?Once touted as the doctor see for the best gymnasts in the United States, Lawrence G. Nassar was sentenced to 40-175 years in prison after hearing scores of his accusers recall the sexual abuse they suffered at his hands in a court in Michigan. Nassar served as the team doctor for the U.
S. national team while also working for Michigan State University. The former doctor plead guilty to ten counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct. The preponderance of his accusers stated that they were only minors when he perpetrated the sex crimes. A family friend of Nassar’s also testified that he abused her when she was only six years old.
Although the majority of his victims were gymnasts, they were not confined to that sport; others were runners, dancers, rowers, volleyball players, and soccer players. What became obvious was how sick an individual Nasser was, and that his sexual proclivities rendered him incapable of being rehabilitated, a sentiment that the judge articulated and reiterated throughout the proceedings.?Over a hundred former and current gymnasts made strong impact statements, with some of them stating that their genital area was sore during several competitions.
Others viewed him as the most pernicious type of abuser because of how manipulative he was and the cold and calculated methodologies he deployed while presenting himself as a caring and wholesome person that the girls could trust. Little did they know that he had nefarious intentions, pretending to be their friend so that they would trust him and ultimately facilitate the sexual interactions. Although this story is a troublesome one, what was inspiring was how strong the victims were, and they time and again promulgated to him that they were strong women who would destroy his world.What is more impactful was the statements the victims made about their coaches, parents, and acquaintances who did not believe their accusations, and many of them were victim blamed and attacked on social media. Ultimately, Nassar was adjudicated accordingly, while a clear institutional failure took place by Michigan State as well as U.
S. gymnastics. It will be interesting to see what further measures are taken to provides correctives for these failu
