News

Runner Mary Cain Files $20 Million Lawsuit Against Nike & Former Coach

Distance runner Mary Cain has filed a $20 million lawsuit against her former coach and Nike after suffering emotional abuse at the Nike Oregon Project. The lawsuit comes on the heels of a scathing piece published by The New York Times in 2019 that dives into her experience of being trained by Nike.

The lawsuit depicts Cain’s coach, Alberto Salazar, as a control freak who was obsessive about his runner’s weight and didn’t shy away from publicly humiliating her about it.

“Nike was letting Alberto weight-shame women, objectify their bodies, and ignore their health and wellbeing as part of its culture,” said Kristen West McCall, a Portland lawyer representing Cain. “This was a systemic and pervasive issue. And they did it for their own gratification and profit.”

According to the lawsuit, Salazar would police Cain’s food consumption and, on multiple occasions, would demand that she stand on a scale in front of other people before promptly criticizing her.

Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter!

A week of sports news in your in-box.
We find the sports news you need to know, so you don't have to.

Salazar also reportedly became fed up with the interference of her parents. “He prevented Cain from consulting with and relying on her parents, particularly her father, who is a doctor,” McCall said.

Salazar’s abuse eventually led Cain to feel depressed and consequently led to her developing an eating disorder, generalized anxiety and post-traumatic stress syndrome.

The lawsuit alleges that Nike’s in-house sports psychology consultant, Darren Treasure, was aware of Cain’s anguish, yet Nike failed to intervene.

“Companies are responsible for the behavior of their managers. Nike’s job was to ensure that Salazar was not neglecting and abusing the athletes he coached,” the lawsuit claims.

Alex Sherman

Alex holds a Bachelor of Arts from McGill University and is passionate about covering sports-related stories that extend beyond the box score.

Recent Posts

Paul George Exits With Knee Injury As 76ers Fall To 2-12 In Loss To Grizzlies

With their big three finally back in action Wednesday, the Philadelphia 76ers suffered another setback…

4 hours ago

VIDEO: Nike Pays Tribute to Rafael Nadal With 30-Foot Projection In Front of Eiffel Tower

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/tny--EWynOQ Nike paid tribute to Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal with a 10-meter-tall animated display…

21 hours ago

VIDEO: Rafael Nadal Gets Emotional Tribute as He Retires From Tennis

https://youtu.be/dtJoJz9hC48 Tennis legend Rafael Nadal bid a heartfelt goodbye to his devoted Spanish fans as he brought…

22 hours ago

VIDEO EXCLUSIVE: U.S. Olympic Fencer Eli Dershwitz Explains The Art Of Fencing

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/DQ9Rxhnuer4 U.S. Olympic fencer Eli Dershwitz shed light on the critical skills necessary in fencing…

2 days ago

Two Bears Offensive Linemen Return To Practice, Caleb Williams Desperate For Blocking

Two offensive linemen for the Chicago Bears returned to practice, a massive step in the…

3 days ago

VIDEO: UFC Heavyweight Champion Performs Viral Trump Dance In New York

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/s2g9t_33Myw President-elect Donald Trump received a warm welcome from Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighter Jon…

4 days ago