The International Tennis Hall of Fame has dropped its investigation of Bob Hewitt and is no longer seeking to remove him, the Boston Globe reports.
Nearly a dozen women on three continents have accused the former South African doubles player of sexually abusing them between the 1970s and early 1990s, when he was their coach and they were underage.
Executive director Mark Stenning told the Globe that the Hall ended the investigation in favor of drafting an undetermined policy to address similar issues.
Even though the Hall of Fame promised to investigate the claims, none of the women who talked to the Globe said they were interviewed. Nearly 250 people from 14 countries signed a petition calling for Hewitt’s expulsion.
But Smith’s longtime doubles partner, Bob Lutz, had plenty to say about the Hall’s inaction.
"The whole thing is sickening,’’ Hall of Famer Bob Lutz told the Globe. "Reggie Bush lost the Heisman Trophy for much less than Hewitt is accused of doing as a player. Hewitt should be kicked out of the Hall."