Simone Biles is speaking out against the “entire system that enabled and perpetuated” former Olympic gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar’s “abuse.”
On Wednesday, the gymnast, 24, joined fellow athletes McKayla Maroney, Maggie Nichols and Aly Raisman as part of a panel who testified at a Senate hearing on the FBI’s handling of the Nassar investigation. The four women allege that the FBI made false statements in their official report, which they say, failed to document the survivors' claims.
In January 2018, Nassar, who was the former doctor for USA Gymnastics (USAG), was sentenced to up to 175 years in prison, after more than 150 women and girls said he sexually abused them over 20 years.
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The hearing follows the Justice Department Inspector General report that said the FBI failed to properly respond to 2015 sexual abuse allegations against Nassar in their investigation.
On Wednesday, Biles opened the panel’s statements, calling herself a “survivor of sexual abuse” and telling the committee of senators that the abuse she suffered took place due to the organizations that “failed to do their jobs” to protect them.
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“I don’t want another young gymnast, Olympic athlete or any individual to experience the horror that I and hundreds of others have endured before, during and continuing to this day, in the wake — of the Larry Nassar abuse,” said the seven-time Olympic medalist, who became emotional and fought back tears.
“To be clear, I blame Larry Nassar and I also blame an entire system that enabled and perpetrated his abuse,” Biles continued.
The athlete also explained how she learned about the magnitude of Nassar’s actions.
According toIndianapolis Star, Nassar performed “osteopathic manipulation” on his patients. The practice involves doctorsusing their handsto diagnose illness and injury.
“I sit before you today to raise my voice so that no little girl must endure what I, the athletes at this table, and the countless other who needlessly suffered under Nassar’s guise of medical treatment which we continue to endure today. We suffered and continue to suffer, because no one at the FBI, USAG or the USOPC did what was necessary to protect us. We have been failed and we deserve answers,” Biles said in her testimony.
“Nassar is where he belongs, but those who enabled him deserve to be held accountable,” she said. “If they are not, I am convinced that this will continue to happen to others across Olympic sports.”
Later, in response to a question from Sen. Patrick Leahy, Biles said she and other Nassar survivors would want to see those involved in the FBI’s investigation to “at least be federally prosecuted to the fullest extent because they need to be held accountable.”
After Biles, Maroney, 25, recalled, in detail, Nassar’s previous abuse against her in her statements and told the committee: “They allowed a child molester to go free for more than a year and this inaction directly allowed Nassar’s abuse to continue.”
Nichols, 24, spoke after Maroney in another powerful testimony. Nichols was the first athlete, called “Athlete A,” to bring a sexual abuse complaint against Nassar to USA Gymnastics officials.
“I reported my abuse to USA Gymnastics over six years ago, and so my family and I received few answers and have even more questions about how this was allowed to occur and dozens of other little girls and women at Michigan State had to be abused after I reported,” she said about Nassar, who worked for Michigan State University from 1997 to 2016.
In her closing remarks, Nichols added, “For many hundreds of survivors of Larry Nassar, this hearing is one of our last opportunities to get justice.”
Last to speak to the committee was Raisman, who told the senators that the FBI made her feel “like my abuse didn’t count, that it wasn’t a big deal” and called for a “complete and full independent investigation” of the FBI, USAG and the USOPC. “Then from there, then we will know the answers of who should be held accountable,” the six-time Olympic medalist said.
“I can’t tell you how horrifying it is to meet young girls who look up to me, who watched me compete in the Olympics and tell me that they went to see Nassar because of me and my teammates. Because they wanted to see the Olympic doctor,” Raisman said. “I guess in his office, Nassar’s office, he had some photos of us. And so they went to see him because they thought it was so cool to have the same doctor as us. That’s been one of the hardest and most devastating parts for me. So many survivors suffer with guilt and shame.”
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 connected to a certified crisis counselor.
source: people.com
