Two gymnasts,
including a member of the 2000 U.S. women's Olympic team, say they were
sexually abused by a former longtime doctor for USA Gymnastics, court documents
and interviews show.
Dr. Larry
Nassar, 53, who worked for decades for the gymnastics organization until his
dismissal last year, sexually groped and fondled the teenage Olympian under the
guise of physical therapy during her elite career, according to a lawsuit filed
last week in California.
The Olympian
is identified as "Jane Doe" in the lawsuit against Nassar and the USA
Gymnastics organization. Her attorneys on Monday identified her only as a
medal-winning member of the team that competed in the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
The second
gymnast, Rachael Denhollander of Louisville, Kentucky, told the Indianapolis
Star newspaper that Nassar sexually abused her in 2000 while she underwent
treatment for lower back pain at Michigan State University, where Nassar is a
faculty member.
Denhollander,
who was 15 at the time, told the Star that Nassar became gradually more abusive
over the course of five treatments, including massaging her breasts and
penetrating her. She said she filed a complaint last month with university
police.
Denhollander
said her mother was at the therapy sessions, but that Nassar positioned himself
in such a way that she couldn't see what was happening.
"I was
terrified," Denhollander said. "I was ashamed. I was very
embarrassed. And I was very confused, trying to reconcile what was happening
with the person he was supposed to be. He's this famous doctor. He's trusted by
my friends. He's trusted by these other gymnasts. How could he reach this
position in the medical profession, how could he reach this kind of prominence
and stature if this is who he is?"
Nassar's
attorney, Matthew Borgula, said in an email to The Associated Press that Nassar
plans to "vigorously defend himself."
"Dr.
Nassar denies any misconduct relating to any gymnast, patient or anyone
else," Borgula wrote. "To the extent he provided medical treatment to
anyone, that treatment was always done with consent of the patient. He is proud
of his 29 years of volunteer service with USA Gymnastics."
The California
lawsuit says that USA Gymnastics negligently suppressed, concealed or failed to
disclose knowledge that Nassar had engaged in sexual conduct with team members.
"Our
client represents the very best America has to offer," John Manly and
Vince Finaldi, the attorneys who filed the lawsuit, said in a statement.
"She sacrificed her youth and adolescence, spending thousands of hours in
rigorous and often painful training to bring glory to our nation as an Olympic
athlete. She had an absolute right to trust USA Gymnastics, its coaches and
staff. Unfortunately, they have proven time and again that they are more
interested in protecting the reputation of their multi-million-dollar
enterprise than the child athletes who are entrusted to their care."
The lawsuit
does not provide specific instances where USA Gymnastics knowingly withheld
information.
USA Gymnastics
released a statement Monday night indicating that Nassar was relieved of his
position in the summer of 2015 when the organization's President Steve Penny
went to authorities when learning of athlete concerns about Nassar.
"USA
Gymnastics has cooperated fully with the law enforcement agency since we first
notified them of the matter, including — at their request — refraining from
making further statements or taking any other action that might interfere with
the agency's investigation," the statement read. "We are grateful to
the athletes for coming forward to share their concerns when they did."
Nassar has
also been temporarily relieved of clinical and patient duties with Michigan
State, where he is an associate professor in the sports medicine program,
pending the police investigation into the criminal complaint, according to
school spokesman Kent Cassella.
University
police did not immediately respond to phone and email messages left by The AP.
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