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Olympic gymnast Raisman harshly criticizes Nassar, USA Gymnastics
Thomson Reuters
By Steve Friess
LANSING, Mich. (Reuters) - Three-time gold medalist Aly Raisman excoriated former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar Friday for sexually abusing her and other young women entrusted to his care and also lambasted the Olympic organization that failed for years to protect the athletes.
Raisman, 23, stared directly at Nassar as she read her 15-minute statement in court during the fourth day of hearings in which Nassar victims and their relatives are being given the chance to describe the impact on their lives and appeal to Ingham County Judge Rosemarie Aquilina for the harshest possible sentence.
Nassar, 54, the national medical coordinator for USA Gymnastics and prominent physician at Michigan State University's sports clinic, pleaded guilty to 10 counts of first-degree criminal sexual assault before Aquilina in November.
“We are have our voices and we will not be silenced," said Raisman, the co-captain of the women’s gymnastics squad at the 2012 London and 2016 Rio de Janeiro Summer Games. "I’m no longer that little girl you met in Australia who you first began grooming and manipulating.”
Prosecutors have asked for a sentence of 40 to 125 years, which would be on top of the 60-year sentence he is serving in federal prison on child pornography convictions.
Raisman said she had not planned to provide her testimony, but she was inspired by other victims who had taken the podium since Tuesday.
Her anger was targeted as well at USA Gymnastics and her dismay at what she felt is a lackluster reaction to the scandal by newly installed CEO Kerry Perry. Perry, who attended the hearings earlier in the week, was not present Friday.
“Unfortunately you have taken on an organization that is rotten from the inside,” Raisman said to Perry in absentia. “You will be judged by how you deal with this. We need an independent investigation into what happened, what went wrong and how we can avoid this in the future.”
The judge, who has responded to each victim with words of encouragement, addressed Raisman.
“You are part of an unstoppable growing force,” Aquilina said. “You are going to be truly awesome. From my perspective, being here and listening to countless people, you are so strong.”
(Reporting by Steve Friess; editing by Ben Klayman and Clive McKeef)
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