Former Newport Aquatic Center coach alleges sexual harassment

A former Newport Aquatic Center rowing coach alleges she was sexually harassed by NAC executive director Billy Whitford from her first day on the job, according to a lawsuit filed last week in Orange County Superior Court.

Cristina Morcom also alleges in the suit that Garrett Pickard, who eventually replaced her as NAC varsity girls coach, hacked her emails at NAC’s direction and provided information to Whitford that he used to retaliate against Morcom.

The suit is the latest legal challenge to the world renown rowing club whose reputation for producing Olympians has been overshadowed by allegations of financial irregularities, improper use of its facilities and non-profit status, sexual harassment and retaliation against whistleblowers.

Morcom, currently a assistant at the University of Miami, is suing Whitford and NAC for sexual discrimination, sexual harassment and intentional infliction of emotional distress. She is also suing Pickard for unlawful intrusion into private affairs and NAC for discrimination, failure to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment and wrongful termination.

Morcom, a former Clemson and University of San Diego rower, started as NAC’s head varsity women’s rowing coach on June 15, 2017. Under Morcom, NAC nearly doubled its 2017 team score at the 2018 Southwest Regional Championships. She also guided NAC to its first women’s varsity quad qualifier for the national youth championships. Twenty-one of the 24 seniors coached by Morcom went onto college rowing programs with 90 percent receiving athletic-related financial aid.

But within a year Morcom was gone, dismissed last July.

Morcom alleges in the lawsuit Whitford’s sexual harassment was a constant during her year at NAC.

Whitford and Pickard did not respond to requests for comment.

“From the first day of Morcom’s employment, Whitford engaged in a continuous, severe, and pervasive campaign of sexual harassment and hostile environment,” the suit alleges.

At a regatta, Morcom alleges, Whitford followed her around and at one point pulled her aside and told her, “Cristina I don’t hate you, I love you.” Later Whitford told her “if you need anything at all, a place to stay, money, anything, you let me know.”

Whitford also encouraged Morcom to circumvent the club’s chain of command.

“For example, from the first day, Whitford pulled Morcom aside to have a ‘private talk, eye to eye,’ about the motives of the Boys Junior Rowing coach, Nick D’Antoni, and Junior Rowing Program Director, Pat Rolfes. Whitford attempted to convince Morcom to abandon the chain of command and to go directly to him,” the suit alleges.

“Whitford told Morcom that if she ‘ever needed anything, to go directly to him’ because he would be there for Morcom and fight her battles for her.

“When Morcom told Whitford she would follow the chain of command … Whitford became upset and engaged in a pattern of retaliation against Morcom and manufactured false allegations to be used as a basis to terminate Morcom.”

An Orange County Register investigation last October revealed how NAC has been placed in financial peril by employees using NAC credit cards for personal use and to bill the club for hundreds of thousands of dollars in materials and supplies for for-profit companies using NAC facilities in violation of laws governing non-profits.

Whitford and three other NAC employees charged more than $1.2 million to NAC credit cards between from 2011 to 2016, according to credit card records and a board-commissioned forensic analysis of the organization’s finances obtained by the Register.

Nearly $650,000 of those purchases were for meals, groceries, trips, gifts, Angels and horse show tickets, payment of traffic and parking tickets and other items appearing unrelated to NAC business and in potential violation of IRS guidelines, according to credit card statements, receipts and financial records.

Pickard on at least two occasions has made inappropriate comments about young female rowers’ breasts, according to multiple emails and three NAC parents. Pickard’s comments have been reported to USA Rowing, the sport’s national governing body, by an NAC parent.

Newport Beach city attorney Aaron C. Harp in April, saying the city is “deeply concerned” about the management of NAC, notified the club’s board of directors that the organization is in default of its ground lease with the city which could terminate the lease.