USA Gymnastics board resigning amid
sexual abuse scandal
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[January 27, 2018]
By Jonathan Allen and David Shepardson
(Reuters) - The remaining directors of the
U.S. gymnastics governing body are resigning in the wake of this week's
sentencing of the former national team doctor for molesting female
athletes, USA Gymnastics said on Friday, complying with a demand by the
U.S. Olympic Committee.
The doctor, Larry Nassar, was sentenced on Wednesday to between 40 and
175 years in prison by a judge in Lansing, Michigan, following a week of
blistering statements in court by his victims including Olympic gold
medal-winning gymnasts Aly Raisman and Jordyn Wieber and other female
athletes. He had pleaded guilty to sexual assault charges.
USOC CEO Scott Blackmun on Thursday said USA Gymnastics would be
stripped of its standing as a governing body if all board members did
not quit, with a new interim board put in place by the end of February.
At least five of the 21 members already had resigned as a result of the
scandal.
"USA Gymnastics will comply with the USOC requirements," Leslie King, a
spokeswoman for USA Gymnastics, said in an email.
The senior sports official at Michigan State University, where Nassar
previously worked, announced his retirement on Friday. The departure of
Athletic Director Mark Hollis came two days after university President
Lou Anna Simon stepped down under pressure. Both said they were unaware
of Nassar's abuse until it was reported publicly.
"Our campus, and beyond, has been attacked by evil, an individual who
broke trust and so much more," Hollis told a news conference, referring
to Nassar.
"I'm not running away from anything," Hollis added, promising to
cooperate with investigations into the matter.
Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette, whose office prosecuted Nassar,
confirmed on Twitter that the office is investigating the university.
U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos announced her department was
investigating the university and will "hold MSU accountable for any
violations of federal law."
"What happened at Michigan State is abhorrent," DeVos said.
Nassar, 54, was sentenced for sexually assaulting girls under the guise
of medical treatment.
'MORAL AUTHORITY'
Some critics who said the USOC could have caught Nassar sooner if it had
acted on complaints made by athletes called the USA Gymnastics board
resignations too little and too late. Several victims during Nassar's
sentencing hearing blamed the USOC, as well, for the abuse.
"I don't think they have the moral authority to speak at all on this
issue," John Manly, a lawyer who represents 120 of Nassar's victims
including 2012 Olympic gold medalist McKayla Maroney, said of the USOC.
"In fact, their board ought to resign and Scott Blackmun ought to
resign, too," Manly added.
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Larry Nassar, a former team USA Gymnastics doctor, who pleaded
guilty in November 2017 to sexual assault charges, is led from the
courtroom after listening to victim testimony during his sentencing
hearing in Lansing, Michigan, U.S., January 23, 2018.
REUTERS/Brendan McDermid.
A USOC spokesman declined to comment on calls for that group's board and
Blackmun to resign. USOC board member Susanne Lyons called the USA
Gymnastics board resignations "a critical first step" to better protect
athletes, but more work remained.
A USOC investigation into how Nassar was able to abuse victims for
years will include looking at whether any USOC officials themselves
looked the other way.
Congress also is investigating the matter. A House of
Representatives investigation will examine allegations of sexual
harassment by officials in other sports, including swimming and
taekwondo.
Raisman, who was among the more than 150 accusers who recounted
their stories in court, vowed to keep the pressure on sports
organizations to see who else knew about Nassar's abuse. Nassar
worked for the federation through four Olympic Games, but the
allegations did not become public until 2016 in an investigative
report by the Indianapolis Star.
"Everyone stood up for him," Raisman told the ABC program "The
View." "My work, and the army of survivors, we're not done yet. We
still have to hold these organizations accountable."
Rachael Denhollander, the first victim to publicly accuse Nassar in
2016, wrote in a New York Times opinion piece that anyone who
protected Nassar should face consequences.
"The first step toward changing the culture that led to this
atrocity is to hold enablers of abuse accountable," Denhollander
wrote.
The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, in announcing its
investigation, said sports organizations "must have mechanisms in
place to ensure complete oversight and prevent such abuses from
occurring."
The House next week is due to vote on legislation passed by the
Senate in November that would require amateur athletics governing
bodies to report sexual-abuse allegations immediately to law
enforcement or a child welfare agency.
(Reporting by Jonathan Allen in New York, David Shepardson in
Washington, Ben Klayman in Detroit; Additional reporting by Steve
Keating in Toronto and Joseph Ax in New York; Editing by Will
Dunham)
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