Biles wants to speak with investigators
Olympic gymnast eager to get to bottom of whatever transpired at Karolyi Ranch
Four-time Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles said Wednesday she is prepared to speak with the Texas Rangers and other investigators looking into the abuse of gymnasts by disgraced USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar at the Karolyi Ranch in Walker County.
Biles, 20, of Spring, made her first public comments about Nassar during appearances in New York on NBC’s “Today” and “Megyn Kelly Today” to discuss a made-for-television movie about her life and her association as a student and a goodwill ambassador for an online college. She later spoke by telephone with the Chronicle.
“We haven’t been contacted by the Rangers, but they might reach out, and we’re hoping that they will,” Biles told the Chronicle. “We need to investigate more on why this happened, how it happened and who knew what (and) when, basically.
“That’s what we’re hopeful for, since I will still be in the sport representing the country and the organization.”
Nassar, 54, who spent two decades as a team doctor for USA Gymnastics, was sentenced to 40 to 125 years in prison after pleading guilty in Michigan to seven counts of criminal sexual conduct committed under the guise of medical treatment.
Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday asked the Texas Rangers to determine whether anyone associated with USA Gymnastics, including ranch owners Bela and Martha Karolyi, had knowledge of Nassar abusing gymnasts at the ranch.
Asked if she believed Martha Karolyi or others with the federation had knowledge of Nassar’s actions, Biles said, “That is why we need to investigate further to see who did what. Everyone has their own beliefs, but you don’t know until there is more investigating.”
She said she has not spoken with Karolyi, the former women’s national team coordinator, but has spoken with Kerry Perry, the new CEO of USA Gymnastics. The federation was threatened with decertification by the U.S. Olympic Committee unless it complied with several USOC demands, including the resignation of its board of directors.
Statement via Twitter
Olympic gold medalists Biles, Aly Raisman and Jordyn Wieber are among those who have said they were molested by Nassar at the ranch and elsewhere. Raisman and Wieber were among more than 150 women who presented victim impact statements in Lansing, Mich., during a seven-day sentencing hearing for Nassar.
Biles considered having her mother, Nellie Biles, read a statement from her in court but that she was unable to make the trip.
Instead, Biles spent three days preparing a 400-word statement that she posted on Twitter, acknowledging she was among Nassar’s victims.
“It took some time. I tried to block it out and not let it in, but then I sat down and wrote it and then spent some time revising and editing it,” she said. “Mentally and emotionally, it would have been hard to stand in the courtroom in front of (Nassar) and make a statement.”
Biles has been gratified by the support of family and wellwishers.
“It means I don’t have to go through this alone,” she said. “I have people who can cheer me up on bad days and make me happier on happy days. It means the world when people say how brave I am.
“I try to stay strong and to be brave for them.”
Kudos for judge
Nellie Biles said her daughter’s statement regarding Nassar “will be the start of healing.”
“This is still very hard and painful for Simone and for all of us as a family,” Nellie Biles said. “With time, the pain will be less. We are a prayerful family, and I know that what will get us through this is prayer and faith and the support of each other.
“It is still early in the process and a lot of pain is involved. I will never say that I cannot forgive him. I believe there will come a day when we can talk about this and Simone will be in a better place and we will be actually able to forgive him.”
In an earlier interview with the “Today” show, Biles praised Michigan state Circuit Judge Rosemarie Aquilina as a hero for allowing Nassar’s victims to address him in court and for imposing a harsh sentence.
“(Aquilina) gave it to (Nassar) straight and didn’t let him get any power over any of the girls and letting the girls go and speak was very powerful,” she said. “I wish she would have just given him like a crazy number like 3,000 years or something, but other than that she was a boss.”
Back to work
In her conversation with Kelly, Biles said she resisted telling her parents she had been abused.
“I would be angry and I didn’t want to talk about it and say ‘No, it couldn’t happen to me. There’s just no way,’ ” Biles said. “And then you come to realize that it has happened.”
She added, “It feels like (Nassar) took a part of me that I can’t get back, so I’m still working on that part.”
Biles, who has resumed training at her family-owned World Champions Centre in Montgomery County with an eye on competing at the 2020 Olympics, said she has yet to hear from USOC officials.
“I’m one of their top athletes advocating for not only gymnastics and for the Olympics,” she told the Chronicle. “I feel like it’s kind of crazy, but hopefully they’ll reach out.”
Meanwhile, Biles is working at World Champions Centre with new coach Laurent Landi, and she hopes to return to competition at the U.S. Classic on July 27-28 in Columbus, Ohio, followed by the national championships Aug. 16-19 in Boston.
“I have all my skills back,” she said. “I guess I’d say I’m at 100 percent.”
She said she will work on consistency this year before adding new skills to her repertoire next year as she works toward a return to the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
Tune in Saturday
Biles also has enrolled at University of the People, an online school based in Pasadena, Calif., and will serve as an unpaid “global ambassador” for the school, which features her photo on its website.
She said she will begin online classes Thursday, working toward an undergraduate degree, while her mother works on a graduate degree from the institution. The school also has launched a scholarship fund at the school to benefit foster children.
Biles also will be portrayed in a movie that airs Saturday on Lifetime entitled “The Simone Biles Story: Courage to Soar.”
“It’s really good,” she said. “I was a little bratty kid. I don’t think I was that bad, but it’s a movie.
“It’s a little dramatic. It will be good for kids to watch.”