Aly Raisman Blasts USA Gymnastics For ‘Shaming’ Sexual Assault Victims
Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman harshly criticized USA Gymnastics on Wednesday for its response to yet another gymnast who came forward alleging that she had been sexually abused by former team doctor Larry Nassar.
Former gymnast Maggie Nichols came forward Tuesday to say that she was the first athlete to alert USA Gymnastics of Nassar’s inappropriate behavior after she was allegedly sexually abused during one of his “examinations” when she was 15. After USA Gymnastics released a statement in response denying Nichols’ claim that the organizing body “covered up” their internal investigation in order to avoid negative publicity before the 2016 Rio Olympics, Raisman wrote a series of tweets blasting the organization.
“STOP VICTIM SHAMING,” wrote Raisman, who recently stated that she was one of Nassar’s victims when she was 13. “Your statements are hurtful. If you did not believe that I & others were abused than why pressure & manipulate us? WE WERE MOLESTED BY A MONSTER U ENABLED 2 THRIVE FOR DECADES. You are 100% responsible. It was mandatory to get ‘treatment’ by Nassar.”
“We must investigate to figure out the many flaws in @USAGym system,” the three-time gold medal winner continued. “We must understand how this happened to make sure it never occurs again. This problem is bigger than [former USA Gymnastics president Steve] Penny and Nassar. The system has to change so that athletes are safe. Enablers need to be held accountable.”
Nassar was sentenced last year to 60 years in prison on child pornography charges. More than 100 women have accused him of sexually assaulting them.
Contact Aiden Pink at [email protected] or on Twitter, @aidenpink
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30