Re: There are some on here that spout off about providing written copy that

clemsonbluejay · 2025-06-30T21:55:57.074Z

P&C posted an article - I don't have a subscription but the first couple of paragraphs which are not behind the paywall provide enough detail to read into the cause. And it's what most people assumed. <a href="https://www.postandcourier.com/sports/clemson/clemson-gymnastics-amy-smith-fired/article_62576eff-9306-4c40-bd82-7e4bcbd1160c.html?utm_term=charleston&tpcc=charleston_facebook_organic&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwY2xjawLP5ulleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETFIQjhUQVdUUmNnNEpzbUZOAR5qBgiFvw4xsUIGMoDPnYSQfI4dmpsofJhhjzY7K-p92sQsEndDChw-0kUIKw_aem_TIBUgAuQgglhyYE1PlNXVQ" target="_blank" rel="nofollow ugc">https://www.postandcourier.com/sports/clemson/clemson-gymnastics-amy-smith-fired/article_62576eff-9306-4c40-bd82-7e4bcbd1160c.html?utm_term=charleston&tpcc=charleston_facebook_organic&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwY2xjawLP5ulleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETFIQjhUQVdUUmNnNEpzbUZOAR5qBgiFvw4xsUIGMoDPnYSQfI4dmpsofJhhjzY7K-p92sQsEndDChw-0kUIKw_aem_TIBUgAuQgglhyYE1PlNXVQ

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Re: Gymnastics coach firing

Jun 30, 2025, 6:14 PM

P&C

CLEMSON — Clemson gymnastics coach Amy Smith was fired for cause after just two seasons, according to the university's notice of separation.

The sections cited in the termination letter contain language about "responsible treatment of athletes," "demonstrating concern for their welfare," and not engaging in "physical and/or emotional abuse."

The letter, obtained by The Post and Courier via a Freedom of Information Act request, says the reasons behind Smith's firing were discussed with her prior to her exit, which was effective April 21.

After Clemson athletic director Graham Neff communicated Smith's firing to parents of the gymnasts on April 18, one replied to thank him for "hearing our girls and taking their experience seriously."

Another parent's reply, provided as part of Clemson's FOIA response, alluded specifically to "verbal and mental abuse" that had come to a head.

"No one ever wants anyone to lose a job, but we also have hopes and expectations that people will do their jobs and do it without using any type of verbal and mental abuse," wrote the parent, whose name, like all others, was redacted from Clemson's FOIA response.

Smith, who was hired in April 2022 to start Clemson's gymnastics program, came under fire before the Tigers' inaugural season even began.

In a 2023 article in The Washington Post, athletes from Smith's tenures as an assistant at North Carolina and head coach at Utah State accused her of creating a toxic culture, including allegations of body-shaming.

Smith was "thoroughly" vetted, Neff said, during Clemson's search for its first gymnastics coach.

But tensions would grow between Smith and the Tigers' gymnasts, as laid out by an April 10 email from Clemson women's sports administrator Stephanie Ellison-Johnson, replying to a hotline complaint about potential "emotional/mental abuse within the gymnastics team."

Ellison-Johnson, outlining every action taken to that point, acknowledged there had been an "increased number of messages" from gymnasts in the fall of 2024 and early spring 2025 "regarding the program’s culture and environment."

Clemson then conducted one-on-one meetings with 15 of the 20 student-athletes on the team, Ellison Johnson wrote in her email.

That led to a Feb. 17 "midyear review" between Smith, Ellison-Johnson, and Neff, and then parent meetings in March. The gymnasts were also asked to take a survey about their experience in the program.

Three days after an April 6 meeting with Smith to discuss "team culture and environment and roster management plans" for the 2025-26 season, athletics administration "engaged legal counsel" to seek "guidance" and "share information collected," according to Ellison-Johnson.

Johnson-Ellison's April 10 email mentioned a planned April 11 meeting for student-athletes to speak directly with Neff to "voice their concerns."

When Smith was finally fired on April 18, another parent emailed Neff to thank him for "doing your due diligence and actually protecting our girls."

"It’s been a long, long, long, hard season and these girls have handled it and done so much with so much stress and adversity," the parent added.

Publically, Clemson had been unwilling to go beyond a two-sentence press release from April that plainly stated the university "parted ways" with Smith and there would be a search for her replacement.

"I can't say much more than what was provided in the release," Neff said after an April trustees meeting when asked about Smith's firing, "but the focus (is) on the stature of the program that we have, the competitive success that it has seen and the student-athletes that are here."

"The community support, 5,000 season tickets, the branding, the facilities," Neff added, "that's just all been confirmation that Clemson gymnastics is a top-10 job in the country, even though it's still in its infancy so to speak."

Smith led the Tigers to a 6-3 meet record in Year 1; they were 5-7 in Smith's second and final season.

The Post and Courier requested any Title IX complaints made against Smith or the gymnastics program during her years as Clemson's coach, along with copies of any internal investigation reports or letters of reprimand. The university said no such responsive records exist.

A copy of Smith's personnel file was also requested, which the university said it will not release because of a privacy exemption in South Carolina's open records law. The university initially wanted to hold back her termination letter, as well, because it was part of Smith's personnel file.

Clemson eventually agreed to disclose Smith's notice of separation and email communications from Smith, Neff and Ellison-Johnson.

"We assumed, correctly, that you didn't take this lightly," one parent wrote to Neff, saying their daughter doesn't "share" much with them and they didn't feel strongly "one way or the other" about a coaching change.

"In the end, it looks like you made the choice for your student-athletes over how it would look initially for the program."

Another parent told Neff he made a "huge difference in these girls lives" by making a switch and said the Tigers' gymnasts could "begin to heal heal from just this one decision."

In May, Clemson hired Cal coaching duo Justin Howell and Elisabeth Crandall-Howell to replace Smith.

The athletic department budgeted nearly $1.4 million in buyout costs to get the ACC co-coaches of the year out of their existing contracts at Cal.

"In addition to many competitive accomplishments, their reputation has been praised time and again in our research," Neff said in a statement about the Howells. "We are impressed with their technical ability, approach to operations, plan for development, incorporation of health, wellness and recovery, and attention to detail

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Finally, we get some answers on this thing! I guess it was what we all thought. I still think it's a strange situation, especially given that 4 of the 6 athletes who followed her here from Utah State are still on the roster. And those 4 are among the biggest stars on the team. With all the transfers who followed her and the program just being started, it seemed like Smith was almost inseparably connected to the program in terms of the media, athletes, and everything else. But evidently there was a lot more going on behind the scenes. We'll probably never know the whole story. But either way, the Howells seem like a slam-dunk hire, so I'm glad the program still looks headed for a bright future, now free of Smith's baggage. And I'm very glad they were able to mostly keep the roster intact, especially Clark, Jackson, Arnold, and Brown. That should help a lot this year.

Gymnastics coach firing

Re: Gymnastics coach firing

Thank you!

Re: Thank you!

Re: Gymnastics coach firing

Re: Gymnastics coach firing

Re: Gymnastics coach firing

Re: Gymnastics coach firing

There are some on here that spout off about providing written copy that

Re: Gymnastics coach firing

Re: Gymnastics coach firing

Re: Gymnastics coach firing

Re: Gymnastics coach firing

Re: Gymnastics coach firing

Apparently Amy Smith...

Re: Gymnastics coach firing

Re: Gymnastics coach firing

Re: Gymnastics coach firing

Re: Gymnastics coach firing

thank you both!

Re: Gymnastics coach firing

Re: Gymnastics coach firing

I watched bits of that Clemson plus behind the scenes

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