The Netflix documentary Athlete A follows the investigation into the Larry Nassar abuse scandal that forever tainted the legacy of USA Gymnastics. For decades now, the prestigious world of American gymnastics has been steeped in controversy following reports of systemic sexual abuse of young girls at the hands of their coaches, trainers, and physicians. These accusations started in 1990 when USA Gymnastics, the national governing body for the sport, compiled a list of permanently banned coaches. The story, however, did not become front-page news to the masses until the arrest of Larry Nassar, the national medical coordinator for the group, in 2016.
Athlete A details how an investigation mounted by the Indianapolis Star revealed the shocking extent of these abuse allegations leveled against Nassar. Over the following months, some of the most high-profile names in women’s gymnastics, including Olympians like McKayla Maroney, Aly Raisman, and Gabby Douglas, came forward as victims of Nassar’s crimes. Overall, more than 300 young women and girls accused Nassar of sexual abuse. In December 2017, it was also revealed that the USAG had made a settlement with Maroney after she filed suit against the organization for failing to protect her and others like her from Nassar (via ESPN). Said suit required Maroney to sign a non-disclosure agreement, barring her from discussing the abuse in public.
Nassar first began working with the USA Gymnastics national team in 1986 as an athletic trainer, and he would eventually serve as the organization's national medical coordinator for 18 years. The earliest accusations of Nassar's abuse date back to 1994, according to one of the many lawsuits filed against the disgraced doctor. When Nassar was officially arrested and indicted in 2016, the charges included 22 counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with minors. A raid of Nassar's home by the FBI also revealed more than 37,000 images of child pornography and one video of Nassar molesting underage girls (via NBC). Nassar pleaded guilty to seven counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with minors under the age of sixteen on November 22, 2017. He also confessed to molesting seven girls, three of whom were younger than 13. Furthermore, he also pleaded guilty to an additional three counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and soliciting images of child sex abuse.
The presiding judge to Nassar's case, Rosemarie Aquilina, allowed over 150 women and girls to present personal testimony in court. On January 24, 2018, she sentenced Nassar to 40 to 175 years in prison (via CNN). In a later trial, Nassar was sentenced to 40 to 125 years in prison for three further counts of criminal sexual assault. Nassar will serve a minimum of 100 years behind bars, meaning that the 56-year-old will die in prison with no chance of parole. His earliest possible release date from jail is March 2069, at which point he would be 105 years old and would then be moved to a state prison to finish his sentence. When Aquilina issued the sentence, she famously said to Nassar via NY Times, "I just signed your death warrant." After his sentencing, Nassar was sent to the United States Penitentiary in Tucson, Arizona, a high-security prison for male inmates. Almost as soon as he arrived, according to a report by Arizona Central, Nassar was transferred to the United States Penitentiary, Coleman, near Wildwood, Florida, after inmates assaulted him and his safety could not be guaranteed.
While Nassar has been punished for his decades of abuse, the USAG organization has fallen under scrutiny for its complicity and covering up of many years of systemic sexual assault against women and young girls. Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette promised a full investigation into the matter (that investigation was suspended in December 2019) and Michigan State University agreed to a $500 million settlement for 332 of Nassar's alleged victims, according to CNN. USAG filed for bankruptcy in December 2019 (via Vox). As Athlete A makes depressingly clear, the underlying issues that led to Nassar's abuses of power are still in place and will take a long time to fix.
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