Harvard's Head Diving Coach On Leave Amid Sexual Misconduct Claim

CAMBRIDGE, MA — Harvard University placed its diving team head coach Chris Heaton on leave after a class-action lawsuit filed in an Indiana court accused him of soliciting and sending nude pictures to young women swimmers while he was working in that state.

Harvard University spokesperson Rachael Dane said Harvard only just found out about the accusations against the coach who was hired this summer.

“Upon learning of allegations of sexual misconduct from media reports, Harvard immediately placed Mr. Heaton on leave, pending a review by Harvard University," said Dane in an emailed statement to Patch.

Heaton, 31, is named in the lawsuit, but not as a defendant. The sexual misconduct accusations go back to 2015 when he was teaching at the Indiana Diving Academy, according to the lawsuit, the Harvard Crimson first reported.

Heaton did not immediately return emailed request for comment Wednesday.

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Photo of swimming pool (not diving board) credit: Shutterstock