Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman says team doctor molested her
Six-time Olympic medalist claims Larry Nassar sexually abused athletes under the guise of medical treatment.
Six-time Olympic medalist Aly Raisman said that she was sexually abused by Dr. Larry Nassar, who worked as the women’s gymnastics national team doctor for decades.
Raisman, who is Jewish and is one of the most accomplished gymnasts in US history, made the allegation in an interview scheduled to air Sunday on CBS’ 60 Minutes, as well as in her new book, Fierce.
She is the second member of the gold medal-winning 2012 Olympic women’s team to accuse Nassar of abuse, the online edition of Time Magazine noted in an article published Friday. In October, her teammate McKayla Maroney wrote on Twitter that Nassar molested her for years, beginning when she was 13.
Nassar, who worked as a volunteer doctor for USA Gymnastics, is currently in jail awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to child pornography charges in Michigan.
Raisman, who is now 23, was 15 when first treated by Nassar, according to Sports Illustrated. The magazine reported that details of her experience appear in a biography set to appear next week.
Nassar is also named in more than 100 lawsuits filed by gymnasts and athletes he treated while working with USA Gymnastics and at Michigan State University. Those suits claim he sexually abused athletes under the guise of medical treatment. Nassar resigned from USA Gymnastics in the summer of 2015.
In the interview, Raisman says she spoke to FBI investigators about Nassar after competing at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janiero in 2016, after an investigation by the Indianapolis Star revealed that USA Gymnastics had a policy of not reporting sexual abuse reports unless they were filed by the victims or a parent.
Raisman, who competed on the 2012 and 2016 Olympic teams and is the nation’s second most decorated female Olympic gymnast according to Time, is pushing for change at USA Gymnastics, which governs the sport and oversees the selection of world and Olympic teams.
“I am angry,” she said in the 60 Minutes interview. “I just want to create change so [that young girls] never, ever have to go through this.”
In a statement to the program, USA Gymnastics said it has adopted new policies that require “mandatory reporting” of any potential abuse. “USA Gymnastics is very sorry that any athlete has been harmed…we want to work with Aly and all interested athletes to keep athletes safe.”
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