Richard Callaghan, the former coach of champion skaters like Tara Lipinski and Todd Eldredge, has been suspended by U.S. Figure Skating over allegations of sexual misconduct, reports USA Today's Christine Brennan.

The suspension comes nearly two decades after the allegations first arose against the now 72-year-old Callaghan. The decision was made following the U.S. Center for SafeSport's announcement that it was suspending the coach.

SafeSport made their decision based on the allegations made by Craig Maurizi. Then a skater and now an Olympic coach himself, Maurizi told the New York Times in 1999 that Callaghan engaged in inapprosexual contact with him at the age of 15 and used his coaching position as leverage to initiate a sexual relationship with him once he turned 18. Maurizi alleges that the relationship continued for another four years and then occasionally for the next 12 years. A pair of other skaters also told the Times of inappropriate sexual conduct with Callaghan.

The grievance filed by Maurizi in 1999 against Callaghan was dismissed by the U.S. Figure Skating Association, the precursor to U.S. Figure Skating, because it was not filed within 60 days of the alleged incident. Callaghan then resumed his career.

“I don’t want to discuss any actions that I may or may not have taken in filing a grievance with SafeSport at this time,” Maurizi told Brennan when approached for comment on the story.