[2] In 2013, Gabel was accused of, and to a degree acknowledged, improper sexual relations with two female skaters in the Olympic speedskating program, both aged 15 and respectively 18 and 11 years his junior at the times of the beginnings of the relationships.

[4] Gabel attended Glenbrook North High School, and received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Marquette University.

"[7] During the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano, Japan, Gabel and Amy Peterson, the last American prospects for a medal in short track speedskating, were eliminated in the semifinals; Gabel, called "Grandpa" or "the Godfather" by his younger teammates, was knocked out in the men's 500 meter race after clipping a lane marker and tumbling into the padded boards.

[2] In late February 2013, speedskater Bridie Farrell, 31, "allege[d] she was 15 when she and Gabel, then in his 30s and a teammate, first had improper sexual contact that she said occurred multiple times in 1997 and 1998.

Gabel told the [Chicago] Tribune in a statement … that he had a 'brief, inappropriate relationship with a female teammate', made no excuses for his behavior and apologized to her for it".

She described the alleged attack and ensuing three-year relationship in explicit detail and said, "He’s a child molester … rapist … sexual abuser [and] … pedophile".

[3] U.S. Speedskating said in a statement it "will not tolerate abuse of any kind [and], through a referral from the U.S. Olympic Committee’s Safe Sport program", and hired the law firm Sidley Austin LLP "to investigate all accusations involving Gabel".

[5] Gabel has also been a commentator for various short track speedskating events on ABC's Wide World of Sports, ESPN, and the Outdoor Life Network.