A spokesman for the University of Maryland disclosed Friday that former swimming and diving coach Rick Curl admitted to having sex with an underage girl in 1988, 25 years before he was sentenced to prison for the offense.
A letter from Curl admitting the sexual relationship came to light Thursday, when he was sentenced to seven years in prison for sexually abusing Kelley Currin, a member of his local swim club, for five years. UMD spokesman Brian Ullmann told The Washington Post that Curl resigned his position as head coach in a letter dated August 24,1988.
"We then alerted and briefed the Attorney General's office on September 7, 1988," Ullmann said. However, former Maryland assistant attorney general Jim Mingle told the Post in an email that he had "no recollection of this coach or any consultation about him."
Ramon Korionoff, a spokesman for the Montgomery County prosecutor's office, told the paper that the criminal investigation into Curl was closed but could be reopened if "new reports or other possible victims" surfaced. Currin is currently Curl's only known victim.
Currin's parents signed a confidentiality deal with Curl for $150,000 after he confessed in a letter to having sexual intercourse with Currin at the age of 15 and knowing that she was a minor. That letter was signed in July 1986. 13 months later, Curl was hired as the head swimming and diving coach at Maryland.
The Post reported that Currin's parents showed Curl's confession to a university official, who advised them to seek private counsel. Currin's mother, Pam Davies, said she was unable to recall the name of the official to whom they spoke.