Yuyun Lusiyani
The first time Ryan Richardson was suspended from coaching volleyball, in early 2024, he gathered the parents of his teenage players in the back room of his gym in the border city of Pharr, Texas. This dimly lit, cool space, adorned with shelves overflowing with trophies and dangling medals, offered a one-way view of the courts where Richardson cultivated some of the Rio Grande Valley’s most promising young female volleyball talent. From the outside, the activities within the room remained hidden, a privacy that had long extended to a twin-sized mattress in the corner, which by the 2024 season, had conspicuously disappeared.
Parents of his club, Texas Fierce Elite, were understandably anxious. Their 14- and 15-year-old daughters were poised for the Girls Junior National Championship in Las Vegas that summer, an event now jeopardized by Richardson’s exclusion. Lone Star Region Volleyball, the state’s governing body, had imposed the suspension following complaints regarding Richardson’s Instagram posts, notably a mirror selfie in skin-tight orange boxer briefs. The seriousness of the allegations quickly escalated the matter to USA Volleyball, the sport’s national governing body and the organizer of the coveted national championship. The stakes extended far beyond a single tournament; for over 15 years, Richardson, through Texas Fierce Elite, had been the purveyor of a powerful dream: college sports scholarships for girls in a region where opportunities for higher education were scarce and funding even scarcer. Pharr and its surrounding cities, predominantly Latino, face poverty rates more than double the national average, making Richardson’s promise of a scholarship-fueled path to college an irresistible beacon for many families. His players often recounted his assertion that he and Texas Fierce Elite represented their singular route to such an achievement.
With the girls entering the critical college recruiting phase, and scouts from across the nation flocking to the national tournament sidelines, the parents feared Richardson’s absence could derail years of effort and sacrifice. In that pivotal meeting, Richardson, a former football receiver, sidestepped any mention of the Instagram posts. Instead, he attributed his suspension to "vindictive parents" disgruntled over their children’s playing time, promising a swift resolution within weeks. Should the suspension persist, he assured them, he would devise a means to continue coaching.
A Web of Allegations Emerges
Richardson’s promise to circumvent the ban proved prophetic, but his narrative of innocence did not. The initial suspension peeled back layers of far more grave allegations. One mother, Maggie Gutierrez, would later accuse Richardson of a sexual relationship with her daughter that allegedly began when the girl was 16 and Richardson 36. Other former players subsequently came forward, describing a pattern of grooming, as well as physical and emotional abuse. The case was ultimately referred to the U.S. Center for SafeSport, the independent oversight body established by Congress to address abuse in youth and Olympic sports following the devastating revelations of the Larry Nassar scandal. SafeSport eventually suspended Richardson and publicly listed him on its disciplinary database.
Remarkably, these sanctions did little to impede Richardson’s ability to continue coaching teenage girls. Despite being barred from USA Volleyball events, including nationals, he remained an active presence, attending daily practices and appearing on the sidelines of tournaments hosted by other volleyball organizations for two years. In February of the current year, SafeSport upgraded Richardson’s status to "permanently ineligible," substantiating a litany of allegations: an intimate relationship with a minor, sexual misconduct involving a minor, physical misconduct, and bullying. Yet, astonishingly, Richardson continues to coach teenage girls at his gym in Pharr. This defiance is not clandestine; for the past two years, he has relentlessly posted hundreds of videos on public social media platforms, showcasing himself working with Texas Fierce Elite players, supervising practices, and promoting the club.
When first suspended in early 2024, Richardson publicly denounced the complaints as an attempt to "retaliate and defame someone’s character," telling the local news website MyRGV that he "would never do anything to risk the physical or mental wellbeing of these strong young ladies." He even proclaimed himself an "enthusiastic proponent" of SafeSport and its child protection rules, expressing surprise and disappointment at the lack of specific information regarding his alleged wrongdoing. Richardson, who has not been charged with any crime, has not responded to multiple requests for comment. Following inquiries from ProPublica and The Washington Post, he posted an Instagram video featuring a girl training at his gym, captioned: "Say what you want but this work will be on display for as long as I live !! Not interested in answering to the narrative created by outsiders just invested into the next one who is looking for change!!"
The Failed Promise of SafeSport: A System Under Scrutiny
This case illuminates profound failures within the system designed to protect children in youth sports, a system ProPublica and The Washington Post have extensively investigated for over a year. The 2018 law creating SafeSport was a direct response to the horrific abuse perpetrated by figures like former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar. Tasked with overseeing the country’s 50 national sports governing bodies, including USA Volleyball, SafeSport was empowered to investigate abuse allegations, issue suspensions, and ban offenders for life, recording their names in a public database. The goal was clear: prevent accused coaches from simply moving to another club or sport. However, Ryan Richardson’s case demonstrates a critical breakdown in this protective mechanism. SafeSport, USA Volleyball, and its regional affiliate Lone Star all failed to prevent Richardson from interacting with children, even as serious allegations mounted.
SafeSport itself was slow to act, delaying Richardson’s temporary suspension for months despite the gravity of the initial allegations. Later, it failed to act against Gavin Rudder, Richardson’s employee, who was accused of "aiding and abetting" Richardson by facilitating his continued coaching post-suspension. SafeSport, citing the integrity of its investigative process, declined to comment on individual cases. Once Richardson was placed on the SafeSport list, USA Volleyball was legally obligated to ensure he was not working with its athletes. Yet, ProPublica and The Post found that both USA Volleyball and Lone Star received multiple reports of Richardson’s continued coaching. Lone Star, however, permitted his club to maintain its regional membership, and USA Volleyball raised no objections, allowing Richardson to persist in his coaching activities.
Hilary Nemchik, a SafeSport vice president, acknowledged "gaps in the system," attributing them to coaches circumventing sanctions by moving to organizations outside the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee’s purview or to the "reluctance by some NGBs to do everything in their power to prohibit the participation of banned individuals." She cited USA Gymnastics’ termination of a club’s membership for repeated violations of SafeSport sanctions as an example of what "should be standard for any NGB that prioritizes protecting their members."
USA Volleyball, in a statement, claimed an "internal review" confirmed its "full compliance with all SafeSport requirements, U.S. Center for SafeSport regulations, and our own organizational policies and procedures," asserting its "highest priority on the safety and well-being of all athletes, coaches, and staff." Lone Star, while stating it "disputes the accuracy of several factual assertions, characterizations, and implications" in the story, refused to elaborate on what was inaccurate, maintaining its commitment to athlete safety and compliance with SafeSport and USA Volleyball requirements.
The Rise of Richardson and His Demanding Regimen
When Ryan Richardson launched Elite Sports Performance in 2013, it filled a niche in the Rio Grande Valley. Unlike traditional teams or gyms, Richardson offered an intensive, professionalized version of youth sports. His Pharr facility, a warehouse-like green building, was equipped with advanced training apparatus – elastic bands for jump height, crane-like ball servers for technique mastery, trampolines, and battle ropes for strength. A former football player at Texas A&M University-Kingsville, Richardson pivoted to volleyball, which was rapidly becoming the country’s fastest-growing sport for girls. He often told his young players that his interest in volleyball stemmed from dating a libero, a defensive specialist, in college.
Richardson demanded absolute perfection. Former players described his coaching style as often involving curses and screams. Even minor errors could elicit insults like "pussy" or "piece of shit," and if a girl didn’t jump high enough, she was "fucking fat." Madisyn Sosa, now 20, who played for Richardson from age 14, recalled, "He would tear us down to the point where we needed validation from him because he was the only one to build us up." This harsh behavior was tolerated, as another former Texas Fierce Elite athlete explained, because "college was always the end goal." Richardson built a strong reputation for securing scholarships to local and Division I colleges, a crucial draw in a region with limited high-quality training options, as rival gym owner Rafael Castañeda Jr. noted.
Richardson meticulously documented his program’s success on social media, posting hundreds of videos of the teenage girls he called his "family." Trophies and medals accumulated in the back room of Elite Sports Performance. In 2022, his under-14 team placed ninth nationally at the USA Volleyball championship. Beyond the court, Richardson spent considerable time with his players, taking them fishing, to the beach, to church, and even allowing them to hang out in his hotel room during tournaments for TikTok dances. He posted photos and videos of these activities online, often using pet names like "my fierce baby" and "my love."
Three former players observed Richardson’s particular interest in liberos, the same position his former girlfriend played. In one Instagram story, Richardson described his "journey" with a young libero he called his goddaughter: "This little 11 year old redheaded girl laid her head on my shoulder and fell asleep, for some odd reason I couldn’t shake the feeling of a father," he wrote, adding, "So I asked her mom if things were ok to really love this child … the relationship blossomed from coach to godfather to dad." The post included a photo of him holding the girl’s hand.
Richardson also reportedly required his teenage players to hug him at the end of practice, sometimes pulling girls onto his lap and declaring "I love you." These hugs were even mandated when prospective parents toured the gym. One parent found this odd but quickly dismissed her unease, reasoning that he wouldn’t act inappropriately in front of adults. And then there was the twin bed, which remained in the back room for years, explained to parents as being for "recovery and massages."
"He Convinced Me Not to Say Anything": Allegations of a Secret Relationship
It was in this very room that Maggie Gutierrez first encountered Richardson alone with her then-16-year-old daughter in 2022. Gutierrez had enrolled her daughter, a promising 13-year-old libero, at Elite Sports Performance solely because Richardson was considered the best. While acknowledging his "aggressive" coaching, Gutierrez saw her daughter flourish, becoming one of the team’s top players, so much so that Richardson waived her expensive private session fees. Typically, Gutierrez would drop her daughter off and return hours later.
That day, however, Gutierrez arrived to find Richardson’s car as the only one in the parking lot and the gym deserted. Opening the door to the back room, she discovered Richardson and her daughter in the dark. Richardson, with his back to her, appeared to be tying the string of his pants. "I was furious," Gutierrez recounted. "I could tell my daughter was nervous, and didn’t know how to react." Though she confronted Richardson, he denied anything untoward had occurred, following up with WhatsApp messages that Gutierrez said he later deleted. "He convinced me not to say anything," Gutierrez said, "And I didn’t say anything." Her daughter also insisted there was nothing romantic, and, crucially, wanted to continue playing due to a Division I scholarship offer out of state. Gutierrez decided to vigilantly monitor the situation, but her daughter began turning off her phone’s location.
Evidence later revealed through the SafeSport investigation, and reviewed by ProPublica and The Post, showed the relationship continued for over a year. Snapchat messages from August 2022, months after Gutierrez’s discovery, show Richardson and her 16-year-old daughter exchanging "I love you" messages and planning meet-ups. In spring 2023, when the girl was 17, Richardson wrote, "I want to camp in you love," and a day later, "I love my girlfriend." He sent her a video he’d filmed of her sleeping on his chest, commenting, "We look so peaceful together. It’s beautiful." That May, Richardson messaged, "I don’t like that we are only sex right now so I really would love to get past this high school Shit when you are on your own pretty much," adding, "I love you very much and I’ll be that man for you!!"
Gutierrez remained unaware of these exchanges. Richardson even encouraged her daughter to start college a semester early to train with the team. In January 2024, at 18, the daughter left for college. Richardson quickly created a WhatsApp "support group" with Gutierrez, discussing gift boxes for her daughter from the club. The truth surfaced in February when her daughter’s college volleyball coach called Gutierrez, revealing that Richardson had met her daughter out of state for a weekend, and other players were discussing her "older boyfriend," identified as Richardson. Stunned, Gutierrez felt compelled to act upon her daughter’s return to the Rio Grande Valley that spring.
She reported Richardson to police departments in McAllen and Pharr, alleging a relationship that began when her daughter was under 17, the age of consent in Texas. Police records, though largely withheld under privacy statutes, showed an officer meeting Gutierrez, who promised to return with her daughter. The daughter, however, declined to speak, and the case was closed, noting her legal adult status at 18. Pharr police also declined to investigate. Feeling abandoned by law enforcement, Gutierrez turned to Lone Star, hoping to end Richardson’s coaching career through the volleyball organization.
New Allegations and SafeSport’s Initial Inertia
By the time Gutierrez contacted Lone Star in May, Richardson had already been under a several-month suspension for his social media posts, a situation covered by local news. He had publicly declared his innocence and planned to appeal to USA Volleyball, only for the suspension to be upheld for at least six months. USA Volleyball had initially referred the social media report to SafeSport, as mandated, but SafeSport reportedly declined to investigate, deeming the allegations non-sexual and redirecting the case back to USA Volleyball. It was only after Gutierrez’s May complaint to Lone Star that SafeSport finally accepted the case for investigation.
The SafeSport investigation unearthed a cascade of additional reports. Madisyn Sosa, a former teammate of Gutierrez’s daughter, recounted her own experiences of inappropriate behavior. Richardson would sometimes FaceTime her while showering and frequently discussed sex and boys, once telling Sosa a teammate was gaining weight from "having sex with that boyfriend all the time." During one training session, she described him embracing her, laying his body on top of hers, and asking, "Why don’t you love me?" Another player corroborated this, recalling Richardson remaining on top of Sosa for an uncomfortably long time. An Instagram video posted by Richardson showed him lying on the gym floor with Sosa, then 17, gripping her arm across his chest, both laughing, captioned: "The love is unreal … ." Sosa remarked, "That was the normal for us."
Beliza Longoria, another former player, detailed what she believed was grooming. She described Richardson’s obsession with her teenage sex life, including him calling her a "fucking slut" after learning of her sexual relationship from a teammate. She also recalled waking up to Richardson filming her and a teammate as they slept with their heads on his shoulder. On out-of-town tournament trips, he allegedly encouraged girls to spend time in his hotel room, sometimes wearing only shorts. Longoria remembered one night where Richardson sat shirtless in bed, drinking green apple Crown Royal, until she and her teammates grew uncomfortable and left – an incident corroborated by Sosa and another teammate.
Longoria’s attempts to report Richardson were not new. In 2021, when she was 14, she alleged Richardson slapped her face and cursed at her during a training session. She and her parents reported it to Pharr police, but no action was taken, leading Longoria to leave the club. Police confirmed related records but cited privacy statutes for withholding them. Richardson denied wrongdoing at the time, and Sosa recalled Richardson convincing the team that Longoria was lying. A SafeSport investigator later informed Longoria that a report had indeed been filed about the 2021 incident, though she wasn’t sure by whom. A person familiar with USA Volleyball operations confirmed the 2021 report and noted Lone Star’s apparent lack of disciplinary action. Three years later, Longoria harbored hope for a different outcome.
Investigating the Investigator: Compounding Failures
The SafeSport investigator assigned to Richardson’s case was Jason Krasley, a former police officer. Krasley had the authority to immediately place Richardson on SafeSport’s public disciplinary list, imposing a temporary suspension during the investigation, especially for "severe allegations" like child sexual abuse involving a coach with current access to minors. However, months passed without Richardson’s name appearing on the list. Richardson leveraged this delay, telling Texas Fierce Elite parents it validated his innocence.
Despite the USA Volleyball and Lone Star suspensions, Richardson found a means to continue coaching. He formally transferred control of Texas Fierce Elite to an employee, Gavin Rudder, a long-time associate whom Richardson had praised for his "incredible legacy." Rudder, whose Instagram handle echoed Richardson’s ("Mr_ESPvolleyball" vs. "Mr_ESP"), became the registered club director, allowing Texas Fierce Elite to remain affiliated with Lone Star and participate in USA Volleyball-sanctioned tournaments. However, ProPublica and The Post discovered that Richardson, in violation of his suspension, effectively remained in charge. He dictated practice schedules, arranged tournaments, collected fees, and ordered jerseys, according to WhatsApp messages and interviews with a former club coach and parents.
Richardson also served as the primary coach for the oldest team of girls, while allowing Rudder and other coaches to handle younger teams, though he frequently stepped in to coach them as well. Social media posts from Richardson showed him running drills, and online game streams depicted him coaching from the sidelines. A mother whose daughter played on the under-15 team provided WhatsApp messages demonstrating Richardson’s deep involvement post-suspension, including his requirement for girls to book "at least one private session a week" with him before the national tournament. Rudder, a participant in the group chat, reportedly witnessed these violations. The mother sent these messages to Lone Star in July 2024, highlighting Richardson’s continued coaching and Rudder’s complicity. Yet, for the new season starting in September, Lone Star renewed Rudder’s membership, and Texas Fierce Elite retained its good standing.
As Richardson continued to post on social media, Longoria grew increasingly frustrated. In January 2025, eight months into SafeSport’s investigation, she emailed Krasley, writing, "WE NEED TO SCHEDULE A MEETING. I am so worried for these kids who are under [h]is program and I am so angered that he is still coaching." She attached a photo of Richardson at a New Orleans tournament, in a Texas Fierce Elite zip-up, arms around a young player. Krasley never responded. He had been fired in November, after being arraigned on allegations of stealing money during a drug bust as a police officer. Three days before Longoria’s email, Krasley was arrested again on felony rape and involuntary sexual servitude charges. While awaiting trial, Krasley’s attorney has argued for dismissal due to prosecutorial misconduct. SafeSport, in response, conducted an audit of Krasley’s 114 cases, reopening three without specifying which ones.
"Defy the Opps": Richardson’s Continued Coaching Amidst Sanctions
In February 2025, a year after the initial social media complaints were sent to SafeSport, Richardson’s name finally appeared on the center’s disciplinary database. He was temporarily suspended from coaching under USA Volleyball and all other sports organizations falling under SafeSport’s jurisdiction. Longoria felt a glimmer of hope, believing SafeSport would finally prevent Richardson from accessing young athletes. However, ProPublica and The Post found that this suspension had little practical effect.
On March 8, shortly after his SafeSport listing, Richardson was coaching the Texas Fierce Elite team at the Adidas Bluegrass Tournament in Louisville, registered as the coach for the team that another coach stated "no one else touched." Richardson exploited a loophole: while national governing bodies like USA Volleyball must ban coaches on the SafeSport list, the law does not directly apply to private non-profit groups. The Junior Volleyball Association (JVA), a non-profit with over 250,000 participants, had allowed Richardson to join while he was suspended by USA Volleyball. The Louisville tournament, though not directly affiliated with JVA, permitted coaches to register using JVA memberships. Taylor Jakubowski, a JVA representative, confirmed that JVA’s policy bans coaches on the SafeSport list and stated they conduct monthly audits, but admitted they failed to do so in Richardson’s case. She claimed JVA "canceled" Richardson’s membership in December 2025, the same month a reporter inquired about him. JVA’s executive director, Lisa Wielebnicki, clarified that JVA did not "operate or administer" the tournaments, so any suggestion that JVA "permitted or enabled Mr. Richardson to participate in those events … based on his JVA membership status would therefore be inaccurate." Richardson later reapplied, and JVA denied his membership.
Richardson’s gym also secured affiliation with the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), a massive youth sports non-profit with approximately 760,000 athletes. A previous investigation by ProPublica and The Post had found the AAU had a reputation as a haven for coaches accused of abuse, as it lacks a policy barring coaches suspended or banned by SafeSport or other sports organizations. The AAU claimed it "permanently banned" Richardson in November 2024, after Gutierrez and another Texas Fierce Elite mother contacted the organization with concerns about Richardson attempting to move his gym there. The AAU declined further comment but had previously stated its commitment to athlete protection through comprehensive policies.
However, the following summer, Richardson, Rudder, and Texas Fierce Elite rebranded as "The Complex, est. 2025." Richardson posted a video calling it "a new chapter" and introduced a new slogan: "DEFY THE OPPS" – slang for "the opposition." In the AAU’s member directory, a girls’ volleyball club named "The Complex" is listed at Richardson’s gym address. The AAU did not answer questions about its ownership.
Despite these maneuvers with other organizations, USA Volleyball affiliation remained crucial for college-bound players. As the new season approached in September 2025, Lone Star allowed Texas Fierce Elite to maintain good standing and approved Rudder’s membership for another year as club director. Richardson celebrated the new season with a video of a Texas Fierce Elite practice, captioned: "TAKING BACK EVERYTHING THAT WAS TAKEN FROM THESE KIDS !! GOD SEE ME THRU IT ! Let’s work!!"
Rudder, as a USA Volleyball member and registered owner of Texas Fierce Elite, was violating the SafeSport code by allowing Richardson to associate with the club or coach participants. Public social media posts by Richardson over months clearly showed Rudder’s complicity, sometimes literally standing beside Richardson as he coached. Public registration forms even listed Richardson as Rudder’s assistant coach at tournaments. The SafeSport code mandates USA Volleyball to enforce its bans and suspensions, but a senior USA Volleyball official indicated that enforcement is delegated to regional affiliates like Lone Star. Karen Tarmon, Lone Star’s SafeSport coordinator, stated in November 2025 that the organization couldn’t act against Rudder or Texas Fierce Elite without formal complaints and video documentation from a club director or parent. This was despite ProPublica and The Post finding that Lone Star had received reports, including videos, texts, and photos, from Castañeda, Longoria, and the other Texas Fierce Elite mother. Tarmon also claimed Lone Star lacked "authority over a club" until the "sanctioned season" began on November 23, contradicting SafeSport’s assertion that its rules apply at all times, and Lone Star’s own handbook which allowed governance of registered teams year-round. Frustrated by Lone Star’s inaction, Castañeda contacted USA Volleyball’s SafeSport office in November with photographic and video evidence from Richardson’s public Instagram. By January, Rudder and Texas Fierce Elite were back at USA Volleyball-sanctioned tournaments.
"Permanently Ineligible," Yet Permanently Coaching
Ryan Richardson has made no secret of his continued coaching. His social media feeds are replete with daily videos of him working with girls, sometimes alongside Rudder. He has filmed himself alone with players in the darkened back room of his gym, the same room where the twin bed once sat, and performing cupping therapy on a girl lying face-down in a sports bra and shorts. On February 13, 2026, Richardson posted a video training Texas Fierce Elite’s under-14 team, captioned "TFE14," emblazoned with the Texas Fierce Elite logo and the brand of a new training center named after a former player.
On February 19, the U.S. Center for SafeSport issued its definitive ruling: Ryan Richardson was permanently banned from coaching. His name now resides in the SafeSport database under the grim category of "permanently ineligible," a lifetime ban from any sport under its jurisdiction. The very next day, February 20, Richardson was back on the court, training Texas Fierce Elite players, and back to posting about it online. He has not stopped since. This egregious situation underscores a chilling reality: despite the establishment of SafeSport and the concerted efforts to protect young athletes, a system riddled with loopholes, delayed enforcement, and a perceived lack of accountability among national and regional governing bodies continues to fail, leaving vulnerable children exposed to individuals deemed a permanent threat. The implications are profound, eroding trust in youth sports organizations and demanding a robust reevaluation of how athlete safety is truly prioritized and enforced across the country.
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