Survivor of alleged sexual abuse by former wrestling coach speaking out hoping to inspire other victims

UNIVERSITY PLACE, Wash. - The case against a wrestling coach at Curtis Junior High and Curtis High School has been settled: the University Place School District has agreed to award three survivors of alleged sexual abuse $9.5 million in their case against David O'Connor.  

The incidents allegedly happened in the early 2000s.

Jacob is one of those survivors. Now a grown adult, he is sharing his story for the first time in hopes of helping others speak out. 

He would be one of three survivors who would be picking a jury on Monday if the case hadn't been settled civilly, as the statute of limitations for this type of crime had already expired. 

"As a 16-year-old kid, I was like, 'Heck yeah, let's do whatever we can to be ready and knock some heads and try and be the big guy on campus," Jacob recalls.

He had high hopes as wrestling looked to be promising for him. Coach David O'Connor was a parent to another team member, offering up extracurricular workout programs the summer before his sophomore year.

"In those private workout sessions, that's where I fell victim to his predator-ness," Jacob said.

Pain and turmoil the now 31-year-old continues to live with as a survivor of child abuse. 

Incidents of "fondling and masturbation" in a complaint filed against O'Connor to University Place School District says the alleged incidents happened at Jacobs's home or in O'Connor's home and car while he was supposed to be caring for him or coaching him.

Jacob was only 16 years old, but the abuse didn't start right away.  

"He had a long time to instill trust and a sense of leadership above me," Jacob said.

He says his mom noticed a shift in his behavior. He became angrier as her little boy's innocence taken. 

"I was a kid who had never had any kind of sexual encounter ever, and to have that be your first… it messes with you so much," Jacob said. 

He never reported the abuse. 

"I felt like I was alone," Jacob said. "Like there's no one else who could relate to me, I felt like there's no one else who could even understand what had just happened to me."

Little did he know -- he wasn't. 

Still, he says he kept wrestling and throwing himself at sports to ignore the problem.

Senior year was supposed to be exciting, applying for college and taking that leap into adulthood – which he says couldn't come soon enough.

"I just kind of wanted to get as far away as I could, so, I hopped on the plane and I went to school in Hawaii," Jacob said.

Long term, he says he's been feeling the repercussions. Not only does a gym remind him of a painful past, but he also moved to Utah, away from Washington and his family.

He remained silent until six other former team members filed their lawsuit against the district, alleging O'Connor had abused them. 

Jacob recalls being at his parents' house when he first heard about the allegations. 

"I was like, 'Wow, that's crazy', and then being so desensitized to it and just kind of instantly jumping back I was like ‘Crap. I was. I was one of those kids, too’, and my mom was shocked," Jacob said.

He confided in his parents, but legally did nothing. 

Court documents show O'Connor was convicted of indecent liberties with several children in 1977 in Lewis County. 

The news came as a shock to Jacob.

"That happened in the 70s and it happened in the early 2000s, why couldn't it happen in 2023?" Jacob questioned.

It wasn't until 2021 he decided to speak out and join two other survivors in a new lawsuit. 

"I thought about some of the other guys who could be going through this as well and I thought I could try and help them out," Jacob said.

Attorney Vincent Nappo, representing Jacob, filed the lawsuit on behalf of three victims who were 14 to 16 years old when they said O'Connor sexually abused them between 2005 and 2008. 

Nappo accused the district of negligence for how they hired O'Connor.

"It comes down to probably failing to properly screen him there were some concerns with whether he ever completed an application whether he ever completed self-disclosure forms," Nappo said "Whether he was forced to undergo any sort of criminal background checks that would include looking online or looking through fingerprints, or other ways to try to not only catch this type of history."

FOX 13 reached out to the district, who recently reached a settlement with the former students, just before going to trial, Superintendent Jeff Chamberlin says their priority is to provide a safe and positive educational experience for all of its students. They sent a statement saying: 

"All of the men involved in these cases feel very good about how these cases have resolved," Nappo said. "We're confident that the district has taken these cases seriously and our hope is that something like what happened with Coach O'Connor isn't going to be able to happen in the future."

"I feel like there was some restitution brought in, and I feel like the school district has done a lot to try and change how things are done to try and prevent this kind of stuff, and it makes me feel better about it," Jacob said.

In total, the distinct has paid more than $13 million in settlements to former students and athletes who also brought legal claims against O'Connor of sexual abuse.

ALSO READ: University Place SD to pay $4.2M to student victims after hiring coach convicted for sexual abuse

A suit settled in 2022 claims the school did not properly vet O'Connor to catch his previous conviction.

At last check, O'Connor is not a registered sex offender.