John Dorsey, you might know him as Goob on Instagram, has reported that CrossFit Forever in Englewood, Colorado, has employed a coach who is currently on the Sex Offender Registry, and as Goob alleges, tried to hide it.
In his Instagram post, Goob shows how CrossFit Forever made a post about the nine coaches on staff. From Nick Wells (the gym’s co-owner) to Kevin Ogar (one of the coaches) to the rest of the coaches had their full name shown…except one.
That was Zach.
Goob then explains that the post left off Zach’s last name so it would be more difficult to find out that Zach is currently on the sex offender registry. Goob shares that Zach’s full name is Zachary Orion Roper.
A simple Google search reveals articles about Roper’s past, more specifically that he was convicted of raping a student while attending the University of Colorado Boulder in 2019. Details of the case were outlined in a 2021 article by 9News.
Goob actually spoke to the owner of CrossFit Forever, Nick Wells. If that name sounds familiar, Nick Wells is also the President of Redemption Road CrossFit.
In speaking with Wells, Goob says that Wells threatened him. He also accused Goob of being uneducated saying that Zachary Roper’s case was dismissed and he was not on the sex offender registry.
Of course, Goob then read from Roper’s sentencing and showed that Roper was still on the Colorado sex offender registry website.
Now, in doing my own research it does appear there was a bit more to Roper’s sentencing in that he appealed the 2021 court ruling in January 2024, claiming that his constitutional right to a public trial was denied despite the proceedings being held remotely via a Webex livestream.
Keep in mind this trial took place in 2020 during the COVID craziness.
The appeals court actually ruled that Roper’s constitutional rights were affected, but did not overturn the trial judge’s decision. Instead, the appeals court sent the case back to the trial judge to hold a hearing to officially explain the legal reasons and justifications for closing the courtroom.
However, on November 27, 2024, the trial court cured its procedural mistake by proving that excluding in-person spectators (a public trial) was an unavoidable necessity during the pandemic.
As such, the Colorado Court of Appeals upheld the original conviction of Zachary Roper’s sexual assault.
Anyway, enough of the legal stuff, Roper was convicted of sexual assault and is currently on Colorado’s sex offender registry.
He is also a CrossFit Level 2 Trainer, receiving his first credential in 2025. It is unclear if Roper obtained his Level 1 credential while incarcerated as Redemption Road often administers CF-L1 courses inside Colorado state facilities.
As for CrossFit Forever, the post that Goob references is still up on Instagram. However, comments have since been turned off, but not before many rushed to question why the gym had a registered sex offender as a coach.
And despite the backlash online, Zach is still listed as a coach on CrossFit Forever’s website at the time of this publication. And if you notice, none of the coaches on the website have their last names listed. Probably a personal preference…
I wonder what Zach’s bio will say.
