Former Olympic gymnast MyKayla Skinner draws criticism for saying SafeSport is hindering coaches

Olympic medal-winning gymnast MyKayla Skinner Harmer is drawing criticism for a since-deleted YouTube video in which she said the U.S. Center for SafeSport is making it difficult for coaches to do their job.

Skinner, who won silver on vault at the Tokyo Olympics, said coaches “can't get on athletes” out of fear of being reported to SafeSport, an independent entity that handles allegations of abuse from various governing bodies across the U.S. Olympic movement.

“(Coaches) have to be really careful about what they say, which in some ways is really good, but at the same time, to get where you need to be in gymnastics, you have to be … a little aggressive and a little intense,” Skinner said.

The 27-year-old Skinner, who retired after Tokyo, seemed to draw a direct line between the lack of structured coaching and most of the five-woman team that will represent the U.S. at the Paris Olympics.