Texas volleyball coach continues coaching after SafeSport sexual misconduct ban
On February 19, 2026, the U.S. Center for SafeSport banned Texas girls' volleyball coach Ryan Richardson from coaching after finding he engaged in sexual misconduct with a minor. Richardson returned to training players the following day and has continued posting them on Instagram since the ban. Richardson founded Elite Sports Performance in 2013 and operates the facility in the Rio Grande area.
🧭 In Context
According to ProPublica reporting, this case is part of a broader pattern of institutional oversight failures in youth sports organizations. The Center for SafeSport bans are enforceable only through governing bodies and private organizations; they do not carry legal authority to prevent an individual from operating an independent facility. Richardson's immediate return to coaching raises questions about enforcement mechanisms available to SafeSport and accountability gaps in club sports governance.
📹 Source Video
What remains unclear
- ?Whether law enforcement or state athletic authorities have opened a criminal or administrative investigation into Richardson's conduct.
- ?What specific enforcement powers SafeSport has over independent club operators and whether Richardson's facility is bound by SafeSport rulings.
- ?Whether parents of current athletes at the facility have been notified of the misconduct findings and the ban.
- ?The full scope of allegations against Richardson beyond the documented sexual misconduct with a minor.
✓ Verified
- ✓The U.S. Center for SafeSport ruled on Feb. 19, 2026 that Ryan Richardson was banned from coaching. (ProPublica/YouTube)
- ✓The Center for SafeSport found Richardson engaged in sexual misconduct with a minor. (ProPublica/YouTube)
- ✓Richardson resumed training players and posting them on Instagram the day after the ban. (ProPublica/YouTube)
- ✓Richardson founded Elite Sports Performance in 2013. (ProPublica/YouTube)
~ Interpretation
- ~The source documents that Richardson has continued coaching despite the ban and continued posting on social media, suggesting non-compliance with the SafeSport ruling. (ProPublica reporting, outcome of compliance not independently verified)
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