A former Olympian was among mob that stormed the Capitol. His Team USA jacket gave him away.
Keller, 38, has made no public comments about his presence at the Capitol. He did not return phone messages or emails seeking comment Monday, and his telephone was no longer accepting messages Tuesday.
Since the video surfaced, many people have alerted the FBI and law enforcement on social media to Keller’s apparent participation in the riot, which resulted in five deaths, including that of a U.S. Capitol Police officer.
Standing 6-foot-6 and wearing a familiar Olympic jacket, Keller was easy to identify for many swimmers, coaches and officials who had competed with and against him over the years, two of whom told The Washington Post they recognized the maskless Keller in the footage. In the video, he can be seen in the Rotunda, at one point amid a mob of Trump supporters and law enforcement officers pushing against each other.
The jacket Keller was apparently wearing at the Capitol — with “USA” printed across the back and an Olympic patch on the front — does not appear to be one from his Olympic days but rather one worn by Team USA members who competed at the 2018 Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea.
“We were not aware of this and cannot confirm its accuracy,” a spokeswoman for USA Swimming said in an email Monday. “We respect private individuals’ and groups’ rights to peacefully protest but in no way condone the actions taken by those at the Capitol last week.”
Keller has deleted his social media accounts, where he reportedly espoused pro-Trump views.
He had been working for commercial real estate firm Hoff & Leigh in Colorado Springs, but his name and biography were removed from the company’s website late Monday. The company said in a statement Tuesday that Keller had resigned from his position.
“Hoff & Leigh supports the right of free speech and lawful protest,” the statement read, “but we cannot condone actions that violate the rule of law.”
Keller was a top American swimmer for nearly a decade. He anchored the U.S. 4×200-meter freestyle relay at the 2004 Games in Athens, where he memorably beat Australian Ian Thorpe to the wall and won gold for Phelps and his American teammates. Keller helped the U.S. team defend that Olympic title four years later in Beijing, and he also won two Olympic bronze medals and a silver during his decorated racing career.
He trained and competed under some of the sport’s most successful coaches, including Dave Salo at USC and later Bob Bowman and Jon Urbanchek at Michigan.
