Simone Biles, Aly Raisman Bravely Testify Against the FBI's Handling of the Larry Nassar Case

In January 2018, former USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University doctor, Larry Nassar, was sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison for criminal sexual conduct against hundreds of gymnasts. At the time, more than 150 women and girls spoke out, detailing their experiences of abuse by Nassar. Now, survivors of his assaults have the chance to be heard once again.

On Wednesday, September 15, celebrated gymnasts Simone Biles, Aly Raisman, Maggie Nichols, and McKayla Maroney, made powerful testimonies before the Senate Judiciary Committee in regards to the mishandling of the FBI's investigation into Nassar.

"I don't want another young gymnast, Olympic athlete, or any individual to experience the horror that I or any other hundreds of individuals have endured before. during, and continuing to this day, in the wake of the Larry Nassar abuse," Biles said through tears. "To be clear, I blame Larry Nassar, and I also blame an entire system that enabled and perpetrated his abuse. USA Gymnastics and the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee knew that I was abused by their official team doctor long before I was ever made aware of their knowledge... If you allow a predator to harm children, the consequences will be swift and severe."

Raisman, who bravely spoke at Nassar's hearing in 2018, detailed the pain of having to rehash her experiences with the disgraced doctor.

"I personally don't think that people realize how much experiencing this type of abuse is not something one just suffers in the moment," the 27-year-old Olympian said. "It carries on with them sometimes, for the rest of their lives. For example, being here today is taking everything I have. My main concern is, I hope I have the energy even to just walk out of here. I don't think you realize how much it affects us, how much the PTSD, how much the trauma impacts us. For every survivor, it's different."

The Senate Judiciary Committee hearing comes after the Department of Justice Inspector General released a report in July that detailed the FBI Indianapolis office's 2015 response to a report about Nassar's abuse. Agents waited nine months to investigate the allegations, a time in which Nassar reportedly molested at least 100 more gymnasts, according to USA Today.

The July report highlighted officials' poor judgement, determining that they failed to react "with the utmost seriousness and urgency that the allegations deserved and required." The supervisory special agent of the case, Michael Langeman, was unnamed in the report at the time, but has since been dismissed. The first time the public heard about the investigation into Nassar was when the Indy Star published their detailed report in 2016.

“After telling my entire story of abuse to the FBI in the summer of 2015, not only did the FBI not report my abuse, but when they eventually documented my report 17 months later, they made entirely false claims about what I said," Maroney said on Wednesday. "I am tired of waiting for people to do the right thing, because my abuse was enough, and we deserve justice... To not indict these agents is a disservice to me and my teammates, a disservice to the system which is built to protect all of us from abuse."

In response to the gymnasts' statements, FBI director Christopher Wray said: "Sorry for what you and your families have been through. I'm sorry that so many different people let you down, over and over again. And I'm especially sorry that there were people at the FBI who had their own chance to stop this monster back in 2015 and failed, and that is inexcusable. It never should have happened, and we're doing everything in our power to make sure it never happens again."

In the aftermath of Nassar's conviction, many of his survivors have become outspoken activists on behalf of others who've experienced sexual assault. Take Raisman, who started the Flip the Switch Campaign, which fights to end child sex abuse. The gold medalist also has a documentary special premiering on Lifetime on September 24, Aly Raisman: Darkness to Light, which aims to set assault survivors on a path towards healing.

In her recent Facebook Watch show, Simone vs. Herself, Biles opened up about finally revealing the details of her experience to her mother, Nellie Biles. The depression she dealt with as a result of Nassar's abuse led her to seek therapy. The athlete, also known as the GOAT, has been vocal about taking care of her mental health—particularly after withdrawing from multiple rotations at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

"I just remember breaking down and calling my mom," Biles said. "She told me to pull over. She was like, 'Can you drive?' because I was crying so hard."

She continued, “I was super depressed, and I didn’t want to leave my room and I didn’t want to go anywhere. Sleeping was basically better than, like, offing myself. It was my way to escape reality... I thought I could figure it out on my own, but that’s sometimes not the case. And that’s not something you should feel guilty or ashamed of. Once I got over that fact, I actually enjoyed it and looked forward to going to therapy. It’s a safe space.”

Watch below for the gymnasts's full testimonies:

Simone Biles

Aly Raisman

McKayla Maroney

Maggie Nichols

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