The US Center for SafeSport has permanently banned Kevin ‘Scott’ Morris, a former contractor and director for the USA CRITS series, from participation in activities and competitions with USA Cycling.
SafeSport list the ruling of ‘permanent ineligibility’, dated September 27, 2023, for “criminal disposition – involving a minor” and “criminal disposition – sexual misconduct”, obtained from the nonprofit’s Centralized Disciplinary Database on their website.
It had been two years since SafeSport temporarily suspended Morris for allegations of misconduct. At that time, on September 14, 2021, SafeSport did not make the nature of the allegations public.
“It [this matter] was always regarding legal matters long ago resolved. I never didn’t claim my innocence in these matters,” Morris told Cyclingnews on Tuesday. “Those matters resulted in charges of sexual misconduct being dismissed before I had the [USA Cycling] license in question. There was a no contest plea to a computer services crime. I hate that somebody likely weaponized SafeSport to hurt me and the sport under other pretenses.”
Morris also told Cyclingnews this week that he declined an appeal process in 2023 with SafeSport “because there was no guarantee that I could get an independent arbitrator and the additional harm was frankly already done. I just want to move on.”
In October 2021, Cyclingnews reported that Morris had been temporarily suspended by SafeSport for allegations of misconduct. The matter was brought to light after a number of US-based teams shared on social media that they would pull out USA CRITS due to ‘revelations’ about the race organisation still employing an individual with a SafeSport suspension.
Aevolo and L39ION of Los Angeles were the first two teams to pull away from the criterium series, which had ended for the season and looked to relaunch in 2022. A number of the events also withdrew from consideration to continue in the series, including Tulsa Tough.
The teams and events said on social media that they found it unacceptable that Swagger LLC, the company organising USA CRITS, which had hired Morris as a contractor, had not fired him directly. A spokesperson for Swagger said they followed SafeSport guidelines when Morris was suspended on September 14, 2021, and “restricted him from events and any contact with athletes”.
After four years in management with Swagger, Morris’ employment with the company ended soon after the social media…
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