FIRST WORD

Can we just say that i am sick?”

Larry Nassar, the gymnastics doctor convicted of criminal sexual conduct and child pornography, in an email to his lawyer. USA Gymnastics agreed to provide “false excuses” for his absence from major gymnastics events in 2015, rather than disclose to parents and gymnasts that Nassar was under investigation for child sexual abuse. Emails obtained by The Indianapolis Star reveal that on two occasions Nassar and a USA Gymnastics attorney negotiated cover stories — first that Nassar was sick and later that he was focusing on his private practice — to explain why the longtime team physician was not attending two major events in the run-up to the 2016 Olympics.