The entire USA Gymnastics board is resigning after the Larry Nassar scandal
The world breathed a collective sigh of relief when the court served justice to Larry Nassar on Wednesday, January 24th. The disgraced doctor had sexually abused more than 150 women under the guise of medical treatment. After a weeklong trial, Larry Nassar was sentenced to up to 175 years in prison. Finally, the victims are getting some closure. But we still have to deal with the fact that Nassar is not solely to blame for their trauma. There’s also the broken system that propagated the cycle of abuse and neglected to hold Nassar accountable. Luckily, the United States Olympic Committee is making some changes. And they’re starting with the USA Gymnastics board of directors.
The USOC originally gave the USA Gymnastics board six days to resign. Three members turned in their notice during the trial. But even still, the USOC called for a complete overhaul of leadership following Nassar’s sentencing. Then, on the evening of Friday, January 26th, the organization followed orders. The USA Gymnastics board announced that its remaining members will resign.
“We must take further action to ensure that it cannot happen again,” Scott Blackmun, USOC CEO, wrote in a letter he sent to USA Gymnastics. Nassar’s victims included many high-profile Team USA gymnasts including Aly Raisman, McKayla Maroney, Simone Biles, Jordyn Wieber, and Jamie Dantzscher. Raisman in particular has been incredibly vocal throughout Nassar’s trial.
After the decision, Aly Raisman shared her response to the USOC and Scott Blackmun on Twitter.
My response to the USOC & Scott Blackmun pic.twitter.com/6Z5l6JrzCm
— Alexandra Raisman (@Aly_Raisman) January 27, 2018
The full USA Gymnastics board resigning is the right call.
Army of survivors who are NOT going anywhere 💪🏻 pic.twitter.com/HIJMw5cwgE
— Alexandra Raisman (@Aly_Raisman) January 25, 2018
Here’s hoping that Larry Nassar’s victims find some solace in knowing that justice is being properly served.
