"We are disgusted, heartbroken, and ashamed" - Riley Gaines breaks silence on rape accusation on former Kentucky swim coach Lars Jorgensen  

Riley Gaines has finally reacted to a lawsuit that accused former Kentucky coach Lars Jorgensen of sexual assault and rape. The lawsuit was filed by two former swimming team members on Friday in the US District Court.

It also calls Gary Conelly, a former coach, Mitch Barnhart, the athletics director, as well as the University of Kentucky a toxic and sexually hostile environment. The lawsuit alleged that the institute allowed Jorgensen to prey on, sexually harass, and commit horrific sexual assaults.

Gaines, who competed for the University of Kentucky NCAA swim team, took to X (formerly Twitter) to express herself. She said that after seeing a news article about the lawsuit, she spent the weekend with current and former University of Kentucky teammates.

The former competitive swimmer said:

"The general consensus is that we are disgusted, heartbroken, and ashamed to be affiliated with a program where anything like this could be alleged to have happened."

Feeling betrayed, Gaines highlighted:

"Lars was someone I trusted, I loved & respected. I would have gone to bat for him & defended him until the end."

Riley Gaines shared that she never saw or heard any of these claims taking place. Jorgensen, who joined the University of Kentucky in 2013 as head coach, has been alleged of forcibly raping a former swimmer.

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Riley Gaines says sexual abuse is far too common in female athletics

Riley Gaines at the House Oversight Committee Holds Hearing Examining Female Athletics And Title IX

Gaines, 24, condemned all violence, especially sexual violence against women. She said this just cannot be overlooked. The former 12x All-American swimmer said:

"While I spend most of my time speaking to the harm and severity of allowing men into women's sports, we can't neglect or condone other issues that are far too common in female athletics like sexual abuse from authority figures."

Gaines believes it's her mission to defend women. She said sexual predators should not be able to obtain or maintain a position of authority over anyone, much less a stream of vulnerable, half-naked young women.

In recent years, Riley Gaines has emerged as an advocate for women's sports only for women. She has also voiced concerns about sexism and misogyny that women athletes face in their respective sports.