Judo official resigns amid allegations

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A USA Judo official who is alleged to have molested teenage competitors he coached 30 years ago resigned from the organization’s board of directors -- the same day the allegations became public in a New York Times story first posted online.

USA Judo announced the Friday resignation of Fletcher Thornton, 69, on its website Saturday. A spokeswoman said Thornton was a referee at a tournament in Orlando, Fla., on Friday, but he did not participate Saturday and had left by Sunday.

The Associated Press tried to contact Thornton, who lives in Middletown, Calif., but the number was disconnected.

Thornton denied the allegations to the newspaper.

Jose H. Rodriguez, chief executive of USA Judo, told the AP on Sunday that Thornton was not asked to resign but that the move puts the spotlight back on the athletes less than two weeks from the start of the Beijing Games.

The New York Times story, which was published in Saturday’s print edition, said several young athletes in affidavits from 1981 accused Thornton of drugging and sexually molesting teenage competitors he coached in the late 1970s. A new accuser also surfaced in 2005, according to the report. And in June, American judo medal hopeful Ronda Rousey drew attention to the issue by posting a blog about it.

The U.S. Olympic Committee has said it has opened an inquiry into the allegations.

Rodriguez said a committee investigated the allegations in 1982 and 1983 and found that nobody filed a formal complaint.

-- Debbie Goffa