Today saw some shocking news which has affected the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu world and highlights the dangers of authority figures who abuse their position. Blue belt Stevie Knapp made an Instragram post that described the sexual and mental abuse which she faced under her former professor, Nicollas Welker Araujo. What is even worse is that this took place whilst she was aged just 13 years old until she was 15.
We do not want to give it a link for obvious reasons, but at this point his website is still active and the screenshots of his lies are shown below. Araujo goes in to detail about how he chose the location because of it’s “family oriented community” as well as “leading his students in to a healthy lifestyle”.
Araujo was well respected within the BJJ community as a teacher and competitor and was a former affiliate of the legendary Cobrinha. She wrote: “My former Coach will serve 3 years in prison and after he will be deported back to Brazil. Nicollas sexually, mentally, and physically abused me from the time I was 13 until I was 15. I was brainwashed and tortured by him daily and it seemed impossible to escape him until finally I found the courage to leave and speak up. Today I got to make a statement in court in front of him and my family members.”
Sadly, this may only be the tip of the iceberg in terms of abusive relationships in the grappling community. Other, similar stories have been revealed down the years and it makes you wonder if there are currently other abusive relationships going on right now. The idea of teachers abusing their authority was highlighted in an essay written by Ryan Hall called ‘The dangers of hero worship’ back in 2013.
We are currently unsure of just what will happen to him when he returns to his native Brazil, but hopefullly it will be more jail time.
Lastly if anyone knows of his hometown in Brazil, please let the community know so that he cannot repeat these actions when he is released.
