That’s the claim levied by Jessica Howard, a former national champion in rhythmic gymnastics, in an op-ed for the New York Times that outlines the abuse she suffered as a 15-year-old, writing that she was eager to please her coaches and reluctant to speak out for fear of retribution.
Howard recalled for the Times a hip injury she suffered during the World Championships in 1999, and wrote that USA Gymnastics suggested she visit Nassar for treatment. Her parents, she said, didn’t join her for the trip, and Nassar abused her during their first meeting.
“For our first appointment, he asked me to wear loose shorts and no underwear. That seemed strange, but I obeyed. As in training, I wanted to be perfect,” Howard wrote. “He began to massage my legs, and then quickly moved inwards on my thighs. He then massaged his way into me. I was rigid and uncomfortable, but I didn’t realize what was happening. I was confused, and thought that it must just be what had to happen. This scenario happened repeatedly over the course of my week at the (Karolyi) ranch. At no time was there ever another adult in the room. Coming off of a difficult year of training, Dr. Nassar reached out as the good guy, supporting me emotionally and promising me relief from the pain. Now I know that in actuality he expertly abused me under the guise of ‘treatment.’”
Nassar was fired from his job at Michigan State University in 2016 and, in total, there are more than 80 complaints against him that are still being investigated. Bill Schuette, Michigan’s attorney general, called Nassar “disgusting” and more charges are expected against the man who treated USA Gymnasts from 1996-2014. He was let go in 2014.
Howard’s allegations that the abuse took place at the ranch owned by former USA Gymnastics coaches Marta and Bela Karolyi fall in line with claims made in a lawsuit filed last October that said the Karolyis allowed Nassar to be in a “position of authoritey and trust” when they “knew or should have known that he was a molester of children.”
Howard, who also discussed her abuse recently with “60 Minutes,” wrote for the Times that USA Gymnastics abused her trust and that of more victims, by allowing the likes of Nassar and some 54 other coaches to remain in a position to prey upon athletes. She said that, as a member of the organization’s board, the primary concern of other members was often the reputation of the coach, not of the gymnast.
“As I have attempted to come to terms with what happened to me as a teenager, it has become glaringly obvious that USA Gymnastics has not done nearly enough to protect athletes from any form of abuse,” she wrote.
Howard pointed to U.S. olympic Committee members calling for USA Gymnastics CEO Steve Penny to resign, and called for “additional systemic change ... to safeguard athletes from psychological and physical abuse.”
“Athletes, parents and coaches must know what is and is not okay, with the ultimate goal of every gym in the country being an abuse-free zone,” Howard wrote. “That may require some uncomfortable but necessary conversations with young gymnastics who are too innocent to recognize abuse when it occurs, especially when it is by someone in a position of authority such as a coach or doctor. Particularly at the elite level when spots on the Olympic or World Championship team are at stake, gymnasts are afraid of being seen as a troublemaker and jeopardizing their place on the team. It must be clear through policy and action that they will not be punished for speaking up.”
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