Palmetto Report

(Rock Hill, S.C.) -- Former elite runner Mary Cain, who trained with Nike’s now disbanded Oregon project from 2013 to 2017, recently made allegations in an op-ed for The New York Times of mental and physical abuse that she experienced during her time at the training group. Cain, 23, said coaches, lead by head coach Alberto Salazar, convinced her that she had to keep losing weight, ridiculed her body and weight in front of her teammates and other athletes at competition and ignored her when she expressed feelings of depression and self-harm. Dr. David Schary, sports psychology professor at Winthrop University and consultant for Winthrop Athletics, appeared on the Palmetto Report to discuss the topic. He said the double standards for men's and women’s bodies in sports are a reflection of the double standards placed on bodies in society.