No One Was Watching

by Akayla Gardner | Former Special Projects Director

“No One Was Watching” is a look at the women’s rowing team and its former head coach who was found to have performed psychotherapy on student-athletes and made derogatory comments about mental health.

When Ohio State announced the firing of its women’s rowing head coach in March 2020, the university gave no insight into the reason for his termination. Andy Teitelbaum was the team’s first and only head coach since 1995. During his tenure, he led the squad to three consecutive NCAA championships and nine Big Ten championships.

In May, The Lantern received a public records request which included a heavily redacted university human resources investigation that revealed that Teitelbaum performed a form of psychotherapy on student-athletes and made derogatory comments about mental health. 

“No One Was Watching” is a Lantern investigation into the culture of this unsung but fiercely successful team through the experience of former rowers. Their stories are first-hand accounts of the mental health issues Division I athletes face.

Correction: Anna Goodale was an assistant coach for the Ohio State women’s rowing team. She attended the Olympics but did not row for the university’s undergraduate team.

Editor’s Note: A clip of an EMDR demonstration was used under fair use. The therapist pictured has no connection to Ohio State or the treatment Andy Teitelbaum used on student athletes.