Leung latest to tackle task of leading troubled group
NBA vice president, a former gymnast, sees it as ‘personal calling’ to clean up federation’s mess
The new president of USA Gymnastics said Tuesday that her experience as a young gymnast who trained, bled, sweated and cried alongside teammates in the sport will help her implement a laundry list of reforms and fencemending for the embattled federation.
Li Li Leung, the NBA’s vice president of global partnerships since 2015, will be USA Gymnastics’ fourth CEO since 2017 as it continues facing legal and financial hurdles and calls for its removal as a governing body in the wake of the Larry Nassar sexual abuse scandal.
Leung, a former USA Gymnastics junior national team member, competed at the University of Michigan and was a volunteer coach before beginning a career in sports marketing. She will begin work March 8.
While her NBA job involved managing sponsorships with companies like Beats and adidas, Leung said her priority at USA Gymnastics will be to resolve hundreds of lawsuits filed by Nassar’s victims and to champion reforms to ensure athletes’ safety.
“This is much more than a job. It is a personal calling,” Leung said during a conference call. “I have bled, I have sweated, I have cried alongside my teammates, alongside other gymnasts, and it
breaks my heart to see the state that the sport is in today.
“That is why I step forward. I believe I can create positive change in the organization and give the gymnasts what they do actually deserve.”
Leung, 45, succeeds Steve Penny and Kerry Perry, both of whom also were sports marketing specialists, and interim CEO Mary Bono, an attorney and former congresswoman, at the helm of USA Gymnastics since the Nassar abuse scandal became public knowledge in late 2016.
Nassar, a longtime sports physician associated with Michigan State and USA Gymnastics, is serving the equivalent of a life prison term after pleading guilty to federal and state charges in 2018.
‘You’ll get an earful’
The federation filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in December, citing potential lawsuit liabilities. Meanwhile, the U.S. Olympic Committee last year took the first steps toward revoking its status as a national governing body, although that process is on hold because of the bankruptcy proceeding.
“It will be my No. 1 priority to find resolution with the pending suits,” Leung said. “The survivors deserve restitution.”
Kathryn Carson, chairman of the USA Gymnastics board of directors, said Leung’s hiring came with the support of Sarah Hirshland, the USOC’s CEO.
Carson said the groups will “work collaboratively to rebuild the organization.”
“Certainly, our plan as a board, along with our new CEO, is to strengthen and rebuild and remain the national governing body,” Carson said.
Said Hirshland in a statement: “I’m very hopeful Li Li’s combination of experience and desire to lead will be a positive force for change in the lives of gymnasts all over the country.”
Leung competed in the 1988 Junior Pan American Games and was a four-year member of the gymnastics team at Michigan. She has two master’s degrees from Massachusetts-Amherst and served as a volunteer assistant coach at the school.
As she works toward settlements in the cases, Leung will attempt to speak directly or through their attorneys to some of the women abused by Nassar.
However, attorney John Manly, who represents more than 100 women who have filed cases against USA Gymnastics and the USOC, said Leung should not expect a cordial response.
“If you reach out to our clients directly, good luck. You’ll get an earful,” Manly said. “The people who hired her — USA Gymnastics and the USOC — are the same people who have put our clients through hell. You’re the enemy. You can pretend you’re not, but you are.”
Manly said Leung was hired without consultation with the Nassar survivors group. He described her as a “consummate insider” who lacks the background to implement changes to protect young athletes.
“I hope (Leung) is able to do some good, but she has taken the helm of the Titanic 15 minutes after it hit the iceberg,” the attorney said.
“The USOC can’t be fixed, and USA Gymnastics can’t be fixed, and the only hope is that Congress will do what they can’t do themselves, which is to get rid of a toxic culture that protected pedophiles for the better part of 40 years.”
First things first
Leung said efforts to rebuild the federation’s sponsorship base will be delayed until “we get our house in order.” Carson said the federation’s finances are stable while it continues operating under bankruptcy protection.
Carson also said USA Gymnastics remains interested in upgraded facilities for its Olympic-track teams, including the women’s national team that formerly held monthly camps at the Karolyi Ranch in the Sam Houston National Forest.
The federation last year solicited bids from cities, including Houston, on construction of a high-performance center for athletes. Carson said training facilities would continue to be a priority but did not offer details.