Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of assault. Reader discretion is advised.
Lawrence G. Nassar, widely known as Larry Nassar, was the former physician for the American gymnastics team who was accused of serial sexual abuse of girls and young women. A lot of young women came forward and explained that they were sent to Nassar at gyms, gymnastics camps, his home, and the Michigan State University clinic early on in their careers when they were aspiring athletes. He consistently molested women for decades while he claimed he was giving them medical help, as per a report by The New York Times.
The Guardian reported that the revelation of Larry Nassar’s crimes was initiated by an email addressed to the Indianapolis Star. The morning the mail was sent, IndyStar had published a report on the negligence and mishandling of sexual abuse allegations by the national governing body of gymnastics. The report was published after 5 months of investigation. Rachel Denhollander, a victim of Nassar’s abuse, wrote to the IndyStar. She told them that she was 15 years old when she was molested by the team doctor.
An investigation that followed revealed what is so far one of the biggest sexual abuse scandals in sports history. Until then, numerous accusations and complaints of molestation were ignored, dismissed, and not believed. Months after Denhollander came out publicly accusing Larry Nassar, Jamie Dantzscher also came out and called Nassar out. Soon, many more women who were abused at Michigan State University came out in support and shared their stories.
CBS News reported that more than 260 women have reported Larry Nassar and said that he molested them. The scandal also called for a check on Michigan State. The organization reportedly had multiple opportunities to stop Nassar but didn’t act on any of them.
What was Larry Nassar convicted of?
Larry Nassar pleaded guilty to seven counts of sexual assault for abusing young women and girls under the guise of medical treatment. CNN reported that he was then sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison. He was separately found guilty of federal child pornography charges. He was then sentenced to 60 years in prison on that conviction. Nassar was also convicted on three counts of criminal sexual conduct.
During the trial, over 150 women and girls stated in court that Larry Nassar had abused them over the past two decades. As part of his plea deal, seven days of the trial were dedicated to victim impact statements. Many women also pointed at USA Gymnastics and the Michigan State University, accusing them of negligence. The organizations allegedly ignored and dismissed many of their accusations over the years. The victims included Aly Raisman, a gold medalist and two-time Olympian. Other victims were athletes at Michigan State University and USA Gymnastics.
The US Olympic Committee, alongside the Michigan State University and USA Gymnastics, denied the allegations. They claimed that action was taken when they were made aware of any misconduct. Lou Anna Simon, the president of Michigan State University, stepped down subsequently after Larry Nassar was sentenced.
The women who initially visited Nassar for sports injuries reported subsequent anxiety, depression, and self-harm tendencies that were consequences of the abuse. After the impact statements, Larry Nassar reportedly apologized in court and claimed that the statements had shaken him to the core.
