When Tom Daley and Dustin Lance Black announced they were moving their family from London to Los Angeles, the news came as a surprise.
After all, there are few current athletes more closely associated with Great Britain than Daley, and the Olympic champion often wears his British pride on his sleeve, chest, or whatever he’s knitting next.
However, in a new interview with The Guardian’s Chris Godfrey, Black shared that a traumatic experience with the British justice system convinced him and Daley to make a full-time move to the United States.
In August of 2022, Black got in an argument with BBC presenter and influencer Teddy Edwardes in a London nightclub. While attempting to walk away, Black was sucker-punched in the back of the head by Edwardes and suffered a concussion.
Get off the sidelines and into the game
Our weekly playbook is packed with everything from locker room chatter to pressing LGBTQ sports issues.
It took months to recover. Even after that, Black endured post-concussion syndrome which forced him to step away from his work as a screenwriter.
To make matters worse, he was also accused of assaulting Edwardes in the nightclub and Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service took the case to trial.
When courtroom proceedings got underway, the judge viewed video of the altercation and soon afterward, dismissed the case for insufficient evidence. Black’s defense didn’t even need to present their case.
Despite his exoneration, the emotional effects of Black’s ordeal lingered. “I hope I never experience injustice that deep or damaging again in my life. Listen, I never even had to testify. The prosecution’s evidence exonerated me. That is malicious prosecution,” Black told The Guardian.
Ultimately, it also convinced him to leave the country.
“This is no longer, you know, do I like or dislike a place? I think that the crown, the government owes me an apology. And I have not received it. I think they also owe me a lot of money,” he said.
According to The Independent, it was estimated that Black lost £600,000 (approximately $760,000) due to the work he was unable to complete following his concussion.
Following the publication of The Guardian’s story, Daley took to Instagram to publicly support his husband and thank their fans for the messages of support they had received.
In a story posted to his account, Daley wrote: “To believe so inherently in a justice process that then took us through some of the worst months of our lives has been really hard and took away a sense of safety in the justice system. Stress that has no doubt slowed Lance’s ability to heal from his head injury.”
Daley ended his post with a declaration of love and support for Black.
“You continue to be the best Dad to our two children and your support for my return to diving has been amazing!” he enthused.
Daley is hoping to win another Olympic gold medal for Great Britain this summer. If he does, he and his family will celebrate their win and then head back to their new home in LA.
