Four-time Olympic champion Simone Biles says she was sexually assaulted by disgraced Team USA sports doctor Larry Nassar.
“Lately, I’ve felt a bit broken, and the more I try to shut off the voice in my head the louder it screams. I am not afraid to tell my story anymore,” she wrote in a heartbreaking message posted to Twitter.
“I too am one of the many survivors that was sexually abused by Larry Nassar. Please believe me when I say it was a lot harder to first speak those words out loud than it is not to put them on paper. There are many reasons that I have been reluctant to share my story, but I know now that it is not my fault.”
Nassar plead guilty in November last year to seven counts of criminal sexual conduct, admitting that he used his position as a trusted medical professional to sexually abuse young girls.
Over 140 people have accused Nassar of sexually abusing them. According to the allegations, he assaulted young athletes in his care during medical examinations, creating an “emotionally abusive environment” that made them afraid to speak up about the abuse.
“It is not normal to receive any type of treatment from a trusted team physician and refer to it horrifyingly as ‘special’ treatment,” Biles continued. “This behaviour is completely unacceptable, disgusting, and abusive, especially coming from someone who I was TOLD to trust.
“For too long I’ve asked myself, ‘Was I too naive? Was it my fault?’ I now now the answer to those questions. No. No, it was not my fault. No, I will not and should not carry the guilt that belongs to Larry Nassar, USAG [USA Gymnastics], and others.
“It is impossibly difficult to relive these experiences and it breaks my heart even more to think that as I work towards my dream of competing in Tokyo 2020, I will have to continually return to the same training facility where I was abused.
“After hearing the brave stories of my friends and other survivors, I know that this horrific experience does not define me. I am much more than this. I am unique, smart, talented, motivated and passionate. I have promised myself that my story will be much greater than this and I promise all of you that I will never give up. I will compete with all of my heart and soul every time I step into the gym. I love this sport too much and I have never been a quitter. I won’t let one man, and the others than enabled him, to steal my love and joy.
Around 88 victims and parents are expected to give victim impact statements at Nassar’s sentencing on Tuesday, with that number possibly reaching 125 individuals. Several days have been set aside to hear from the victims, in what is the largest sexual abuse scandal in the history of sports.
Three of ‘Fierce Five‘ of the gymnasts who won gold at the 2012 Olympics – McKayla Maroney, Aly Raisman, and Gabby Douglas – have come forward to say that Nassar abused them.
“It seemed whenever and wherever this man could find the chance, I was ‘treated’,” Maroney wrote on Twitter last year. “It happened in London before my team and I won the gold medal, and it happened before I won my silver.”
You can read Biles’ full statement below.
Feelings… 💭 #MeToo pic.twitter.com/ICiu0FCa0n
— Simone Biles (@Simone_Biles) January 15, 2018
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story, please call the National Child Abuse Helpline on 1800 99 10 99 or the Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800.
