Megan Halicek went to Dr. Larry Nassar as a 15-year-old gymnast suffering from a fractured spine. But during what was supposed to be a routine appointment, Nassar assaulted her: “Again and again and again,” Halicek testified in court on Tuesday, “he abused me, all the while telling me stories about his Olympic journey.”
“I closed my eyes tight, I held my breath, and I wanted to puke,” she recalled. “To this day, those feelings are still there.”
This week, Halicek, and nearly 100 other women, came forward in court to testify at sentencing hearings about Nassar, a former doctor for USA Gymnastics and sports medicine physician at Michigan State University who has pleaded guilty to charges of criminal sexual conduct and child pornography.
Among the victims are decorated US Olympians, including Aly Raisman, Gabby Douglas, and Simone Biles. But the majority were not famous competitors. They were students and young female athletes — gymnasts, dancers, and volleyball players. Nassar’s reputation as a well-connected, talented doctor won their trust. It also helped secure their silence.
Nassar’s sentencing comes amid a larger reckoning about sexual assault and harassment in all arenas, from Hollywood to hotel rooms — and the people in power negligent or complicit in protecting those perpetrators.
Even given the headlines of the past few months, the Nassar case is shocking. First, there’s the number of known victims: More than 150 have come forward, which, as HuffPost’s Alanna Vagianos writes, represents “nearly as many victims as the Jerry Sandusky, Bill Cosby, and Harvey Weinstein scandals combined.”
Many of the victims were minors, sometimes abused with their parents in the room while they were medically examined. There is evidence that Michigan State University and USA Gymnastics, the two elite institutions associated with Nassar, were slow to act on reports that he was abusing girls and young women.
Here’s what we know about the case against Nassar, where it stands now, and why elite gymnasts may have ended up particularly vulnerable.
Who is Larry Nassar?
Nassar practiced at the very top tier with some of the most elite American gymnasts. In 1986, he began working with USA Gymnastics, the governing body that selects Olympic teams, as an athletic trainer. After he earned a medical degree from Michigan State University, he became the chief medical coordinator for USA Gymnastics in 1996. At photos taken at the 1996 Olympics, he’s pictured next to American gymnast Kerri Strug after her famous ankle injury, and he attended the games in Sydney in 2000, Beijing in 2008, and London in 2012.
He was also part of the faculty at Michigan State, where he had taught and practiced medicine since 1997 — meaning he wasn’t only a renowned sports physician but also part of an academic institution.
Then in September 2015, Nassar abruptly retired from USA Gymnastics with little fanfare. (He’d stepped down from his chief medical coordinator position but had originally planned to stay on as the team doctor for the 2016 Olympics.)
A year later, a flood of sexual assault allegations began to explain why.
More than 100 women have accused Nassar of sexual abuse
In 2016, the Indianapolis Star ran a scathing exposé on USA Gymnastics’ systematic failure to protect young athletes from sexual abuse, and to report allegations against coaches to authorities. It opened the floodgates and eventually led to dozens of allegations against the physician.
The initial article focused on coaches and did not name Nassar, but Rachael Denhollander of Louisville, Kentucky, reached out to the publication with her own story of abuse and filed a criminal complaint with the Michigan State University police. In it, she alleged that Nassar had sexually abused her in 2000, when she was 15.
Denhollander had sought treatment from Nassar for lower back pain at his sports treatment clinic at MSU, and she alleged that the doctor, without gloves, digitally penetrated her vagina and anus, and at another visit unhooked her bra and massaged her bare breasts with a “visible erection.”
“He’s the type of person who knows how to make you want to trust him,” Denhollander told the Indy Star in the September 2016 story. “There’s a reason he’s risen to this place of prominence. And honestly, part of what grieves me so much is that he has everything he needs to be an incredible leader. He has the personality, he has the skill, he has the knowledge, and he’s using that to prey on people. What a waste.”
Around the same time, “Jane Doe” (who later identified herself as Jamie Dantzscher, who competed with Team USA in 2000 at the Sydney Games), filed a civil suit in California against Nassar, alleging that he abused her repeatedly between 1994 and 2000.
Dozens of allegations followed, all similar, about a trusted doctor who offered relief only to molest them under the guise of treatment.
“For years, Mr. Nassar convinced me that he was the only person who could help me recover from multiple serious injuries. To me, he was like a knight [in] shining armor,” Alexis Moore, who said Nassar molested her starting when she was 9, said in court on Tuesday. “But alas, that shine blinded me from the abuse. He betrayed my trust, took advantage of my youth and sexually abused me hundreds of times.”
Eventually, 125 women filed criminal complaints with police, and more than 140 people have filed civil suits against the doctor and the institutions that employed him for so long, most notably USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University. Some of the victims say coaches and administrators were aware of complaints against Nassar, but no actions were taken against him.
The victims, all women, include notable US Olympians. Aly Raisman, Gabby Douglas, and McKayla Maroney, Jordyn Wieber, four members of the “Fierce Five” 2012 gold medal-winning team stated publicly that Nassar sexually abused them. Wieber came forward for the first time this Friday. Simone Biles, one of the most decorated gymnasts of all time, just said this week that Nassar abused her too.
Nassar’s victims said the doctor cannily won over their trust, making them feel special or privileged because of his position with USA Gymnastics. He operated in a sport where injuries can end careers, and young athletes deferred to his authority. Even Olympic athletes were told to feel grateful for Nassar’s care; Raisman said an official with USA Gymnastics told her she should feel lucky for his treatment because he was such a good doctor.
Victims testified that he gave them gifts, offering trinkets from his Olympic travels. He was also outwardly supportive, and kind to many of those he abused. “He was always, always, always on my side,” Raisman told Time magazine. “He was always that person who would stick up for me and make me feel like he had my back. The more I think about it, the more I realize how twisted he was, how he manipulated me to make me think that he had my back when he didn’t.”
Nassar, after initially denying the allegations of abuse and defending vaginal penetration as part of his medical treatment, pleaded guilty in two Michigan counties to a total of 10 counts of criminal sexual assault. The cases all involve women or girls who were assaulted by Nassar during the course of a medical examination, except one girl — a family friend of Nassar’s whom he abused for six years, between the ages of 6 and 12.
In addition to the charges in Michigan, federal prosecutors charged Nassar in December 2016 with possession of child pornography, saying that the doctor had about 37,000 explicit images in his possession. Investigators discovered this cache while executing a search warrant related to an investigation into sex abuse allegations against Nassar, which stemmed from his work with USA Gymnastics.
Nassar ultimately agreed to plead guilty in July to the possession of child porn, but as part of the deal, he avoided the more serious federal sex abuse charges, which ESPN reported included allegations that he molested children in his home, in his pool, and during “interstate/international travel.” A judge sentenced him to 60 years in prison — the maximum prosecutors had asked for — last month. The sentencing this week is for the criminal sexual abuse charges.
USA Gymnastics knew about Nasser’s abuse for weeks before reporting it
As in other recent sexual abuse scandals (involving retired football coach Jerry Sandusky at Penn State and within the Catholic Church, among others), a big question is what the institutions involved knew and when they knew it.
Current and former members of USA Gymnastics have delivered scathing criticisms of the organization for its handling of Nassar. Dozens of members are suing the organization for negligence; a handful of lawsuits have also named famed US gymnastic coaches Bela and Martha Karolyi, who ran the training center in Texas where elite gymnasts trained. (On Thursday, USA Gymnastics ended its relationship with the Karolyis.)
USA Gymnastics heard about allegations against Nasser in June 2015, according to the Indianapolis Star:
A coach overheard the U.S. national team member, who is Manly’s client and another elite gymnast discussing the doctor at the Karolyi Ranch, the women’s national team’s training center in Texas. The coach reported the conversation to USA Gymnastics senior vice president of women’s program Rhonda Faehn on June 17, 2015, according to USA Gymnastics, and Faehn immediately called Steve Penny, the organization’s president.
But the organization waited five weeks to contact law enforcement officials about the incident, justifying the delay by saying it had conducted its own independent review. The Wall Street Journal later reported that the case, which bounced around FBI field offices, didn’t begin in earnest until about April 2016 — 10 months after the first allegations were reported.
“I’m so angry that, after realizing that we were abused, they let him continue to molest other gymnasts when they told me there was an investigation going on,” Raisman told ESPN’s Outside the Lines, referring to USA Gymnastics. “They told me to be quiet. I thought that they were doing the right thing, and I didn’t want to tip off the investigation. I trusted them and I shouldn’t have.”
Meanwhile, other gymnasts reached settlements that would keep them from speaking publicly: McKayla Maroney, who won gold with Raisman in 2012 in London, reportedly faced a $100,000 fine from USA Gymnastics if she spoke out about Nassar (she originally came forward in December 2016) as part of a $1.25 million settlement. USA Gymnastics later issued a statement that said it “has not sought and will not seek any money from McKayla Maroney for her brave statements made in describing her victimization and abuse by Larry Nassar.”
The problems at USA Gymnastics weren’t limited to Nassar, as revealed in the Indianapolis Star’s extensive investigation. The Star discovered a pattern of coaches and others failing to report sex abuse to authorities and later uncovered more than 360 cases spanning 20 years in which gymnasts accused coaches of sexual misconduct.
Steve Penny, the CEO of USA Gymnastics for more than 10 years, resigned in March 2017 as the scandal unfolded. (He was also named in several lawsuits.) The organization also hired a former federal prosecutor, Deborah Daniels, last November to conduct an independent review on how it handles sexual assault allegations.
The review, released in June 2017, is striking in the obviousness of its recommendations, including that all members of USA Gymnastics report abuse immediately to authorities.
USA Gymnastics is, in some ways, still reeling from the Nassar allegations. Daniels called for a “complete cultural change” at the organization, and cited the atmosphere — where elite athletes are trained and taught to defer to authority figures such as coaches — as contributing to the roadblocks of rooting out and reporting abuse. USA Gymnastics unanimously adopted all 70 of the recommendations for implementation.
The microscope is also on Michigan State University
Many of Nassar’s victims say Michigan State has yet to answer for the Nassar fallout. Some of the lawsuits filed against the university say coaches, staff, and other university employees knew of the allegations against Nassar, and others have told ESPN Magazine and Detroit News that they warned coaches, trainers, and other university officials about his misconduct long before he was finally fired in 2016.
ESPN Outside the Lines interviewed four women who said they told MSU coaches or trainers about Nassar as far back as the 1990s. Two of those women said that they told Kathie Klages, MSU’s longtime gymnastic coach, in 1997 about Nassar. Klages resigned in February.
Others came forward after that. Tiffany Thomas Lopez, a former MSU softball player, told ESPN she complained about Nassar to three athletic trainers in 1998:
”I felt like they thought I was a liar,” Thomas Lopez says. She eventually met with Destiny Teachnor-Hauk, an athletic training supervisor. “She brushed me off, and made it seem like I was crazy. She made me feel like I was crazy.”
A separate Detroit News investigation found that no less than 14 MSU officials or representatives were aware of allegations against Nassar in the nearly 20 years before his arrest. At least eight women and girls had made complaints, including one who contacted local police officials.
In 2014, the university launched a Title IX investigation into Nassar after a recent MSU graduate reported that she had visited his clinic for hip pain, and he had massaged her breasts and vaginal area and appeared to be sexually aroused as he did so.
The university closed the investigation after three months, in July 2014. It dismissed the woman’s claim, concluding that she hadn’t understood the “nuanced difference” between sexual assault and an appropriate medical procedure.
According to the Indianapolis Star, the university consulted four experts to draw their conclusions — all of whom had ties to both the university and Nassar. The university attempted to reopen the 2014 Title IX investigation in December 2016, after a slew of women came forward against Nassar. (The woman involved is now suing the university, along with dozens of others.)
The Title IX investigation also forced police to open a criminal probe. The Lansing State Journal reported that MSU police also launched an investigation (as required by the Title IX complaint), and the Ingham County prosecutors also declined to bring charges.
Meanwhile, Nassar was allowed to see patients during that 2014 criminal investigation. What’s more, both USA Gymnastics and MSU admitted that they did not communicate to each other that Nassar was under investigation by their separate institutions, according to Michigan Live.
As the women delivered their impact statements in court this week, they also called out the university, alongside USA Gymnastics, for their lack of accountability. “It’s horrifying that MSU and USA Gymnastics are not stepping up to their plate to admit their wrongdoing,” Olivia Cowen said during her statement. “I’ve gone from a raving fan of MSU to now seeing green and white in the very same way I do Larry Nassar. I want MSU and USAG to know what they have done is on the very same level of accountability as the crime Nassar has committed.”
Many of Nassar’s victims were not world-famous athletes, and instead encountered abuse as student athletes at Michigan State, or elsewhere in the Michigan community.
“It’s hard to feel like, if I was an Olympic gymnast, maybe this would be different,” Jessica Smith, who says Nassar abused her when she was 17, told HuffPost. “If I was a football player at MSU or a basketball player at MSU, then maybe the public and MSU as an institution would care more.”
MSU has denied any cover-up relating to Nassar. “Any suggestion that the university covered up Nassar’s horrific conduct is simply false,” the university said in a statement, in response to the victim impact statements this week:
Words cannot express the sorrow we feel for Nassar’s victims; the thoughts and prayers of the entire MSU community are with these women as we listen to their heartbreaking testimony. … We want to say again that we are truly sorry for the abuse Nassar’s victims suffered, the pain it caused and the pain it continues to cause.
It’s unclear if university officials will face more serious consequences. MSU conducted an internal review of the handling of the Nassar case, led by former federal prosecutor and White House counsel Patrick Fitzgerald. Jason Cody, a spokesperson for MSU, told Michigan Public Radio that if the review turns up anything criminal, it will be referred to law enforcement.
Are gymnasts particularly vulnerable to abuse?
There’s an even broader question of institutional culpability in the Nassar case: the institution of elite gymnastics itself.
Abuse exists across Olympic sports. The US Olympic Committee has taken steps to address this, including opening the US Center for SafeSport, now an independent nonprofit, which oversees abuse reports and education and training for all 49 Olympic governing bodies.
Shellie Pfohl, the president and CEO for the Center for SafeSport, told Vox that one of their top priorities is to make sure those who come forward with abuse allegations aren’t retaliated against, and they are trying to foster a culture change that puts athletes’ safety first. “Protect athletes no matter what,” she said. “Their well-being is more important than making the team or earning a medal.”
But some argue that certain factors make elite gymnasts more vulnerable to abuse.
Top gymnasts are usually still in their teens: Gabby Douglas won the individual all-around title at the London Olympics at age 16 in 2012.
That means that teenagers are facing grueling physical training and an extremely competitive environment that can make them vulnerable to abuse — an environment journalist Joan Ryan described in 1995’s Little Girls in Pretty Boxes, a book exposing the abuses top female gymnasts and figure skaters face.
“My whole book was about really framing what goes on in elite gymnastics as legal, celebrated child abuse,” Ryan said. “There is nobody looking out for these girls.”
Girls in the sport are desperate to achieve, and just as desperate to please the adults around them, she concluded. And that makes them vulnerable. In this environment, Ryan said this week in an interview with Vox, “the abnormal starts to become normal.”
Ashley Stirling, a professor of kinesiology and physical education at the University of Toronto, stressed that athletes of any age or gender are no more or less susceptible to sexual abuse than other groups of people.
But, she said, the research has shown that among athletes, women and girls at “the imminent age of achievement” are the most vulnerable — which in gymnastics is frequently adolescents and young teens.
“The younger that age is, the more at risk that sport is to sexual violence,” Stirling said. She added the risk factors increase for those who define themselves as athletes — something particularly true for an Olympian or other top athlete.
Such competitors may fear speaking out because it may feel as if they’re sacrificing their goals — and part of their identity.
That can increase the pressure to keep quiet about abuse. Teenage girls, said Ryan, are training like professional athletes, under enormous pressure, and are grateful to be with the top coaches. They have a short window to succeed in the sport. Rocking the boat, so to speak, isn’t an option.
“These are girls,” she said. “If you are an elite gymnast you are a perfectionist. You’re totally driven. Totally focused. Your parents have probably mortgaged the house and they have a lot riding on your success, [so] you’re not going to disappoint anybody.”
Update: This post has been updated with details about the “Fierce Five.”
Gymnastics 'How do you sleep at night?' Olympic duo Wieber and Raisman confront Larry Nassar in court Jordyn Wieber fourth member of Fierce Five to break silence
Aly Raisman lauds ‘army of survivors’ in impact statement
Attorney general to investigate university’s handling of allegations Olympic gold medalist Jordyn Wieber speaks on the fourth day of Larry Nasser’s sentencing hearing. Photograph: Brendan Mcdermid/Reuters
Olympic gold medalists Jordyn Wieber and Aly Raisman said in court on Friday they were among the 140 girls and women who were sexually abused by longtime USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar.
Wieber, who helped the USA team known as the Fierce Five to a gold medal at the London Olympics, addressed the abuse for the first time publicly in a victim impact statement on the fourth day of the disgraced former physician’s sentencing hearing in Michigan.
“Even though I’m a victim, I do not and will not live my life as one,” said Wieber, a Michigan native who began seeing Nassar from the age of eight until she was 18. “I’m an Olympian despite being abused. I worked hard and managed to achieve my goal. But I want everyone especially the media to know that despite my athletic achievements I am one of over 140 women and survivors whose story is important.”
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Wieber delivered her victim impact statement on Friday, addressing her abuse for the first time publicly.
She added: “Larry Nassar is accountable. USA Gymnastics is accountable. The US Olympic Committee is accountable. My teammates and friends have been through enough, and now it’s time for change. The current gymnasts should not have to live in anxiety and fear as I did.”
Raisman, a six-time Olympic medalist who went public with her story in November after speaking to FBI investigators after last year’s Rio Games, spoke directly to Nassar.
“Adult after adult protected you,” Raisman said. “How do you sleep at night? You are the person they had ‘take the lead on athlete care.’ I cringe to think your influence remains in the policies they [USA Gymnastics] claim will make athletes safe.
“I will not rest until every last trace of the influence you had on this sport has been destroyed like the cancer it is.”
'You are pure evil': Larry Nassar says it’s too hard to listen to victim statements Read more
Nassar, an osteopath who spent nearly 30 years as trainer and national medical coordinator with the USA Gymnastics program, faces a minimum sentence of 25 to 40 years in federal prison after admitting to molesting girls at Michigan State University and his home under the guise of medical treatment. The 54-year-old has already been given an additional 60 years in a separate case regarding child abuse images.
The statements by Wieber and Raisman came as Michigan State’s board of trustees called on the state’s attorney general to review the university’s handling of the Nassar complaints amid mounting calls for the resignation of school president Lou Anna Simon – including a scathing front-page editorial by the independent student newspaper that cast “Simon, her appointees and cheerleaders” as “enablers”.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Raisman, a six-time Olympic medalist, confronted Nassar in court on Friday.
The eight-member board, who will hold a unscheduled, closed-door meeting on Friday, wrote in a letter to Bill Schuette that “questions grew louder this week with the victim impact statements. After watching many of these heartbreaking statements and reading accounts about them, we have concluded that only a review by your office can resolve the questions in a way that the victims, their families, and the public will deem satisfactory and that will help all those affected by Nassar’s horrible crimes to heal.”
Many statements from victims and their attorneys have centered on the institutions that allegedly enabled or were negligent in preventing Nassar’s abuse for as long as two decades: Michigan State, USA Gymnastics and the United States Olympic Committee, all of which have been named as co-defendants in civil suits that appear headed to trial.
But the board’s letter reopens the possibility of criminal action that so far has not extended beyond Nassar himself.
The statements continued into the afternoon when Nassar broke down in tears during the testimony of Trenea Gonzcar, who said she’d known him for more than 30 years.
“I hope you cry like we cry,” Gonzcar said, shaking as he took off his glasses and wiped his eyes. “I hope you feel bad for what you’ve done. I hope...everyday these girls can feel less pain. But this is goodbye to you, Larry,” Gonzcar told him.
While Nassar’s sentencing hearing was initially scheduled to conclude on Friday, judge Rosemarie Aquilina said it would be extended to Monday or Tuesday in order to hear all the statements of about 40 more survivors, many of whom, including Gonzcar, signed up with the district attorney’s office over the course of the week.
In all, 89 victims have given statements so far.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Gold medalists Raisman and Wieber face their abuser
A gold-medal winning Olympian has confronted disgraced USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar at his sentencing to reveal he abused her, too.
Jordyn Wieber is the fourth member of the Fierce Five, the winning 2012 Summer Olympics squad, to accuse him.
She joins teammates Aly Raisman, Gabby Douglas and McKayla Maroney, who all said Nassar, 54, molested them.
More than 100 victims have come forward. Nassar admitted 10 criminal counts and could face life in prison.
In emotional testimony, 22-year-old Ms Wieber delivered her statement in court near Lansing, Michigan, on Friday.
"I thought that training for the Olympics would be the hardest thing that I would ever have to do," she said.
Image copyright Reuters Image caption Jordyn Wieber, right, embraces teammate Aly Raisman at the hearing
"But, in fact, the hardest thing I ever had to do is process that I am a victim of Larry Nassar."
USA gymnastics' abuse scandal - the story so far
The judge has allowed scores of Nassar's victims to address him in court.
Accusers keep coming
Rajini Vaidyanathan, BBC News, Lansing, Michigan
For four days this week courtroom number five at Ingham County Court has been the scene of powerful testimony. Young women have taken the stand to do what few survivors of sexual abuse ever get the chance to do - confront their attacker.
The public seating area has been packed, as gymnasts and their families support each other. Tissue boxes are scattered across seats - the testimony has been emotional.
All the while, Larry Nassar, the doctor they say violated them, has been sitting feet away. At one stage he was told to look up.
Survivors here don't just want him sentenced to life, they want him - the man they trusted - to face up to what he did.
The impact of this case can't be underestimated. By Friday lunchtime around 80 women had shared testimony.
But more than 100 say they plan to, as the hearings extend into next week.
(Follow @BBCRajiniV for updates).
Ms Wieber, standing next to her teammate Ms Raisman, told a Michigan court she was first molested by Nasser at age 14.
She told the court Nassar had often been one of the only men allowed at training camp in Texas and he would sometimes be in their hotel rooms alone and unsupervised.
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The judge has called Nassar "vile"
"USA Gymnastics is accountable. The US Olympic Committee is accountable," said Ms Wieber.
Nassar had also worked as a team physician for Michigan State University.
Image copyright The White House Image caption President Obama meets with the "Fierce Five" after their 2012 Olympics win
Her teammate and fellow gold medallist, Ms Raisman, delivered a stirring speech on Friday, calling the women who have come forward an "army of survivors".
"And now, Larry, it's your turn to listen to me," she said.
"The tables have turned, Larry," Ms Raisman continued. "We are here. We have our voices, and we are not going anywhere."
Ms Raisman added: "I am here to face you, Larry, so you can see I have regained my strength, that I'm no longer a victim. I'm a survivor.
"Larry, you do realise now that we, this group of women you so heartlessly abused over such a long period of time, are now a force and you are nothing."
Nassar's sentencing could continue into Monday as victims continue to come forward.
He already faces 60 years behind bars after pleading guilty to child pornography charges.
It is the dream of many young athletes to one day make it to the Olympics, but in the end that is a feat only a handful manage to achieve in their lives.
Aly Raisman, McKayla Maroney, Jordyn Wieber and Jamie Dantzscher are among the very select few who not only made it to the Olympics but also took home a medal, proving to be the best of the best in the gymnastics world.
That accomplishment pales in comparison to what those four women and 85 others did in a Michigan courtroom this week however, as they faced their abuser and former doctor Larry Nassar.
The women were composed, steely and refused to buckle under pressure as they delivered powerful statements detailing the impact Nassar's sexual abuse has had on them over the years.
It was an inspiring and emotional display by these women, who in using their voices to speak out about their abuse once again made their country proud.
And there are more statements to come, with 31 victims set to testify next week beginning on Monday.
Judge Rosemarie Aquilina is then expected to announce Nassar's sentence on Tuesday.
Scroll down for videos
Making her mark: Aly Raisman delivered a powerful victim impact statement on Friday, speaking at time on behalf of all the woman abused by Larry Nassar
Breaking her silence: Jordyn Wieber was the first person to speak during day four of Larry Nassar's sentencing on Friday, revealing she was a victim of the doctor for the first time
Coward: Larry Nassar once again hid behind his hands for much of the proceedings on Friday (above)
FRIDAY
Raisman reclaimed her power and eviscerated Nassar as she stared down the pedophile doctor and delivered a remarkable impact statement on Friday.
The six-time Olympic medalist turned heads earlier in the day when she made a surprise appearance at the Michigan court where Nassar is being sentenced, just before the hearing was to start.
She entered the courtroom with another surprise guest, fellow Fierce Five teammate Jordyn Wieber, who grew up in the area and was just 8 when she began working with Nassar.
'I am here to face you, Larry, so you can see I've regained my strength,' said Raisman.
'That I am no longer a victim. I am a survivor.'
Raisman shed not a single tear and showed no sign of weakness as she spoke, looking right at Nassar the entire time.
'I didn't think I would be here today,' said Raisman, who had previously announced her statement would be read in court by a member of the district attorney's office.
'I was scared and nervous. It wasn't until I listened to the other brave survivors that I realized I needed to be here.'
She did not detail her abuse, and said only that Nassar's grooming began when the two were in Australia, and that she was eventually manipulated into believing that the doctor's 'inappropriate touch would heal my pain.'
I am here to face you Larry so you can see I've regained my strength. That I'm no longer a victim, I'm a survivor. I am no longer that little girl you met in Australia, where you first began grooming and manipulating. As for your letter yesterday, you are pathetic to think that anyone would have any sympathy for you. You think this is hard for you? Imagine how all of us feel. -Aly Raisman, 23 (Jan. 19)
Raisman knows better now she said in her statement.
'You never healed me. You took advantage of our passions and our dreams,' said Raisman.
'Imagine feeling like you have no power, and no voice. Well you know what Larry, I have my power and my voice,and I will use them.'
Raisman also used her time in court to speak on behalf of all the victims in the case.
'The tables have turned, Larry. We are here. We have our voices, and we are not going anywhere, said Raisman.
'And now, Larry, it’s your turn to listen to me.'
Raisman proceeded to call Nassar 'pathetic,' among other things, for the letter he sent the judge earlier this week complaining about the toll these impact statements were taking on his mental health.
'You are pathetic to think that anyone would have any sympathy for you. You think this is hard for you? Imagine how all of us feel,' Raisman told Nassar.
When she had finished, Judge Rosemarie Aquilina shared a few words with the brave survivor.
'You were never the problem, but you are so much the solution,' said Judge Aquilina.
'You are unstoppable. You are part of an unstoppable growing force, an unstoppable, strong, loud voice. The effects of your voice are far-reaching. It's not just in this courtroom, but worldwide.'
Judge Aquilina then told Raisman: 'You're one of the strongest survivors I have ever seen.'
Raisman and Wieber spent the entire day in the courtroom, returning after lunch in a show of support for the other women who were sharing their stories that day.
Triumph: Raisman hugs her mother Lynn after delivering her statement on Friday (above)
Proud: 'Even though I'm a victim, I do not and will not live my life as one. I am an Olympian,' said Wieber
It was Wieber who walked to the podium to start the day, revealing for the first time that she was one of the many young women who was sexually assaulted by Larry Nassar.
Wieber fought back tears as she addressed her abuser, who as he has done for the past few days hid his hands.
'I thought that training for the Olympics would be the hardest thing I would ever had to do,' said Wieber.
I thought that training for the Olympics would be the hardest thing I would ever had to do. But in fact, the hardest thing I ever had to do was process that I was a victim of Larry Nassar. -Jordyn Wieber, 22 (Jan. 19)
'But in fact, the hardest thing I ever had to do was process that I was a victim of Larry Nassar.'
'It has caused me to feel shame and confusion,' said Wieber of her abuse when she took the podium at the start of the day.
'I have spent months trying to think back on my experience and wonder how I didn't know what was happening to me and how I became so brainwashed by Larry Nassar and everyone at USA Gymnastics. Both whom I thought were supposed to be on MY side.'
Wieber, as many women have done before her this week, noted that Nassar was not the only person who should be held accountable for these horrifying acts.
'Larry Nassar is accountable. USA Gymnastics is accountable. The U.S. Olympic Committee is accountable,' said Wieber.
'My teammates and friends have been through enough and now it's time for change. The current gymnasts should not have to live in anxiety and fear as I did.'
Wieber, 22, later told the court that her abuse began when she was 14, and went on for years, stating: 'He did it time after time, appointment after appointment.'
She later noted: 'The worst part is I had no idea he was sexually abusing me.'
High price: 'I thought that training for the Olympics would be the hardest thing I would ever had to do,' said Wieber
Still going: Raisman seemed intent on making sure that Nassar saw her and the other victims in court
Brave young woman: Chelsea, who is just 15, followed Wieber in court on Friday with her mother by her side (above)
Sisters: 'Today, I am a 15-year-old girl, and throughout my years in high school I've struggled. For the longest time, you deprived me of my happiness,' said Maddie (right with parents and sister Kara on left)
Wieber also said that she, Raisman and McKayla Maroney discussed the concerns they all had with Nassar's treatment, before revealing that all three kept quiet because they did not want to jeopardize their spot on the Olympic team.
'Was Larry even doing anything to help my pain? Was I getting the proper medical care? What was he thinking about when he massaged my sore muscles every day?' asked Wieber.
'Now, I question everything.'
Even at the pinnacle of her career has been tarnished because of Nassar, with Wieber revealing: 'Our bodies were all hanging by a thread in London. Who was the doctor that USAG sent? The doctor who was our abuser.'
This is all your fault, we wouldn't be here in the first place if it wasn't for you. You are a coward and a sickening man. You did this to me. You're the one causing all this pain I am a survivor. Here I am today, facing my abuser. I'm finally being heard. I'm no longer hiding my story. - Chelsea, 15 (Jan. 19)
Wieber is working to move past her abuse she said, and is refusing to let what Nassar did to her define her life.
'Even though I'm a victim, I do not and will not live my life as one,' said Wieber.
'I am an Olympian.'
Wieber then made a point of stating that her Olympic title carries no weight in this trial.
'I want everyone, especially the media, to know that despite my athletic achievements, I am one of over 140 women and survivors whose story is important,' said Wieber.
'Our pain is all the same, and our stories are all important.
Wieber was followed by Chelsea , who at just 15 was the youngest victim to appear in court this week.
She was abused by Nassar three years ago.
She appeared with her mother as she is a minor, and bravely delivered her tearful statement.
Chelsea said that she tore a muscle in her stomach when she was 12 and went to see Nassar, noting at one point how he told her to wear loose shorts so that he could have easier access to her body.
'It's so sickening that he did that to me,' said Chelsea.
Chelsea went on to call Nassar a 'monster,' and revealed that her love for gymnastics almost disappeared because of his abuse.
'This is all your fault, we wouldn't be here in the first place if it wasn't for you,' said the teenager.
'You are a coward and a sickening man. You did this to me. You're the one causing all this pain.'
She closed out her statement by saying: 'I am a survivor. Here I am today, facing my abuser. I'm finally being heard. I'm no longer hiding my story.'
She then asked Judge Aquilina that Nassar receive the maximum sentence.
Powerful words: The victim impact statement written by McKayla Maroney was read in court on Thursday by Angela Povilaitis
No smiles: 'I remember your obnoxious laugh,' said Jamie Dantzscher. 'I don’t see you laughing now.'
No words: Maroney, 22, said one night in Tokyo she woke up after Nassar gave her a sleeping pill and felt like she was oing to die as he sexually assaulted her (Nassar above on Thursday)
THURSDAY
Day three of the sentencing kicked off on a strange note Thursday, with the disgraced doctor submitting a letter to the court.
Nassar wrote in the letter that Judge Rosemarie Aquilina was conducting a 'four-day media circus' for her own gain, and claimed that 'listening to impact statements is detrimental to his mental health.'
Fifty women had delivered victim impact statements at that point, with another 55 scheduled to speak at that time.
New women had begun calling the district attorney's office to add their names to the list however that same day.
'She wants me to sit in the witness box next to her for all four days so the media cameras will be directed toward her,' Nassar wrote in his six-page, single-spaced complaint.
Judge Aquilina, who has spent all four days this week individually addressing each victim after they delivered their statements in court, did the same for Nassar in the wake of his comments.
She began with a bit of a caveat however, explaining: 'I am not a therapist. But if I was, I would not be yours.'
Judge Aquilina did show some empathy as well for the convicted child molester, responding to Nassar's claim that he twice passed out before his federal sentencing back in December by saying: 'I'm sorry about that, sir. I wish you well.'
You may find it harsh that you are here listening. But nothing is as harsh than what your victims endured for thousands of hours at your hands. Spending four or five days listening to them is significantly minor considering the hours of pleasure you’ve had at their expense and ruining their lives. -Judge Rosemarie Aqilina (Jan. 18)
In the end however, there was little empathy to be had for the predator.
'This isn’t worth the paper it’s written on, there’s no truth in there, it’s delusional,' said Judge Aquilina, who pointed out that Nassar signed off on this when he accepted a plea deal.
'I didn't orchestrate this, you did,' she reminded Nassar.
Judge Aquilina also referred to his words as 'mumbo jumbo' during her ten-minute response to Nassar's mental health concerns, before pointing out that he got off easier than the women in that courtroom.
'You may find it harsh that you are here listening. But nothing is as harsh than what your victims endured for thousands of hours at your hands,' said Judge Aquilina.
'Spending four or five days listening to them is significantly minor considering the hours of pleasure you’ve had at their expense and ruining their lives.'
She then noted: 'None of this should come as a surprise to you.
Nassar then got even more bad news when Judge Aquilina reminded him that 125 women were offered the chance to speak and said she would extend the hearing for as long as it took for each of those victims to deliver their impact statements.
Judge Aquilina also found some time for humor while addressing Nassar's complaint as well, with the serial predator sitting silently in the witness stand as she spoke.
'Now this is entertaining to me,' she said at one point, before reading from Nassar's letter.
'Aquilina said if I pass out she'll have the EMTs revive me and prop me up in the witness box.'
The judge took a beat and paused before looking at Nassar and saying: 'I suspect you have watched too much television. It's delusional. You need to talk about these issues with a therapist and that's not me.'
She then moved on to his next grievance, reading: 'Aquilina is allowing them all to talk. She wants me to sit in the witness box next to her for all four days so the media cameras will be directed at her.'
Judge Aquilina looked at Nassar in disbelief, before responding: 'I don't have a dog in this fight, sir. I didn't want even one victim to lose their voice.'
It was also revealed while Judge Aquilina was going through the letter that court adjourned early on Wednesday so Nassar could receive treatment from mental health professionals.
Where to begin: Judge Aquilina then spent ten minutes responding to the six-page, single-spaced complaint
Dumb: Larry Nassar (above on Thursday with his lawyer) said in a letter submitted to Judge Rosemarie Aquilina on Thursday that 'listening to impact statements is detrimental to his mental health'
Olympian Jamie Dantzscher was the first to speak on Thursday, with the member of the 2000 team that went to Sydney looking right at her abuser.
'Dr. Nassar is no doctor at all, I'll refer to him as Larry,' she said to start.
'I remember your obnoxious laugh and how you would slurp the drool off your lip,' recalled the Bronze-medalist at one point.
'I don’t see you laughing now.'
She declined to detail her abuse however, and explained her reason.
'I'm not going to say everything you did to me because I know a sick bastard like you will enjoy hearing it,' said Dantzscher.
Dantzscher did describe the aftermath of the abuse though, saying: 'I struggled with anorexia, bulimia, and depression so severe that I was hospitalized for attempting suicide.'
It all started when I was 13 or 14 years old, at one of my first National Team training camps, in Texas, and it didn’t end until I left the sport. It seemed whenever and wherever this man could find the chance, I was 'treated.' It happened in London before my team and I won the Gold medal, and It happened before I won my Silver Medal.' The statement continued: 'For me, the scariest night of my life happened when I was 15 years old. I had flown all day and night with the team to get to Tokyo. He’d given me a sleeping pill for the flight, and the next thing I know, I was all alone with him in his hotel room getting a 'treatment.' I thought I was going to die that night. -McKayla Maroney, 22 (Jan. 18)
Then, she let Nassar have it, saying: 'How f***ing dare you say "sorry" for all you've done. We all see through your bulls*** now. You're a pathetic monster who's only sorry he got caught.'
A few hours later, McKayla Maroney finally got her day in court.
The Gold-medal winning gymnast was not in attendance, and so it fell to Angela Povilaitis from the district attorney's office to deliver Maroney's powerful words.
'It all started when I was 13 or 14 years old, at one of my first National Team training camps, in Texas, and it didn’t end until I left the sport,' wrote Maroney of her abuse.
'It seemed whenever and wherever this man could find the chance, I was “treated.” It happened in London before my team and I won the Gold medal, and It happened before I won my Silver Medal.'
The statement continued: 'For me, the scariest night of my life happened when I was 15 years old. I had flown all day and night with the team to get to Tokyo. He’d given me a sleeping pill for the flight, and the next thing I know, I was all alone with him in his hotel room getting a “treatment.” I thought I was going to die that night.'
Maroney also made a point of calling out those who let Nassar thrive for so long.
'How could have Larry Nassar been allowed to assault so many women and girls for more than two decades?' she asked.
'The answer to that question lies in the failure of not one, but three major institutions to stop him -- Michigan State University, USA Gymnastics and the United States Olympic Committee.'
She went on to say that these organizations had the power to stop Nassar, but chose to do nothing.
'A simple fact is this. If Michigan State University, USA Gymnastics and the US Olympic Committee had paid attention to any of the red flags in Larry Nassar’s behavior I never would have met him, I never would have been “treated” by him, and I never would have been abused by him,' wrote Maroney.
Then, just like her Fierce Five teammate Aly Raisman did earlier this week, Maroney made it clear that she wanted to see some accountability from the doctor's enablers.
'It is time to hold the leadership of Michigan State University, USA Gymnastics and the United States Olympic Committee accountable for allowing, and in some cases enabling, his crimes,' said Maroney.
'Our silence has given the wrong people power for too long, and it’s time to take our power back.'
Second time: The second day of the sentencing hearing for Larry Nassar began on Wednesday (Thomas Brennan and victim Gwen Anderson in court on Wednesday)
WEDNESDAY
Multiple victims came forward on day two to deliver scathing indictments of the disgraced doctor, revealing the damage he had done with his years of sexual abuse.
It was not just the female victims who spoke in court either, with Judge Aquilina offering Thomas Brennan a chance to deliver his own impact statement.
Breannan was in the courtroom to support victim Gwen Anderson, and erupted in the middle of the young woman's tearful statement when he saw that Nassar was hiding his face.
'Look at her!' Brennan screamed at Nassar, as tears rolled down Anderson's face.
He then leaned in to the microphone as he and Anderson returned to their seats, saying: 'For the record, go to hell.'
I have a different relationship with Larry from the standpoint that I was a coach for many years. I’m also an exercise physiologist. When I graduated from grad school, he was an advisor of mine, he’s been a mentor of mine. I’ve done clinics with him for years in the past. And I’ve probably sent well over 100 kids to him over the years. So the guilt I feel for that is hard to fathom.' Brennan continued: 'So, he didn’t only deceive these girls, which is honest to god, that’s the worst of the worst, is what he did to these girls, so they have the voice. But what you did to everybody else who trusted you and sent girls your way is disgusting. Reprehensible. Unforgivable. That’s all I’ve got to say. -Thomas Brennan (Jan. 17)
That is when Judge Aquilinia asked him to return to the podium, not to chide him for the outburst but rather to see if he had anything else to say.
'Anything else you’d like to say?' asked Judge Aquilina.
'Me?' responded Brennan.
'You. You’re here sir. You spoke out. I’m allowing you an opportunity. You seem to have a few things you would like to say that I think the world probably wants to hear. So do I.'
Brennan paused for a moment and then proceeded to deliver his own powerful speech touching upon the guilt he felt as a result of Nassar's abuse.
'I have a different relationship with Larry from the standpoint that I was a coach for many years. I’m also an exercise physiologist,' revealed Brennan.
'When I graduated from grad school, he was an advisor of mine, he’s been a mentor of mine. I’ve done clinics with him for years in the past. And I’ve probably sent well over 100 kids to him over the years. So the guilt I feel for that is hard to fathom.'
Brennan continued: 'So, he didn’t only deceive these girls, which is honest to god, that’s the worst of the worst, is what he did to these girls, so they have the voice. But what you did to everybody else who trusted you and sent girls your way is disgusting. Reprehensible. Unforgivable. That’s all I’ve got to say.'
Then, just as she has done with every single person who has stepped up to deliver a victim impact statement throughout the trial, Judge Aquilina had a few powerful and encouraging words of her own for Brennan.
'Sir, thank you very much for speaking up,' said Judge Aquilina.
'I hear that guilt that you feel and probably so many who brought girls to him have the same voice, sentiment that you do. But again, I truly appreciate there not being any blame on anyone who should not take the blame as well.'
She continued: 'There is no girl who was assaulted who is blaming you or anybody else. Thankfully the blame lies solely with the defendant.'
Disdain: 'You actually are not a real doctor. You're not a doctor at all. You're a serial child molester. A pedophile,' said Gwen Nichols
Told foo: Then, as he and Anderson returned to the gallery, Brennan leaned into the microphone at the podium and said to Nassar (above on Wednesday): 'For the record, go to hell'
Anderson used her time in front of the court to take back her power.
'I didn't want to go public because I was scared that my students would see me at my weakest moments, that they'd see me as a victim,' said Anderson.
'But I've come to realize that this is not my weakest moment. This is my moment of strength.'
The middle school teacher also said that because of her job she is reminded every single day how young and defenseless she and the other victims were at the time.
'I still can’t think about it. We were just kids. We were just kids,' said Anderson.
It wasn't just Larry it was all the people, all the people. Including USA Gymnastics, and I see that you're representing them there [looking at new president Kerry Perry]. They're accountable. They are accountable. And I don't want to hear any more statements from everybody else, 'we're doing this and we're doing that, we have a safer place now.' It's too late now.' -Gina Nichols, mother of national team member of Maggie (Jan. 17)
The day began with the mother of national team member Maggie Nichols reading the impact statement her daughter released last week before saying a few words of her own to Nassar.
'A real doctor helps heal,' said Gina Nichols while staring down Nassar.
'He doesn't hurt. You actually are not a real doctor. You're not a doctor at all. You're a serial child molester. A pedophile.'
She also made a point of turning around to address the head of USA Gymnastics, saying: 'It wasn't just Larry it was all the people, all the people.'
Gina continued: 'Including USA Gymnastics, and I see that you're representing them there [looking at new president Kerry Perry]. They're accountable. They are accountable. And I don't want to hear any more statements from everybody else, "we're doing this and we're doing that, we have a safer place now."'
She then stated: 'It's too late now.'
Perry was later joined in court by the head of Michigan State University President Lou Ann K. Simon, who was absent from the proceedings on Tuesday.
The university has also been criticized for allowing Nassar's behavior to go unreported for so long.
'You convinced my parents that I was a liar. That you didn't strategically place lotion in the basement so you could beat your penis while I hid. But I still get sick at the smell of that lotion,' said Stephens
Kyle Stephens (above), a victim of former Team USA doctor Larry Nassar, gives her victim impact statement during the sentencing hearing
TUESDAY
Nassar's hearing began with an emotional and powerful impact statement from Kyle Stephens.
She revealed she was sexually abused by the disgraced gymnastics doctor from the age of six to 12.
Stephens told the court he would pleasure himself in front of her, insert his finger in her vagina and rub his erect penis on her body.
Throughout her entire statement she looked directly at Nassar, who covered his face and cried, and revealed that when she was 12 she told her parents about the abuse.
Nassar convinced her mother and father that she was lying, said Stephens, who revealed herself for the first time on Tuesday after being known only as 'Victim ZA' in court papers.
Little girls don't stay little forever. They turn into strong women who return to destroy your world. -Kyle Stephens, 22 (Jan. 16)
Stephens said on Tuesday that when her father learned the truth about what had happened he took his own life.
'Little girls don't stay little forever,' said Stephens.
'They turn into strong women who return to destroy your world.'
Nassar hid his face behind his hands the entire time, never once looking at his victim.
'After my parents confronted you, they brought you back to my house to speak with me. Sitting on my living room couch I listened to you tell me that no one should ever do that, and if they do, you should tell someone,' said Stephens.
'Well Larry, I'm here. Not to tell someone, but to tell everyone.'
She then listed all the abuses she endured at the hands of Nassar, who entered a guilty plea to charges stemming from his assault of Stephens back in November.
'You convinced my parents that I was a liar. That you didn't strategically place lotion in the basement so you could beat your penis while I hid. But I still get sick at the smell of that lotion,' said Stephens.
'You convinced my parents that you didn't pull my feet into your lap, unzip your pants, and rub your erect penis against my bare skin. But I still flinch when my feet are near someone's lap.'
She then closed out by stating: 'You convinced my parents that you didn't stick your fingers up my adolescent vagina. But I knew, when it came time to use my first tampon that my hymen wasn't intact.'
Donna Markham (above) spoke about how her daughter Chelsy began abusing drugs in the wake of Nassar's abuse and later committed suicide at the age of 23
He rests his head in his hands as one woman after another told the court about their horrifying experience at his hands
The courtroom was completely silent while Stephens held back her tears and continued to look directly at Nassar's obscured face.
'You used my body for six years for your own sexual gratification. That is unforgivable,' said Stephens.
'I've been coming for you a long time. I've told counselors your name in hope that they would report you, I have reported you to Child Protective Services twice, I gave a testament to get your medical license revoked.'
Later in the day, Judge Aqualina addressed victim Annette Hill after she spoke about how even as an adult with children of her own she considered taking her own life because of what happened to her years ago with Nassar.
Every day I miss her. Every day. And it all started with him. It all started with him, and it just became worse as the years went by until she just couldn't deal with it anymore. -Donna Markham, whose daughter Chelsy took her life at 23 (Jan. 16)
'I think about suicide to turn off the thoughts,' said Hill, bursting into tears.
'With suicide, he wins,' she told Hill.
'He will not win, please stay with us.'
That will not be the case for Donna Markham, who brought most in the courtroom to tears revealing how her daughter Chelsy informed her at the age of 12 that Nassar had put his ungloved fingers into her vagina.
Chelsy later began to abuse drugs, which her mother believes was a direct consequence the abuse she suffered while ebing treated by Nassat.
Then, in 2009, she took her own life. She was just 23.
'Every day I miss her. Every day. And it all started with him. It all started with him, and it just became worse as the years went by until she just couldn't deal with it anymore,' said Markham while weeping in court.
Victims: Nassar abused at least four members of the Fierce Five (l to r: Raisman, Maroney, Douglas and Wieber with their all-around team Gold in 2012)
CONTROVERSIES AND NEW DEVELOPMENTS
There had been concern that Maroney might not be able to share her statement without incurring a $100,000 fine as part of her 2016 settlement with USA Gymnastics which included a NDA that Maroney is now challenging in a lawsuit.
That all changed however thanks to massive public support for the gymnast after model and cookbook author Chrissy Teigen posted a DailyMail.com headline on her Twitter account on Tuesday.
After reading that McKayla could be forced to pay USA Gymnastics for breaking her silence, Teigen said she would cover the expense for the sexual abuse victim.
That ultimately shamed the group into announcing its sudden change of heart.
‘USA Gymnastics has not sought and will not seek any money from McKayla Maroney for her brave statements made in describing her victimization and abuse by Larry Nassar, nor for any victim impact statements she wants to make to Larry Nassar at this hearing or at any subsequent hearings related to his sentencing,’ the organization said in a statement on Tuesday night.
‘This has been her right and USA Gymnastics encourages McKayla and anyone who has been abused to speak out. USA Gymnastics remains focused on our highest priority — the safety, health and well-being of our athletes and creating a culture that empowers and supports them.’
Maroney, who was a member of the squad who took home Gold at the 2012 London Games, revealed in a lawsuit filed last month that she received $1.25 million from the organization in December 2016.
The two-time world-champion vaulter agreed to sign a non-disclosure agreement as part of the deal, which imposes a $100,000 fine should she ever speak about Nassar or the abuse she suffered at the heads of the disgraced doctor.
Maroney, who was represented by Gloria Allred when she accepted that settlement, said that she was in desperate need of the money due to her deteriorating psychological state and need for treatment as a result of the abuse she suffered at the hands of Nassar.
She said at one point she was even thought about taking her own life.
Wieber's decision to come forward was applauded by Judge Rosemarie Aquilina, who for the fourth straight day continued to address each victim after they spoke in court.
She told the young woman that despite her wish to play down her fame, what she did in court on Friday would inspire countless other young girls and women.
Wieber is retired from competitive gymnastics and now coaches the team at UCLA, where one of her athletes is fellow Fierce Five member Kyla Ross.
She is now the fourth member of the five-person London squad to reveal she was assaulted by Nassar, following Maroney, Raisman and Gabby Douglas.
Maroney had her impact statement read in court on Thursday and Raisman is expected to deliver her thoughts on Nassar later in the day on Friday.
Simone Biles, a member of the 2016 Rio team, also came forward to reveal she was one of Nasar's victims earlier this week.
Maroney revealed in a lawsuit filed last month that she received $1.25 million from the organization in December 2016.
The two-time world-champion vaulter agreed to sign a non-disclosure agreement as part of the deal, which imposes a $100,000 fine should she ever speak about Nassar or the abuse she suffered at the heads of the disgraced doctor.
Maroney, who was represented by Gloria Allred when she accepted that settlement, said that she was in desperate need of the money due to her deteriorating psychological state and need for treatment as a result of the abuse she suffered at the hands of Nassar.
She said at one point she was even thought about taking her own life.
Maroney is now suing USA Gymnastics - with her legal team arguing that it was illegal for the organization to have her sign a clause demanding her silence about her molestation.
A number of victims have also criticized Michigan State University these past four days.
The school was Nassar's employer until September 2016, and failed to report a number of concerns about the doctor to authorities.
The university's board of trustees acknowledged that criticism Friday, asking Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette to conduct an outside review of its actions.
'We are making this request because we believe your review may be needed to answer the public's questions concerning MSU's handling of the Nassar situation,' the trustees said in a letter to Schuette.
'These questions grew louder this week with the victim impact statements.'
