Olympic Gold Medal Gymnast Aly Raisman Alleges Sexual Abuse By Team Doctor

Just a month after gymnast McKayla Maroney broke her silence and told the world that she was sexually abused by U.S. team doctor Larry Nassar, Aly Raisman is coming forward to say “me too.” Raisman will speak out this Sunday in a 60 Minutes interview and discuss some of the hard questions she asks in her autobiography, Fierce. Aly Raisman, 23, claims that Nassar started treating her when she was 15 and that for years Nassar was protected by others in the world of women’s gymnastics.

Aly Raisman, who is a six-time Olympic medalist, is angry and eager for the powers that be to take responsibility for the access Dr. Larry Nassar had to young girls for years, even allegedly decades.

“Why are we looking at why didn’t the girls speak up? Why not look at what about the culture?”

Raisman wants to know why gymnast after gymnast kept their abuse a secret.

“What did USA Gymnastics do, and Larry Nassar do, to manipulate these girls so much that they are so afraid to speak up?”

Aly Raisman explains that even though she is just going public now, she started speaking to the FBI about Nassar just after the 2016 Rio Olympics.

USA Gymnastics has issued a public apology to Aly Raisman and the other girls who fell victim to Larry Nassar, saying that they would like Raisman and others to help to keep others safe in the future.

“USA Gymnastics is very sorry that any athlete has been harmed. We want to work with Aly and all interested athletes to keep athletes safe.”

Aly Raisman was the captain of both the 2012 and 2016 Olympic gymnastics teams and is currently training to return for the 2020 games while her accused abuser, Dr. Larry Nassar, sits behind bars in Michigan after pleading guilty for possessing child pornography.

Last December, it was discovered that Nassar had over 37,000 images and videos of child pornography in his possession with girls as young as 6. Larry Nassar also possessed a GoPro video of Nassar molesting young girls while swimming.

When asked if she is angry, Aly Raisman says she is furious that Nassar was allowed this kind of access.

“I am angry. I’m really upset because it’s been – I care a lot you know when I see these young girls that come up to me, and they ask for pictures or autographs, whatever it is.”

At this time, Dr. Larry Nassar has been charged with molesting nine gymnasts while 125 other women and girls are suing Nassar, alleging abuse. Aly Raisman says she is speaking out because she hopes that by acting, no other girls will have to go through this.

For their part, USA Gymnastics is attempting to institute more rules about mandatory reporting to avoid what happened to Raisman and others.

“USA Gymnastics said it has made major changes in light of the Nassar scandal, including new standards to ‘prevent inappropriate interaction’ between athletes and adults and a policy that requires suspicions of sexual abuse to be reported.”

According to Aly Raisman and others, Dr. Larry Nassar found excuses to touch and fondle girls under the guise of treating them for hip, back, and other athletic injuries. When questioned, Nassar assured Raisman and others that what is now being called molestation were treatments he had been using “for thirty years.”

Dr. Larry Nassar worked with U.S. women’s national gymnastics teams for more than two decades, and an investigation is still underway to uncover additional victims.

Do you believe that Aly Raisman is the only victim on the 2016 Olympic Gymnastics team? Will you read Raisman’s book, Fierce?

[Featured Image by Julio Cortez/AP Images]