Girls molested as FBI case plodded
For more than a year, an FBI inquiry into allegations that Lawrence G. Nassar, a respected sports doctor, had molested three elite teenage gymnasts followed a plodding pace as it moved back and forth among agents in three cities. The accumulating information included instructional videos of the doctor’s unusual treatment methods, showing his ungloved hands working about the private areas of girls lying facedown on tables.
But as the inquiry moved with little evident urgency, a cost was being paid. The New York Times has identified at least 40 girls and women who say Nassar molested them between July 2015, when he first fell under FBI scrutiny, and September 2016, when he was exposed by an Indianapolis Star investigation. Some are among the youngest of the now-convicted predator’s many accusers — 265, and counting.
The three alleged victims then at the center of the FBI’S inquiry were worldclass athletes; two were Olympic gold medalists. Nearly a year passed before agents interviewed two of the young women.
The silence at times drove the victims and their families to distraction, including Gina Nichols, the mother of the gymnast initially known as “Athlete A”: Maggie Nichols, who was not contacted by the FBI for nearly 11 months after the information
Fox, the Rebels’ first-year coach, gave birth to her son Mikie at 8:30 p.m. Oct. 1. A few hours later, a gunman opened fire at concertgoers on the Strip in the worst mass shooting in modern American history, sending many into panic mode making sure loved ones were accounted for.
So, from her hospital bed, Fox began messaging players.
“That showed she is invested in us and cares about us — not just as players, but as people,” outfielder Myranda Bueno said.
Five days later, Fox stopped by workouts to introduce her newborn to the team. She had 2-year-old Andy in tow too. Shortly after, she returned to running on-field drills.
Never has she questioned whether she’s a good mother or a good coach.
“When you love what you do, you make it work,” Fox said.
Making it work is made easier because of her assistant coach, husband Andy Jarvis. They started coaching together at Ut-arlington, where the 32-year-old Fox spent five seasons before landing at UNLV last July. She’s high-strung and energetic; he’s calm in his approach.
Together, they make it work — even when their lives get chaotic.
“This is our life,” Jarvis said. “We love our job. We love our kids — our own kids and the players on this team.”
She was seven months pregnant and coaching with the national team in Florida this summer when she was hired at UNLV, cuing some hectic days of transition. The family had to relocate to Las Vegas, get familiar with a new roster of players and start executing a plan to build the Rebels into a winning team. UNLV’S