It turns out that Andre Galvao didn’t step away from his coaching role at ATOS HQ for very long at all, as he’s now announced that he will be returning to the position. It’s been just a little under 5 weeks since both he and his wife Angelica decided to step down from their leadership positions within ATOS, and not many people would have predicted a return so soon. The reason that Galvao and his wife stepped dowm is because they were both implicated in a scandal that has rocked the affiliation; Alexa Herse coming forward with allegations of misconduct against him.
Those allegations sent shockwaves through ATOS and the wider Jiu-Jitsu community as a whole, as multiple top competitors and affiliated academies left the organization. This obviously necessitated a major reshuffle within the organization and after Galvao stepped down, it was revealed that his daughter Sarah would serve as head coach. It’s unclear whether she will keep this position at ATOS HQ, but Andre Galvao is going to be teaching at their headquarters even if it isn’t in his former role as head coach. He made the announcement personally on social media:
“My wife and I have always prioritised the safety and the care of every single student and every single family within our community. So with that being said, I would like to announce right here right now that I am back teaching at ATOS Jiu-Jitsu headquarters every single day. From Monday to Friday, sometimes Saturday, I’m here.”
His only mention of the allegations that have been made against him were to explain that he is co-operating with law enforcement, although he did not explicitly discuss his version of events at any point:
“So ATOS Jiu-Jitsu is my responsibility and as the leader of this academy, I take this responsibility seriously. So as you guys know some accusations have been going around on social media; have been shared all over. And I just would like to say that I’ve been fully willing to co-operate with law enforcement and with all Jiu-Jitsu organizations in this matter. In fact I already reached out to the San Diego police department first. They never called me, they never contacted me, I just want to let you know that. I went there to make sure that they know that I’m very clear on supporting and helping them, and I’m ready to assist in any way possible.”
He did previously describe the allegations as ‘false rumours’ when he gave his first official statement prior to stepping down however. He also made one final reference to the allegations after explaining other changes to the ATOS business structure that are unrelated to them:
“I’m choosing not to attack right now anyone or argue online or creating more division inside the community. I trust that the truth will come forward through the proper time and through the proper process. Moving forward we are strengthening our school and programs in every single aspect.”
Andre Galvao shared the public statement that he was returning to teaching at ATOS HQ in a recent post to his official Instagram account:
