- Former USA Gymnastics doctor faces athletes he abused in court
- Survivors of abuse include Olympic champion Simone Biles
Olympic champion Aly Raisman has said USA Gymnastics “told [her] to be quiet” when she first told the organisation she had been abused by team doctor Larry Nassar.
Raisman’s accusation came as Nassar’s sentence hearing, which is expected to last until Friday, continued. Nassar has admitted abusing athletes, one as young as six, during his time as a doctor with USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University. Prosecutors are seeking a 40- to 125-year prison sentence for the 54-year-old.
“I was told [by USA Gymnastics] to be quiet,” Raisman told ESPN on Tuesday night. “And I think that when somebody in high power is telling you to be quiet, right when they realized you are abused, I think that that is a threat, and especially when their first concern should be to make sure I’m OK, to get information from me, to see if my other team-mates were abused, to see what else I knew, to get to the bottom of it.”
Nassar abused dozens of young athletes in his care and many of them are in court this week to testify against him as a judge considers his sentence. On Monday Raisman’s fellow Olympic champion, Simone Biles, became the latest gymnast to say she was abused by Nassar.
USA Gymnastics issued a statement on Monday saying it was “absolutely heartbroken” by Nassar’s crimes. Raisman was dismissive.
“Their biggest priority from the beginning and still today is their reputation, the medals they win and the money they make off of us,” said Raisman. “I don’t think that they care. If they cared, then the second they realized that I was abused, they would have reached out, asked if I needed therapy, asked if I was OK, asked what they could have done and they would have – they would have made a big change.
“Instead, they allowed Larry to continue to work on little girls in Michigan and molest gymnasts for a very long time. I don’t know how they sleep at night. I’m so angry that, after realizing that we were abused, they let him continue to molest other gymnasts when they told me there was an investigation going on. They told me to be quiet. I thought that they were doing the right thing, and I didn’t want to tip off the investigation. I trusted them and I shouldn’t have.”
Raisman is not the only athlete to have taken issue with USA Gymnastics’ handling of the case. Another Olympian, McKayla Maroney, filed a lawsuit against USA Gymnastics last month, alleging that officials paid her to sign a confidential financial settlement to remain silent on the abuse.
On Wednesday, USA Gymnastics said it would not seek compensation if Maroney chose to speak out about Nassar. It said: “USA Gymnastics has not sought and will not seek any money from McKayla Maroney for her brave statements made in describing her victimization and abuse by Larry Nassar, nor for any victim impact statements she wants to make to Larry Nassar at this hearing or at any subsequent hearings related to his sentencing.”
Maroney’s attorney, John Manly, pushed back against USA Gymnastics’ statement. “Let’s be clear. The only reason this statement was issued is because people were outraged at USAG’s behaviour toward Ms Maroney and her family. So outraged that people were kindly offering to pay the six-figure USAG penalty so McKayla could speak. Everyday Americans get that no one should be silenced about child molestation,” he said.
The model Chrissy Teigen had earlier offered to pay Maroney’s fine if she spoke out.
christine teigen
(@chrissyteigen)The entire principle of this should be fought – an NDA to stay quiet about this serial monster with over 140 accusers, but I would be absolutely honored to pay this fine for you, McKayla. pic.twitter.com/lsBEgEqZpD
Biles also laid some blame on USA Gymnastics on Monday. “For too long I’ve asked myself, ‘Was I too naive? Was it my fault?’ I now know the answer to those questions,” she wrote on Twitter. “No. No, it was not my fault. No, I will not and should not carry the guilt that belongs to Larry Nassar, USAG, and others.”
Kerry Perry replaced Steve Penny as USA Gymnastics president in November after Penny resigned. Perry was in court for Nassar’s hearing on Tuesday but declined to comment on the trial.