These women are the face of bravery. Imagine the courage it took to come face to face with Larry Nassar. The former USA Gymnastics doctor was once entrusted to care for these women, instead, he sexually abused them. More than 140 women have come forward, many are testifying as part of his sentencing. One victim says Nassar abused her 100 times. The stories are heartbreaking, unimaginable and horrifying.
Nassar was sentenced to 60 years behind bars for pedophilia, now he faces up to 125 more years for sexual abuse convictions.
Gold medalist Simone Biles is the latest gymnast to reveal the abuse she endured from Nassar. She took to Twitter to tell her story and is not expected to testify in court. Her 2012 teammate McKayla Maroney was also told this week that she is free to speak against Nassar in court. As part of a 2016 settlement, Maroney says U.S.A. gymnastics forced her to sign a confidentiality agreement saying she would not talk about the abuse. The organization now says it will not enforce it.
Victim testimony is expected to continue today.
The fallout from this is far from over. There are so many questions about who else knew about the abuse and why it was allowed to continue for so long. This is a crisis for USA Gymnastics.