made itself, and can proceed to make itself, fully out there to the Colton Police Division. The District is dedicated to making sure that legislation enforcement has entry to all the information and data for his or her investigation.”
The San Bernardino County district lawyer’s workplace advised ESPN it lacked enough proof to file costs towards Strauss-Gordon. The D.A.’s workplace and the Police Division didn’t instantly reply to messages from The Instances.
“I can surmise and guess there have been statute issues by the point most of this got here out,” Stewart stated.
The Colton Joint Unified College District has filed a cross-complaint towards Strauss-Gordon and three firms that offered athletic trainers for the varsity district in the course of the years talked about within the lawsuits.
“Though the present administrative workforce members weren’t in management roles with the district 20 years in the past, the district management workforce is extraordinarily involved concerning the allegations being made,” the varsity district stated in its assertion. “Our dedication is at all times to the security and well-being of our college students, households and employees, and we are going to work with native legislation enforcement to guard our group and lend our assist to any victims on this case.”
Wright, a 5-foot-11, 184-pounder, was a third-round draft decide for the Chargers in 2011. He additionally performed for the Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Payments and Houston Texans earlier than his NFL profession ended after the 2018 season.
Earlier than all that, although, Wright was a standout operating again and defensive again at Colton Excessive. He stated he began receiving what appeared like particular remedy from Strauss-Gordon throughout his freshman season in 2002. The coach gave him the nickname “Sherry,” Wright stated, and displayed a protecting perspective towards him.
Wright stated that he had heard rumors of inappropriate habits between Strauss-Gordon and soccer gamers earlier than he entered Colton as a freshman. “I didn’t imagine it till it occurred to me,” he stated.
“The eye she confirmed me was totally different from everybody else on the time,” Wright stated. “I’m a freshman. I’m probably not understanding what’s occurring, you understand the grooming course of and all these issues. These are issues that I’m unaware of on the time, of how predators work.”
Based on the lawsuit, the connection step by step turned extra bodily, with Strauss-Gordon allegedly performing oral intercourse on Wright for the primary time the summer time after his sophomore yr. Whereas Wright was a junior, the lawsuit alleges, Strauss-Gordon carried out oral intercourse on him a minimum of 20 instances and the 2 sneaked off to have vaginal intercourse a minimum of 15 instances throughout weekly captain conferences on the coach’s home.
She would “sneak me into her room and, you understand, it could occur there,” Wright stated.
Wright stated that Harold Strauss gave no indication he was conscious of the alleged relationship between his daughter and Wright.
“I don’t know the way he couldn’t have identified,” Wright stated of his previous coach, who died in 2019. “I simply really feel like he simply form of like ignored it.”
Wright stated he additionally had a sexual encounter with Strauss-Gordon on the home of an assistant coach whereas she was housesitting. Afterward, Wright stated, he advised that coach and his spouse about what had occurred whereas they weren’t dwelling.
“They form of like, you understand, laughed about it,” Wright stated. “We had a bit dialog about it, however it wasn’t like, ‘Oh my God!’ ”
On the time, Wright stated, he didn’t notice how inappropriate the alleged relationship was .
“I didn’t consider it like, ‘Hey that is, like, completely damaging to me and it’s gonna have an effect on me sooner or later,’ ” Wright stated. “I’m not considering sooner or later. I’m considering of like proper now, of how good it felt each time it occurred, each time we’re having these interactions.”
Wright stated his alleged sexual relationship with Strauss-Gordon ended when he bought a girlfriend his senior yr, however that have ended up affecting him for years to come back.
“I’m in remedy now,” he stated, “making an attempt to assist myself notice and perceive what occurred and the way to deal with it and never run from it and never attempt to ignore the truth that this really occurred to me.”
“It’s simply the best way I’ve been feeling about girls on the whole and the respect that I’ve and my general outlook on sexual interplay, and simply me trying again at it, you understand?” Wright added. “And me chasing that sexual sensation that I used to be feeling as a child when that was taking place and me looking for a lady that may make me really feel this fashion. And I’m chasing this in numerous girls and simply probably not being keen to, like, settle with one lady and simply having ideas about what was taking place to me.”
It wasn’t till his NFL profession was over, Wright stated, that he advised his mom concerning the inappropriate sexual relationship he allegedly had with an grownup whereas in highschool. Telling her, he stated, was a turning level for him.
“I had advised adults previously and it was like a joke to them,” Wright stated. “Once I advised my mother it was, like, severe. She didn’t snigger about it, she didn’t joke about it. She was damage and unhappy and she or he was dissatisfied and she or he was upset. … And the best way she felt, it made me take a look at it in a different way and simply really feel in a different way about it. She simply made me give it some thought a bit bit in a different way. So that taking place and me having youngsters and being a father now, that form of led as much as me feeling like I wished to do one thing about it.”
Now, Wright stated, his focus is on serving to others in related conditions.
“I simply hope that I can encourage younger youngsters that that is taking place to talk up about it, to know that it’s not OK so that you can be having any sexual interplay with an grownup,” he stated, “Whether or not it’s somebody in your family or somebody at your faculty or somebody at work or no matter scenario you’re at, to know that it’s not OK. As a lot because it feels good or as a lot as you assume it’s cool, it’s not. And it’s not wholesome. I simply need to encourage youngsters, to present them the energy to have the ability to speak about it and to inform somebody that may assist them.”
