Up First from NPR Emotional Abuse in College Sports
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Mar 15, 2026 
Elizabeth Santos, an investigative reporter who co-led the series, and Julia Haney, her reporting partner, discuss alleged emotional abuse in college athletics. They outline patterns like verbal attacks, manipulation, and controlling behavior. They share reporting methods, case narratives including scholarship threats and humiliation, systemic gaps in reporting and accountability, and contrasts with positive coaching.
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Julia Pernsteiner’s Desperate Reports And Tragic Outcome
- Julia Pernsteiner repeatedly reported coach Ronald Grigg’s verbal abuse to administrators, trainers, counselors, the NCAA and even a sheriff’s deputy before taking her life in 2021.
- Bodycam footage shows the deputy explaining emotional abuse isn’t a crime in Duval County, and Pernsteiner described being humiliated and called “retarded” and “useless.”
Croatian Twins Recruited Then Subjected To Daily Insults
- Maria and Marta Golic were recruited from Croatia to USF together and say Coach Molly Goodenbauer rapidly shifted from warm recruiter to verbally abusive coach.
- They describe being called “idiots,” “worthless,” and “pieces of shit” nearly every practice, which contrasted with prior coaches they'd known.
Secret Recordings Captured Scholarship Threats
- The twins secretly recorded performance reviews where Goodenbauer threatened scholarships and repeatedly told Maria she didn't want to coach her.
- Recordings captured explicit scholarship threats and statements like “I'm going to honestly say I don't want to coach you.”