A woman who revealed she was sexually assaulted by her 40-year-old rowing coach when she was just 13 has now named her abuser.
In a new interview with The New York Times, 63-year-old Jennifer Fox said that Olympic gold medalist and rowing coach Ted Nash was the man who attacked her as a young girl.
“The adult part of me wants to move on, but the kid in me wants to face it and get over it and give it a name,” Fox told the outlet. ‘Part of me said I won’t let you rest until you name him.’
Nash died in 2021 at the age of 88 and Fox told the Times it was reading his “glowing” obituaries that prompted them to come forward and identify him.
Fox’s 2018 TV movie The Tale, starring Laura Dern, Jason Ritter, Elizabeth Debicki and Ellen Burstyn, chronicled her story and was nominated for an Emmy, multiple Independent Spirit Awards and a Golden Globe.
Jennifer Fox, 63, said Olympic gold medalist and rowing coach Ted Nash was the man who attacked her as a young girl
Ted Nash is pictured at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics
Fox first met Nash in 1973 when she began taking horseback riding lessons from farm owner Susie Buchanan, who she claims to have enticed her into sexual activity with Nash.
In high school papers written years after the assaults, Fox detailed her relationship with Nash and Buchanan.
In the 2018 film based on her story, The Crown actress portrays Elizabeth Debicki Buchanan, who appeared in Mrs. G’ for anonymity.
Jason Ritter, best known for his roles on Parenthood and A Million Little Things, plays Bill, a surrogate name for Nash.
According to Fox, the man was a skilled “manipulator” who meddled in leadership roles to get close to young girls, including coaching girls and women to run.
Nash also co-founded the National Women’s Rowing Association while serving as the unofficial running coach at a Philadelphia track and field club.
“He was a very appreciated, very talented manipulator and lover and he was good looking and acted right and had the right credentials,” Fox said.
In a statement to The New York Times, Nash’s surviving first wife said the allegations were surprising but not entirely shocking.
Aldina Nash-Hampe described the allegations as “kind of a surprise to me,” but added that “he seems to have had affairs with a lot of women, and that’s one of the reasons I left.
“He has a reputation for being a wonderful guy,” Nash-Hampe said. “But he has this story.”
Fox’s 2018 TV movie The Tale starred Laura Dern, Jason Ritter, Elizabeth Debicki and Ellen Burstyn. Left to right: Common, Isabelle Nelisse, Jennifer Fox, Laura Dern, Ellen Burstyn and Jason Ritter
According to Fox, the man was a skilled “manipulator” who meddled in leadership roles to get close to young girls, including coaching girls and women to run
The role of Fox was played by Laura Dern in the 2018 film
The role of Nash, who was given the alias “Bill” in the film, was played by Jason Ritter (left)
Knight (left) played “Bill” while “The Crown” star Elizabeth Debicki played “Mrs. G”, now identified as Susie Buchanan
Nash’s wife at the time of his death, on the other hand, said it was “just not fair” for Fox to name her husband after his death and sully his legacy.
“Look, I didn’t know Ted at the time, so I can’t say anything about that time,” Jan Nash said in response to Fox’s allegations.
‘[But] Everything Ted did for women’s rowing, started, nurtured women, helped women, all those things that he did, is it all forgotten because a woman comes out with an accusation?
“It’s just not right that a woman can say something and all the good that he’s done gets smeared,” she continued.
However, it was Nash’s luminous “legacy” that inspired Fox to finally credit him as the man who attacked her when she was a child.
Nash was highly respected in the rowing world and was often viewed as a “father figure” to many of the sport’s young athletes.
In a book called The Book of Ted, written by Nash’s longtime friend Sean P. Colgan, the author says Nash’s crew often equated him with God.
The author said in his 60-year relationship with the rowing coach, he never “saw a dent in his moral credibility, whether it was swearing, lying, cheating, or anything like that.”
Colgan called Fox’s allegations “absurd” and said Nash has traveled with his family on several vacations and has never shown any attraction to “younger people”.
“People who know Ted know that he’s a genuine guy — the sincerest guy I’ve ever met in my life,” Colgan told the New York Times.
Fox said seeing people describe “how amazing this person is” was a major reason she revealed her truth and his name all these years later.
‘I was so angry,’ Fox said.
In high school papers written years after the assaults, Fox claims she detailed Nash and Buchanan’s relationship
Nash (left) alongside Dan Ayrault (right) during training for the 1960 Rome Olympics
“I was so angry,” Fox said upon seeing people complimenting Nash after his death
In 2022, Fox filed a nine-page complaint against Nash with US Rowing, and an investigation into her allegations is ongoing.
US rowing chief Amanda Kraus said they are working to address the issue and improve their organization to better protect athletes.
“We’re not going to bury our heads in the sand because every time we do that, we’re allowing more young people to get hurt in the future,” Kraus said.
“So let’s talk about it. Let’s bring it to the surface. I say this all the time, nothing is more important than the safety of young people,” she continued.
According to the New York Times story, the US Center for SafeSport declined jurisdiction over the case because Nash is dead.
“Although the federation does not have the power to strip him of his Olympic medals, she said, he can choose to treat his legacy differently going forward,” they said.