Florida student-athlete told cops her coach said ‘go kill yourself’ a month before she took her life

The Florida student-athlete who committed suicide in November 2021 after receiving salvos from her track coach told police about his behavior a month before her death.

Julia Pernsteiner, 23, who had a learning disability, was savagely mocked by former Jacksonville University athletics coach Ron Grigg, who called her “fat” and “retarded,” before cutting her off the team without notice.

Her parents claim that the university then ignored her pleas for help after she was removed from the team in September 2021, leading to her suicide two months later.

“He made these casual statements as if asking me, ‘Why am I keeping you around if you’re not smart and you’re not fast?’ He told me, “Go kill yourself. You’re terrible.”‘

The video was recorded by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office on October 22. Pernsteiner was found dead in her dorm room on November 8 of an apparent suicide. The clip was first unearthed by Florida independent journalist Samantha Mathers.

Over the course of the interview, Pernsteiner describes several instances of abuse she suffered at the hands of Grigg.

She said that after the numbers started to drop at one point, Grigg called her and yelled, “You don’t know how to wipe your own ass.” Everyone here is done with you. You are the slowest runner in the world. You’re a horrible person.’

Pernsteiner continued that after the coach found out she had spoken publicly about his toxic behavior, she would wake up to text messages from him saying, “You’re talking fucking bullshit.” You always talk f*****g nonsense.’

In another post, he wrote, “You are going to f*****g destroy this track team. You’re the one breaking it down.’

She says that Grigg would “make her feel mentally stupid” and that he “degraded you on a daily basis.”

The officer then explains to Pernsteiner that Grigg’s behavior in Florida was not a crime unless he physically assaulted her or made a specific threat of violence against her.

During one interaction, Pernsteiner said Grigg asked her, “I’ve never hit you before, have I?”

“I treat everyone like family. That’s why I can say what I say.’

According to the police report prepared after the interview was taped, the sheriff’s deputy wrote that Pernsteiner said she was kicked off the team because of falling numbers and because she was a whistleblower.

“She said the circuit’s head coach caused her emotional distress by telling her to lose weight, threatening to kick her off the team, and saying she was the worst on the team,” the report said. Fox news.

Pernsteiner ran as an outlet to help her cope with her academic studies, which she struggled with as her disability affected her reading, writing, and math skills.

But Grigg would derive “special satisfaction” from humiliating her, often shaming her thickly while referring to her as “retarded,” according to a lawsuit filed by her family.

In court records, teammates recalled the abuse Grigg Pernsteiner subjected to after she joined the college team.

Julia was brutally bullied by Grigg for nearly two years, including making fun of her to her face and behind her back, in text messages and emails, according to the lawsuit.

Ron Grigg (took) special satisfaction in humiliating Julia, referring to her as “retarded,” “the slowest f****** runner on the team,” and “unable to finish your own a**.” swipe,” the lawsuit says.

Pernsteiner remained on the team as an outlet to help her with her academic studies and attempted to seek help from her teammates, who also alleged that Grigg suffered similar abuse while overseeing the team.

They revealed in the court documents that he was continually “oppressive, threatening, bullying, condescending and demeaning to many of the young women on the team.”

But after Pernsteiner contacted former athletes at the school to share their accounts of Griggs behavior with school officials, the university subsequently said it was unable to substantiate the allegations when it opened an investigation.

Despite having been with the university since 1998, numerous members of the athletic team have since painted a disturbing picture of his behavior, where he routinely belittled those he was supposed to help.

“Despite knowledge of Grigg’s outrageous and illegal conduct toward women on his teams, (Jacksonville University) consented and approved of that conduct as long as Grigg coached winning teams,” the lawsuit further alleges.

After two years of gripping harassment from Grigg, Pernsteiner was kicked from the team in September 2021, with no reason given.

In a plea for help, she sent an email to the university’s athletic director in October 2021, begging to be allowed back on the team, as she was relying on her athletic life to cope.

“I just don’t know where to go,” she said in the email attached to the lawsuit.

“I would like to stay and work on improving my grades. I’m just not able to do it myself. I’m looking for advice on how to proceed.’

However, the athlete’s cries for help were completely ignored by the faculty. After no one responded to her email, Pernsteiner “went into despair and depression.”

“22 months before her death, Julia suffered from pain, mental anguish, panic attacks, anxiety and depression,” the lawsuit claimed.

Prior to her tragic death, Pernsteiner had continually attempted to expose Grigg’s behavior, including by contacting local media outlets.

Local independent journalist Samantha Mathers said she spoke to Pernsteiner several times in late October 2021, just weeks before she committed suicide.

While investigating the claims, Mathers said she was heartbroken to hear the news of the 23-year-old’s death when Pernsteiner’s mother later reached out.

“As soon as she said, ‘I’m just trying to get answers about my daughter,’ and she explained, I knew exactly what she was talking about, and my heart fell to the floor,” she shared FirstCoastNews.

Mathers added that she corresponded with a former track and field coach who knew Grigg, who told her that she had “witnessed a lot of things” the women athletes had said.

“The body shaming, the fear, the athletes had a lot of fear.

“She said she witnessed his female athletes being as concerned about their weight as no other female athletes at the school.”

Grigg subsequently resigned following the scandal, and the university said it was providing “additional mandatory training” for its coaches.

In an emailed statement to Fox News in response to the lawsuit, Jacksonville University said, “The students, faculty and staff of Jacksonville University continue to mourn Julia’s tragic death and we sympathize with the Pernsteiner family for their loss.”

“It’s university policy that we don’t comment on pending litigation.”