Nine Stanford University cheerleaders air toxic allegations against head coach

Nine current and former Stanford University cheerleaders allege their head coach fostered an environment of intimidation, neglected injured athletes and pushed students to their physical and emotional breaking points. The cheerleaders, speaking to the Stanford Daily, accused head coach Sarah Levine of routinely berating them, publicly humiliating them and at least once pressuring an injured member to return to the mat before he had recovered. “It’s probably the most visibly abusive experience that I’ve ever had in my life,” said a former cheerleader identified by the Daily as Rush, who claims he suffered a concussion during his time on the team. “I felt like I could not leave because I was too scared to leave,” Rush added. Levine has led the elite California university’s squad for 18 years and has not responded to The Post’s request for comment.

This excerpt comes from the named source. Read the original for the full reporting.