Clemson Gymnastics Coach Dismissed For Cause Amid Allegations Of Abusive Conduct

By Caroline Price Contributor Jon Blau

BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 26: Head coach Amy Smith reacts with Lilly Lippeatt of the Clemson … More Tigers against the California Golden Bears at Haas Pavilion on January 26, 2025 in Berkeley, California. (Photo by Thien-An Truong/ISI Photos/Getty Images)
Getty Images

The spring’s bombshell firing of the Clemson Gymnastics Head Coach was likely due to alleged abusive treatment of athletes, new documents suggest. In a university notice of separation acquired by Jon Blau of The Post and Courier, the findings pointed toward Smith’s violation of three clauses in her university contract as cause for termination.

The document alleges that Smith failed to do the following in her tenure as head coach.

First, she did not uphold “the responsible treatment of athletes.” Second, she did not “(demonstrate) concern for their welfare,” and third, Smith failed to not engage in “physical and/or emotional abuse.”

The reporting comes nearly three months after the university announced Smith’s termination on April 21, 2025, cutting short her two-year term as the program’s inaugural head coach. Though hired to lead Clemson’s gymnastics program from the ground up, Smith’s tenure was overshadowed by controversy.

Past Misconduct Comes to Light

Multiple former athletes accused Smith of abusive behavior during her time as head coach at Utah State (2017–21) and as an assistant coach at the University of North Carolina (2016–17).

In a 2023 report by the Washington Post, Smith’s former athletes alleged body-shaming and public humiliation that escalated to team-wide disordered eating, with one UNC gymnast attesting to Smith’s attempt to pressure her into a weight-loss contract.

MORE FOR YOU

At Utah State, Smith’s coaching fostered a “culture of fear and anxiety,” with her behaviors allegedly leading to untimely retirements and transfers from large swaths of the athletes. Ten gymnasts departed the program in 2019 and seven in 2021.

Though UNC’s then-head coach Derek Galvin would later recognize the negative impact of Smith’s “intensity,” neither UNC nor Utah State conducted investigations into Smith’s behavior.

In result, Clemson University was unaware of any active investigations against Smith in her role as a gymnastics coach, with Clemson Athletic Director Graham Neff ensuring that Smith was “thoroughly vetted.”

Thus, the Clemson Tigers went on to a winning record in Smith’s two seasons at the helm, with both seasons ending with appearances at the NCAA gymnastics postseason. The Tigers finished 2nd and 5th at the 2024 and 2025 ACC Championships, and senior Brie Clark made national headlines as the first NCAA gymnast to compete the ‘Biles’ skill on floor exercise.

ForbesFour Members Of 2024 U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Team To Compete At U.S. ClassicBy Caroline Price

Anonymous Reports Prompt University Action

Despite the apparent success, underlying concerns began to surface.

Clemson University utilizes Real Response, a system where student-athletes can anonymously report “any issues related to their student-athlete experience.”

The university states these concerns can range from “compliance or time management concerns, gambling, hazing, drugs/alcohol, discrimination, sexual assault, team issues, domestic violence, social issues, health/wellness issues, etc. to less serious issues such as a maintenance problem in your locker room.”

To share feedback or concerns with university athletic administrators, a Clemson student athlete can text “share” to 66595.

In late 2024, anonymous messages began to trickle in from gymnasts, with Clemson women’s sports administrator Stephanie Ellison-Johnson attesting to an “increased number of messages” from gymnasts in the fall of 2024 and early spring of 2025.

Those messages pertained to concerns regarding “the program’s culture and environment.”

The influx of messages spurred the university to act, conducting one-on-one meetings with 15 of the 20 athletes on the gymnastics team, Ellison-Johnson wrote.

Findings from those meetings led to a mid-year review in mid-February with Coach Smith, followed by meetings with athletes’ parents in March. The Post and Courier reports that gymnasts were then surveyed about their experience in the program.

On April 6, administrators met with Smith to discuss “team culture and environment” as well as “roster management plans” for the upcoming season. Three days later, the athletics administration “engaged legal counsel” to seek “guidance” and “share information collected.”

Another email from Johnson-Ellison referenced an April 11 meeting for athletes to meet with Athletic Director Neff to “voice their concerns.” One week after the meeting, on April 18, Clemson terminated Smith’s contract.

Community Response

The reaction to Smith’s termination was swift and overwhelmingly positive. Following Smith’s firing on April 18, one parent emailed the Athletic Director to applaud Clemson’s execution of the investigation, thanking Neff for “doing your due diligence and actually protecting our girls.”

“We assumed, correctly, that you didn’t take this lightly,” another parent wrote to Neff. “In the end, it looks like you made the choice for your student-athletes over how it would look initially for the program.”

Roughly a month following Smith’s termination, Clemson hired the University of California’s lauded coaching duo – Justin Howell and Elisabeth Crandall-Howell – as Smith’s replacements. The hiring included a multi-million-dollar buyout.

The duo led the Cal Women’s Gymnastics program to new heights in the past decade, taking the program to a National Runner-Up finish in 2024.

Since their arrival, the Howells have sparked an immediate and dramatic surge in Clemson’s recruiting success, with several former California gymnastics commits flipping to join the Howells in their new locale.

With fresh leadership at the helm, Clemson positions itself not just as a rising contender, but as a program with clearer commitment to athlete safety and wellbeing.

Editorial StandardsReprints & Permissions

Read More…