As the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympic games approached, Larry Nassar’s case broke headlines as it concluded in early February. Initial concerns about Nassar arose in 2015 and have continued until now as he is confronted with charges of committing sexual assault and possessing child pornography, resulting in a lifetime behind bars. At this point in time, Nassar’s accusers stand at a total of 265 female gymnasts, dancers and figure skaters. Among the accusers are Aly Raisman, Simone Biles and Maggie Nichols all of whom have made a name for themselves as both Olympic and world champions. Throughout the trial, the survivor’s speeches in the courtroom reflected the repulsive atmosphere within competitive gymnastics that allowed this to occur. The culture that manifested itself at local gyms in Michigan and world-renowned training facilities in Texas directly encouraged the abuse hundreds of women suffered.
Unfortunately, Nassar’s case is not unique. The U.S. Association of Gymnastics (USAG) has dealt with 54 reports of coaches committing sexual assault and rape throughout the organization’s existence (1963-now). Although these cases have been either investigated by police and/or the USAG, heavy criticism remains on the institution’s policies. Section H of the USAG Code of Ethical Conduct explicitly outlines its condemnation of sexual misconduct. However, in the aftermath of such instances, the USAG struggles to handle the cases brought against its employees. Following a report from a gymnast, the USAG administers its own investigation without contacting law enforcement. Only when the investigators determine the gravity of the case is law enforcement contacted. Unfortunately, this protocol allowed for Nassar’s actions to continue for years.
Maggie Nichols, formerly known as “Athlete A” in the case, was the first to report Nassar in 2015. Nichols, who represents University of Oklahoma, is widely known as the best collegiate gymnast in the nation. However, the severity of Nichols’s calls for the USAG to take action was not understood by the board of directors. The former president of the organization, Steve Penny, consistently urged the Nichols family that the investigation was underway, but to keep quiet about the accusation. Eventually, after months of being ignored, the case was turned over to the FBI. The FBI did not expedite its handling of the investigation, as none of the additional women in the civil action suit were contacted by the Bureau until a year after the USAG notified them of the reports. In response, the FBI cites that the reports were spread across state lines, slowing the bureaucratic process. Nevertheless, the Bureau’s apathetic attitude had serious repercussions. An additional 40 women were molested by Nassar during this year of silence. This was not the first instance of bureaucratic inefficiency inhibiting Nassar’s prosecution. In 2004, the Meridian Township Police Department in Michigan was informed of Nassar’s crimes by Brianne Randall-Gay, a local gymnast who was a mere 17 years old at the time, but Nassar managed to escape punishment. In fact, Nassar organized a presentation to explain the so-called medically legitimacy of his treatment methods. The police department believed his version of the story and let Nassar off the hook by closing the case for good. This story is only one of eight times Nassar avoided jail time.
As previously mentioned, multiple women cited a dangerous culture of silence and pressure as a major contributing factor to the persistence of Nassar’s abuse. The gymnasts were taught early on to not question authority, and most of the time they were instructed to visit Nassar over their own family doctors. Moreover, Nassar was publicly known as the doctor of multiple Olympians, thus encouraging other young girls to continue seeing him despite the discomfort they felt. Nassar commonly abused these women either in his Michigan office or the Karolyi Ranch, about 60 miles north of Houston, Texas. Recently, the USAG announced its plan to terminate its relationship with the Karolyi Ranch as of January 18th, however, athletes were still training on the grounds the same day this statement was made. The ranch property has been officially turned over to the state of Texas, and Governor Greg Abbott has ordered the Texas Rangers Division to complete the investigation. The ranch was formerly home of the official U.S. gymnastics team, hosting Olympians and local gymnasts alike, yet Nassar served there despite his lack of an appropriate Texas medical license. Additionally, Lansing, Michigan-based gym Twistars also has a checkered history. Twistars owner John Geddert faced intense backlash from the victims, who explained that his complacency allowed the abuse to continue and that he may have had a part in aiding Nassar’s cover up of his actions. Geddert’s name is linked to much more than just Twistars. In fact, Geddert served as the head coach of the U.S. gymnastics team and the “Fierce Five” during the 2012 London Olympics. Thus, these accusations display an additional link between the world of elite competitive gymnastics and an unhealthy environment of mistrust and physical and mental abuse.
The trial, which concluded on February 5th, resulted in the sentencing of Nassar to 40-125 years in prison, essentially a lifetime for the 54-year-old. The media, judge, victims and public audience heavily criticized Nassar.. Although Nassar’s abuses could have been prevented decades ago, justice was served within the past month. Hopefully such intense condemnation of the USAG, law enforcement and those at the top of the hierarchy in the gymnastics community will make room for future improvement of the community’s standards. The entire board of directors for USAG has recently resigned in wake of Nassar’s trial, thus sparking hope that a complete overhaul will revitalize the sport. These actions must no longer be swept under the rug. Accountability is vital to ensuring safety and confidence among gymnasts.