Gymnast: I was abused by doctor
Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman says she is among the young women sexually abused by a former USA Gymnastics team doctor.
Raisman tells “60 Minutes” she was 15 when she was first treated by Dr. Larry Nassar, who spent more than two decades working with athletes at USA Gymnastics. He’s now is in jail in Michigan awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to possession of child pornography.
Raisman, the captain of the 2012 and 2016 Olympic gold-medal winning teams, details the abuse in her book “Fierce,” which will be released on Tuesday. Raisman’s interview with “60 Minutes” will air Sunday night.
Raisman is the latest gymnast to claim she was sexually abused by Nassar. Mckayla Maroney, who won two medals at the 2012 Games as Raisman’s teammate, said last month she was molested for years by Nassar.
Nassar also is awaiting trial on separate criminal sexual conduct charges and has been sued by more than 125 women alleging sexual abuse. Nassar has pleaded not guilty to the assault charges, and the dozens of civil suits filed in Michigan are currently in mediation.
USA Gymnastics said in a statement Friday that Raisman sharing her personal experience took “great courage” and it is “appalled by the conduct of which Larry Nassar is accused.”
The 23-year-old Raisman has been highly critical of USA Gymnastics in recent months, calling for leadership change at the top of the organization while advocating for athlete’s rights.
USA Gymnastics launched an independent review of its policies in the wake of the allegations against Nassar and reporting by the Indianapolis Star in August 2016 that highlighted chronic mishandling of sexual abuse allegations against coaches and staff at some of its more than 3,500 clubs across the country.
Nassar began working with USA Gymnastics as an athletic trainer in 1986 and became the national team doctor in 1996. He stepped down in 2014 but remained on staff before being fired in 2015.