USA TODAY US Edition

Maroney brings important voice to sexual abuse

“Not just happening in Hollywood,” gold medalist reveals

- FOLLOW COLUMNIST CHRISTINE BRENNAN Christine Brennan @cbrennansp­orts for commentary on the latest in sports.

At 21, gymnast McKayla Maroney has already made a significan­t mark on sports and our culture.

She won Olympic gold and silver medals as a member of the famous “Fierce Five” U.S. team at the 2012 London Olympic Games.

She also unwittingl­y created an Internet meme with her infamous “not impressed” expression that became such a sensation she recreated it side by side with thenPresid­ent Obama in the Oval Office.

But on Wednesday, Maroney distinguis­hed herself in a manner that might be remembered far longer than anything she has accomplish­ed athletical­ly, adding her significan­t voice and horrifying story to the growing crescendo of those who are so admirably talking about how they were subjected to sexual harassment, abuse and assault in the viral #metoo campaign.

“People should know that this is not just happening in Hollywood,” Maroney wrote in a post on Twitter. “This is happening everywhere. Wherever there is a position of power, there seems to be potential for abuse. I had a dream to go to the Olympics, and the things that I had to endure to get there were unnecessar­y and disgusting.”

Her too.

Maroney said she was a victim of sexual abuse over several years starting at age 13 when she was invited to a USA Gymnastics national team training camp.

There, she wrote, she was sexually abused by Larry Nassar, a longtime doctor for the national governing body who has been accused of assaulting at least 140 girls and women and is on trial in Michigan facing sexual assault charges while awaiting sentencing on federal charges.

Maroney said Nassar told her she was receiving “medically necessary treatment that he had been performing on patients for over 30 years.”

The abuse continued until she left the sport. “It seemed whenever and wherever this man could find the chance, I was ‘treated.’ ”

That included while she was competing at the 2012 Olympics.

“It happened in London before my team and I won the gold medal, and it happened before I won my silver,” she wrote.

I covered that competitio­n. I wrote about her performanc­es, talking about the pressure she and her teammates were facing to win the team gold and their individual medals. To think back on that glorious moment, now looking at it through the prism of this new and appalling informatio­n — my goodness.

A year earlier, at the 2011 world championsh­ips in Tokyo, Maroney said Nassar gave her a sleeping pill “and the next thing I know, I was all alone with him in his hotel room getting a ‘treatment.’ ”

As awful as this is, and it is just terrible, Maroney has made the laudable and courageous decision to go public with it, to tell her sto- ry so others will feel freer to tell theirs, and to talk about how she and all of us should now try to move forward.

Maroney included some thoughts in her Twitter post:

“One: Speaking out, and bringing awareness to the abuse that is happening.

“Two: People, Institutio­ns, Organizati­ons, especially those in positions of power, etc., need to be held accountabl­e for their inappropri­ate actions and behavior.

“Three: Educate, and prevent, no matter the cost.

“Four: Have zero tolerance for abusers and those who protect them.”

As she wrote: “Is it possible to put an end to this type of abuse? Is it possible for survivors to speak out, without putting careers and dreams in jeopardy? I hope so.

“Our silence has given the wrong people power for too long, and it’s time to take our power back.

“And remember, it’s never too late to speak up.”

The last time Maroney made news on social media, we were smiling in delight, because we were “not impressed.”

Now we should be nodding in admiration, because we are.

 ?? MCKAYLA MARONEY BY AFP/GETTY IMAGES ??
MCKAYLA MARONEY BY AFP/GETTY IMAGES
 ?? ROBERT HANASHIRO, USA TODAY SPORTS ?? McKayla Maroney said she was a victim of sexual abuse while a member of USA Gymnastics.
ROBERT HANASHIRO, USA TODAY SPORTS McKayla Maroney said she was a victim of sexual abuse while a member of USA Gymnastics.
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