An 18-year-old gymnast came forward Monday as the first man to publicly accuse disgraced doctor Larry Nassar of sex abuse after he joined several female athletes in a federal lawsuit against the now-imprisoned physician and two former employers, USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University.
Jacob Moore, saying he was inspired by his older sister, Kamerin Moore ─ who described how she was abused in a victim-impact statement at Nassar’s sentencing in January ─ said at a news conference Monday that he was ready to add his name to the list of over 200 alleged victims.
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Moore, a freshman at the University of Michigan, said he hoped he could in turn inspire any other victims, particularly men, who may have resisted going public.
“I hope to God that no one else is or has been affected by this that hasn’t come out,” Moore said, flanked by two lawyers. “But if there are any out there, then I don’t want them to be scared to come out because of this stigma that guys can’t be sexually abused or taken advantage of.”
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Moore said he was abused by Nassar, a family friend, in the doctor’s home while receiving acupuncture treatment for an injured shoulder.
Nassar “worked his way with acupuncture needles toward my inner groin” and partially exposed his genitals while another of Nassar’s victims was in the room, Moore said.
Many years later, after learning about the allegations against Nassar, Moore said he searched the internet for any evidence that using acupuncture in the groin area was legitimate treatment for a shoulder injury.
He said he “found nothing” to justify the way Nassar touched him.
Related: Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar gets 40 to 175 years for sex abuse
Nassar has been sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison for molesting young girls under the guise of treatment. While Nassar only pleaded guilty to abusing seven people, over 230 have leveled accusations against him.
Since Nassar’s sentencing, the board of USA Gymnastics has resigned, and the head of the U.S. Olympic Committee, Scott Blackmun, has stepped down, amid accusations that they didn’t do enough to stop the abuse. Michigan State’s president and athletic director have also quit.