Olympic medalist Aly Raisman slammed the United States Olympic Committee for “taking credit” for resignations at USA Gymnastics Monday after they turned a blind eye to the horrific sex abuse scandal involving the former team doctor Larry Nassar.
Raisman, in a statement posted to Twitter, pointed out that when the allegations first came to light in August 2016 the US Olympic Committee refused to investigate and even praised the work of USA Gymnastics in handling the situation.
Thoughts on USOC's statement pic.twitter.com/hygTV6nNXd
— Alexandra Raisman (@Aly_Raisman) January 23, 2018
She is calling for an independent investigation of both the USOC and USA Gymnastics, asking "what's it going to take for you to do the right thing?"
USA Gymnastics Chairman Paul Parilla, vice chair Jay Binder and treasurer Bitsy Kelley all announced they were resigning Monday during the second week of testimony in Nassar's sentencing hearing. Nassar faces a minimum prison sentence of 25 to 40 years after pleading guilty to 10 counts of first-degree criminal sexual misconduct. He is accused of abuse by over 150 women, many of whom have been reading their statements in court.
Olympians Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney, and Gabby Douglas are all among those who say Nassar molested them under the guise of medical treatments.
Raisman gave a powerful statement in court on Friday about her own experience facing abuse. “You should have been locked up a long, long time ago,” she told Nassar. She said USA Gymnastics is “rotting from the inside.”
AT&T announced Tuesday that it is suspending its sponsorship of USA Gymnastics due to the sex abuse scandal.
“We notified USA Gymnastics today that we are suspending our sponsorship of the organization until it is re-built and we know that the athletes are in a safe environment,” the company said in a statement obtained by USA Today. “The terrible abuse suffered by these young women is unconscionable. We remain committed to helping these young athletes pursue their dreams and hope to find other ways to do so. We stand ready to step back in when USAG has fully addressed these tragic events.”
AT&T’s announcement comes after Procter & Gamble and Kellogg’s decided to end their sponsorship of USA Gymnastics in December. Hershey’s and Under Armour also pulled support from the organization in light of the abuse scandal.