Aly Raisman and Jordyn Wieber Confront Larry Nassar and USA Gymnastics in Court
Olympians Aly Raisman and Jordyn Wieber delivered blistering personal statements on Friday at the sentencing proceedings for former USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University doctor Larry Nassar. Nassar is accused of sexually abusing more than 140 young athletes over his 30 year career, as well as one woman whose parents were friends with the Nassar family and who was 6 years old at the time. Famed gymnasts Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney, and Gabby Douglas have also come forward as victims of Nassar. Raisman was initially not planning to attend the hearing, which has been ongoing since Monday. Though victims were offered the opportunity to have their statements read aloud rather than be forced to face Nassar in court, Raisman chose to attend alongside her fellow 2012 Olympian Jordyn Wieber, who also voiced her experience at the hands of the doctor, who had molested her since she was 14 years old.
Wieber called the experience the most difficult thing she had ever done. “I thought that training for the Olympics would be the hardest thing that I would ever have to do,” Wieber said. “But in fact, the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do is process that I am a victim of Larry Nassar.” She also said that she questioned his treatment of her during the 2012 Olympics: “Because of my shin I couldn’t train without being in extreme pain, and it affected the number of routines I could do to prepare before the competition, and it ultimately made me feel less prepared than I should have been. I didn’t qualify to the All-Around competition, and I went through a dark time right before we won the team gold. Now, I question everything about that injury and the medical treatment I received.”
Raisman, days after giving a powerful interview on ESPN, not only delivered a fierce statement in terms of Nassar, but did not mince her words on the role that USA Gymnastics played in enabling him to continue working for the organization. “I have represented the USA in two Olympics and have done so successfully,” Raisman said. “And both USA Gymnastics and the United States Olympic Committee have been very quick to capitalize and celebrate my success, but did they reach out when I came forward? No,” she said. “For this sport to go on, we need to demand real change, and we need to be willing to fight for it. It’s clear now that if we leave it up to these organizations, history is likely to repeat itself.”
