'The Tale' writer names Olympian Ted Nash as man who assaulted her

2023-03-21

REVEALED: Woman who was sexually assaulted aged 13 at the hands of her rowing coach, 40, now names the attacker as Olympic legend Ted Nash – whose abuse was retold in her Emmy-nominated film ‘The Tale’

Jennifer Fox who detailed her sexual abuse at the age of 13 at the hands of her 40-year-old coach has named her perpetrator
Fox says Olympic medalist Ted Nash was the man who assaulted her as a child
Fox directed and wrote her autobiographical film ‘The Tale,’ which was Emmy nominated and starred Laura Dern, Jason Ritter, and Elizabeth Debicki

A woman who revealed her story of being sexually abused by her 40-year-old rowing coach at the age of just 13 has named her perpetrator who inspired her autobiographical Emmy-nominated film.

In a new interview with The New York Times, Jennifer Fox, 63, said that Olympic medalist and rowing coach Ted Nash was the man who assaulted her as a young girl.

‘The adult part of me wants to move on, but that child in me, she wants to face him and get it over with and name him,’ Fox told the outlet. ‘There was a part of me saying, I will not let you rest until you name him.’

Nash died in 2021 at the age of 88 and Fox told the New York Times it was reading his ‘glowing’ obituaries that pushed her to come forward.

Fox’s 2018 made-for-TV movie ‘The Tale’ starring Laura Dern, Jason Ritter, Elizabeth Debicki, and Ellen Burstyn depicted her story and was nominated for an Emmy, several Independent Spirit Awards, and a Golden Globe.

In a new interview with The New York Times , Jennifer Fox, 63, said that Olympic medalist and rowing coach Ted Nash was the man who assaulted her as a young girl

Olympic medalist Ted Nash is the man Fox says assaulted her while she was 13-years-old

Fox first met Nash in 1973 when she began taking horse riding lessons from farm owner Susie Buchanan, who she claims groomed her into sexual acts with Nash.

In high school papers she wrote years after the assaults took place, Fox claims she detailed the relationship with Nash and Buchanan.

In the 2018 film about her story, ‘The Crown’ actor Elizabeth Debicki portrays Buchanan, renamed ‘Mrs. G’ for anonymity.

Jason Ritter, best known for his roles on ‘Parenthood’ and ‘A Million Little Things,’ portrays ‘Bill,’ a stand-in name for Nash.

Fox says the man was a skilled ‘manipulator’ who inserted himself in leadership roles to get close with young girls, including coaching girls and women in running.

Nash also co-founded the National Women’s Rowing Association while serving as an unofficial running coach at a track club in Philadelphia.

‘He was a very esteemed, very talented manipulator and beloved and looked good and acted right and had all the right credentials,’ Fox said.

In a statement to the New York Times, Nash’s surviving first wife said the accusations were surprising but not completely shocking.

Aldina Nash-Hampe described the allegations as ‘kind of a surprise to me,’ but added that ‘he seemed to have affairs with a lot of women, and that’s one of the reasons I left.’

‘He’s got a big reputation for being a wonderful guy,’ Nash-Hampe said. ‘But he does have this history.’

Fox’s 2018 made-for-TV movie ‘The Tale’ starred Laura Dern, Jason Ritter, Elizabeth Debicki, and Ellen Burstyn. Left to right: Common, Isabelle Nelisse, Jennifer Fox, Laura Dern, Ellen Burstyn, and Jason Ritter

Fox first met Nash in 1973 when she began taking horse riding lessons from farm owner Susie Buchanan, who she claims groomed her into sexual acts with Nash

Fox says the man was a skilled ‘manipulator’ who inserted himself in leadership roles to get close with young girls, including coaching girls and women in running

The role of Fox was played by Laura Dern in the 2018 film

The role of Nash, who was given the pseudonym ‘Bill’ in the film, was played by Jason Ritter

Ritter (left) played ‘Bill’ while ‘The Crown’ star Elizabeth Debicki played ‘Mrs. G,’ now identified as Susie Buchanan

In high school papers she wrote years after the assaults took place, Fox claims she detailed the relationship with Nash and Buchanan

Nash (left) alongside Dan Ayrault (right) as they were training for the 1960 Rome Olympics

https://youtube.com/watch?v=fXqJ9dsFQzY%3Frel%3D0%26showinfo%3D1%26hl%3Den-US

Nash’s wife at the time of his death on the other hand said it is ‘just not fair’ for Fox to name her husband after his death and smear his legacy.

‘Look, I didn’t know Ted at the time, so I can’t say anything about that time,’ Jan Nash said in response to Fox’s allegations.

‘[But] all Ted has done for women’s rowing, starting it, promoting women, helping women, all of these things that he’s done, is it all forgotten because one woman comes out with an allegation?’

‘It’s just not right that one woman can say something and all of the good he has done gets smeared,’ she continued.

It was Nash’s glowing ‘legacy’ though that inspired Fox to finally name him as the man who assaulted her while she was just a child.

Nash was well-respected in the rowing world and was often seen as a ‘father figure’ to many young athletes in the sport.

In a book called ‘The Book of Ted,’ written by Nash’s longtime friend Sean P. Colgan, the author says Nash’s crew often equated him with God.

The author said in his 60-year relationship with the rowing coach he never saw ‘any dent in his moral credibility, whether it’s cursing, lying, cheating, anything like that.’

Colgan called Fox’s accusations ‘preposterous’ and said Nash had traveled on several vacations with his family and that he never showed any attraction to ‘younger people.’

‘People that know Ted know that he’s an upstanding guy — the most upstanding I’ve ever met in my life,’ Colgan told the New York Times.

Fox said seeing people describe ‘how amazing this human being is’ was a major reason for her sharing her truth and his name all these years later.

‘I was so angry,’ Fox said.

Fox said seeing people describe ‘how amazing this human being is’ was a major reason for her sharing her truth and his name all these years later

https://youtube.com/watch?v=72xFj_PLQs4%3Frel%3D0%26showinfo%3D1%26hl%3Den-US

‘I was so angry,’ Fox said of seeing people compliment Nash after his death

In 2022, Fox filed a nine-page complaint against Nash with U.S. Rowing and an investigation into her allegations is ongoing.

U.S. Rowing chief executive Amanda Kraus said they are working to address the issue and improve their organization to better protect athletes.

‘We’re not going to bury our heads in the sand because every time we do that, we are allowing more young people to get hurt in the future,’ Kraus said.

‘So let’s talk about it. Let’s bring it to the surface. I’ll say this all the time, nothing is more important than the safety of young people,’ she continued.

According to the New York Times story, the U.S. Center for SafeSport declined jurisdiction over the case because Nash is dead.

‘While the federation does not have the power to strip him of his Olympic medals, she said, it can choose to treat his legacy differently in the future,’ they said.

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