Tough topic
Simone Biles breaks down when talking about abuse.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — After months of outward stoicism and day after day of brilliant smiles and groundbreaking performances, Simone Biles was moved to public tears Wednesday by the impact she continues to endure from the failure of USA Gymnastics to protect her and her fellow athletes from the predatory team physician Larry Nassar.
Biles, the four-time Olympic gold medalist from Spring, began an interview Wednesday at the Sprint Center, site of this week’s USA Gymnastics national championships, joking about her leotard design and talking about routine upgrades as she works toward another world
championships and the
2020 Olympics.
But her demeanor turned as she was asked about the disclosures in a U.S. Senate subcommittee report on the sexual abuse scandal that has affected hundreds of female athletes, placing the future of USA Gymnastics into question as it deals with Chapter 11 bankruptcy and dozens of lawsuits prompted by Nassar’s abuse of athletes under the guise of medical care.
“I don’t mean to cry, but it’s hard coming here for an organization and having had them fail us so many times,” Biles said.“We had one goal, and we’ve done everything that they asked us for, even whenwe didn’twant to, and they couldn’t do one damn job.”
Her voice rising involume as she spoke, Biles said, “You had one job. You literally had one job, and you couldn’t protect us.”
Biles, who receives counseling to help her cope with the abuse she suffered from Nassar, said she remains suspicious of doctors and athletic trainers and of federation officials, even when she knows she requires treatment, at age 22, to cope with the wear and tear of training.
“I’m strong. I’ll get through it,” she said. “But it’s hard.”
The 235-plus page report, “The Courage of Survivors,” from the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Manufacturing, Trade, and Consumer Protection, was released July 30 and details the failure of USA Gymnastics and others to report promptly evidence of Nassar’s abuse of gymnasts and others as they learned of it in 2015.
Biles addressed the Senate report in a tweet posted Sunday, writing, “The more I learn, the more I hurt. USAG failed us. USOC failed us. Many failed us. And they continued to fail us.”
But her words and, albeit briefly, her tearsWednesday were a more visible, potent demonstration of the betrayal she continues to feel.
Details cited in the report includes thedelayofFBI officials to investigate the case against Nassar and cites details of former federation president Steve Penny discussing with FBI officials how to contain public knowledge of the allegations against Nassar.
“Once you see that the FBI even was on it and (agents) were drinking with Steve Penny and stuff like that, it’s… did you guys really not like us that much that you couldn’t do your job?” Biles said.
Biles has spoken out in the past about management and leadership changes at USA Gymnastics, and she said “I automatically putmy foot up because the people I had known for years had failed us, so it’s hard for them to bring anyone (new) up to us.”
Li Li Leung, the president of USA Gymnastics, acknowledged in a statement Wednesday afternoon that Biles is “undoubtedly the best gymnast in the world and possibly of all time. She is an outstanding representative for gymnastics and the United States.
“We at USA Gymnastics have made a lot of progress in strengthening our athlete
safetymeasures and putting our athletes first, but we know we have more to do,” she added. “One of our goals is for our athletes to feel comfortable in speaking up and sharing their opinions, and we are listening to what they have to say.
“Wewill continue towork hard to demonstrate to Simone and all of our athletes, members, community and fans that we are working to foster a safe, positive and encouraging environment where athlete voices are heard. We join the rest of her fans and the sport inwishing her the best of success this week at the championships.”
Leung is the fourth federation president since the Nassar scandal became public in 2016. Steve Penny, the federation’s longtime CEO, resigned in 2017 and was indicted last year in Walker County, site of the Karolyi Ranch, the former national training center where Nassar is alleged to havemolested athletes, on charges of tampering with evidence. He is free on bail, and the case is expected to go to trial in 2020.
Kerry Perry resigned last September after just nine months on the job, and interim president Mary Bono resigned in October after a few days on the job following criticism by Biles and others after reports surfaced of Bono’s criticism of Nike over its endorsement deal with former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
USA Gymnastics remains under Chapter11bankruptcy protection as it works toward resolution of the lawsuit failed by those abused byNassar, who is serving the equivalent of a life sentence after pleading guilty in early 2018.
The bankruptcy case put a hold on efforts by the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee to remove USA Gymnastics as the sport’snational governing body, leaving an organization under fire still in control of the sport as the 2020 Olympics approaches.
Regarding the future, Biles said, “All we can do at this point is have faith that they’ll have our backs and will do the right thing, but at the end of the day it’s just a ticking time bomb, andwe’ll see. It’s a waiting game.”
Biles said there were days after she returned to the sport in 2018 when the lingering trauma of the revelations surrounding Nassar and the realization that she, too, hadbeen abusedbyhim would “hit me like a train wreck.”
Even though, she has persevered and, in fact, improved, winning a fifth national title and a fourth world all-around championship last year.
“It takes time, and there’s nomanual (for emotional recovery),” she said. “Everybody’s healing process is different, andthat’s thehardest part.
“I feel I should be healed or this or that, but it will be an open wound for a really long time, and it might not ever get closed or healed. It’s what I go to therapy for, and we’ll see.”