Aly Raisman Accuses Former U.S. Gymnastics Team Doctor of Sexual Abuse
The Olympic gold medalist and Needham native joins more than 100 other women with allegations against Dr. Larry Nassar.
Photo via AP/Jae C. Hong
Olympic gold medalist Aly Raisman has accused former U.S. women’s gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar of sexual abuse.
The Needham native joins more than 130 women who have come forward with similar allegations against Nassar, who is now in jail after pleading guilty to child pornography charges. Raisman, who took home three medals each from the 2012 London and 2016 Rio de Janiero Olympic Games, will tell her story to 60 Minutes on Sunday night, according to a press release from CBS.
Nassar, who was with the team for more than two decades, first worked with Raisman when she was 15 years old. Many of the former athletes who filed civil suits against him accused Nassar of sexual abuse under the pretense of treatment. In her interview, Raisman said she spoke with FBI investigators following the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro.
In an interview preview, Raisman questioned why the gymnastics community didn’t step in sooner to stop Nassar and expressed anger toward the broader forces that kept athletes quiet about the abuse for so long.
“I care a lot, you know, when I see these young girls that come up to me, and they ask for pictures or autographs,” Raisman told 60 Minutes. “I just—I can’t—every time I look at them, every time I see them smiling, I just think—I just want to create change so that they never, ever have to go through this.”
Raisman’s teammate during the 2012 London games, McKayla Maroney, accused Nassar of repeated sexual abuse in October. He has pleaded not guilty to the sexual assault charges and is set to receive his child pornography sentence in December.
USA Gymnastics said in a statement to CBS that it has taken steps to end sexual abuse within the sport by adopting more stringent reporting requirements and standards.
