Top gymnasts laud abuse prevention bill
Bill would tighten reporting rules on suspected abuse
Law that would tighten reporting rules on suspected abuse a “turning point”
WASHINGTON – Former top gymnasts who have spoken out about sexual or psychological abuse they suffered at the hands of officials with the sport’s national committee said Tuesday the passage of legislation aimed at preventing abuse would be a huge victory and a turning point in the history of sports.
“It’s been a long time coming to finally see this day,” Olympic gold medalist Dominique Moceanu said at a Capitol Hill news conference.
She spoke after Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the lead sponsor of a bill the House passed Monday, said she expected the Senate to send the bill to President Trump this week. The California Democrat said the Senate, which unanimously passed a similar version last year, could act as soon as Tuesday afternoon.
“We, as women, do work together; we can work together on important issues facing the country,” said Rep. Susan Brooks, R-Ind., who sponsored the House bill. “And nothing became more obvious to me then when I read in The Indianapolis Star what had happened to these gymnasts.”
The bill, a response to an abuse scandal in USA Gymnastics uncovered by IndyStar, applies to all amateur athletes.
Feinstein said the bill would fix a patchwork of state reporting rules by requiring adults who interact with amateur athletes to report suspected child abuse, including sexual abuse, within 24 hours to law enforcement.
Feinstein emphasized that the statute of limitations on abuse would not begin until the victim realized he or she had been abused. That’s particularly important for young victims, Feinstein said.
Women who spoke out about former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar said it took years for them to realize what Nassar was doing to them. Nassar pleaded guilty in November to seven counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and was sentenced to up to 175 years in prison after 156 women and girls made statements about the abuse and anguish he caused them.
About a year ago, Feinstein met with eight of the women who had been abused by Nassar.
“The minute I walked in the room, I knew something was different, and something was very wrong,” Feinstein said. “I saw paralyzed faces … and women that were almost shaking.”
The meeting made clear, Feinstein said, that USA Gymnastics “was fostering a culture that put money and medals first, far ahead of the safety and wellbeing of athletes.”
The president of USA Gymnastics re- signed last year amid the IndyStar investigation that uncovered widespread, decades-long problems with the organization’s handling of sexual abuse complaints. Three other top executives resigned this month, as did the president of Michigan State University where Nassar worked.
Moceanu said that she wasn’t aware of sexual abuse but that the psychological abuse she experienced helped lead to Nassar’s crimes.
Jeanette Antolin, a former Team USA gymnast, wants an investigation into how USA Gymnastics, the U.S. Olympic Committee and Michigan State could let “such heinous crimes … go under the radar for 20 years.”
“Our eyes are wide open now,” Feinstein said. “Things had better change.”