The recriminations from a horror rowing regatta by Great Britain at the Tokyo Olympics are being felt, with a former coach being accused of creating some "very dark years" under his leadership.
After its worst performance in over 40 years, men's eight bronze medallist Josh Bugajski took a swipe at former coach Jurgen Grobler.
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He took issue with Grobler's brutal training methods and how some relationships with the German soured.
"I'm going to be brave and say something that the crew don't want me to say. I cracked open a bottle of champagne when Jurgen retired," Bugajski told The Telegraph.
"I had three very dark years under him. And I think I'd be a coward if I didn't say that on behalf of the guys who are stuck at home, because they got a darker side of Jurgen and they aren't in the team.
"There were some people he just seemed to take a disliking to. What he did to them was just destroy them – destroy their soul, destroy everything they had. He had complete power."
However, Bugajski's crewmate Moe Sbihi jumped to the defence of Grobler, who was the coach when the team won gold in Rio in 2016.
"He is a notorious winner… Jurgen knew how to elevate people," British flag-bearer Sbihi said.
"I feel very grateful for the legacy he has put in place."
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