Now she backs abuse tale
AFTER BEING accused of victim-shaming a fellow gymnast, Olympic gold medalist Gabby Douglas revealed on Tuesday that she, too, was abused by notorious USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar.
In a lengthy statement posted to Instagram, Douglas apologized to her teammate Aly Raisman for suggesting last week that she perhaps wouldn’t have been abused by Nassar if she didn’t dress in a “provocative” and “sexual” way.
Then, Douglas said she also endured Nassar’s abuse.
“I didn’t publicly share my experiences as well as many other things because for years we were conditioned to stay silent and honestly some things were extremely painful,” Douglas, 21, wrote. “I wholeheartedly support my teammates for coming forward with what to them.”
Douglas apologized repeatedly for her previous comments and said no one has the right to “harass or abuse” women, no matter what they’re wearing.
“It would be like saying that because of the leotards we wore, it was our fault that we were abused by Larry Nassar,” she added.
Douglas didn’t go into detail about the abuse Nassar allegedly subjected her to but asked for compassion from her fans.
“I understand that many of you didn’t know what I was happened dealing with, but it is important to me that you at least know this,” she wrote.
Douglas is the third member of the 2012 Olympic gold medal gymnastics team to accuse 53-year-old Nassar of sexual abuse.
Raisman, 23, revealed last Friday that Nassar touched her inappropriately during a number of treatment sessions, starting when she was in her teens. Her teammate McKayla Maroney said last month that Nassar molested her for several years, beginning when she was just 13.
“I’m angry. I’m really upset,” Raisman told “60 Minutes.”
“I see these young girls that come up to me, and they ask for pictures or autographs . . . I just want to create change so that they never, ever have to go through this.”
Nassar is currently in a Michigan jail awaiting sentencing in a child pornography case.
He’s set to go on trial next month on charges he sexually assaulted nine girls.
In addition to those disturbing claims, Nassar is being sued by more than 130 women and girls who filed a class-action suit alleging the disgraced doctor abused them under the guise of medical treatment. Nassar has denied the allegations.
USA Gymnastics came under severe scrutiny earlier this year after court documents revealed several instances in which coaches and other staff members were allowed to stay on despite being convicted of sex crimes against children.
The shocking revelations prompted an audit of the national gymnastics group, which has issued countless apologies over the past few months. After Raisman came forward last week, the group apologized again.
“We are very sorry that any athlete has been harmed during her or his gymnastics career,” a rep said in a statement.