MSU doctor has been fired after allegations of sexual misconduct
A member of the 2000 Olympic gymnastics team alleged that he sexual abused her
Earlier this week, Michigan State University fired Doctor Larry Nassar after more allegations of sexual abuse and assault come to light. Before coming to MSU, Nassar was the team doctor of the national gymnastics team for 20 years. During this time, it is said that he assaulted at least two girls, if not more, while they competed on the U.S olympic and national teams.
His release comes after the university found out that he was “violating employment requirements” after school officials were notified of a misconduct complaint that was filed by a 2014 graduate of MSU. The 2014 complaint had nothing come of it and no formal charges were filed but in the past couple of weeks, two more other gymnasts, one of which is an Olympic medalist, have claimed that Nassar molested them both in the past. He is denying any and all of the allegations.
Nasser with a MSU crew member while being treated for an injury. Credit to sportsmed.msu.edu
The Olympian, who has chosen to remain unidentified, claimed that Nassar molested her over the course of six years during her training, beginning at the age of just 12. Her case claims not only the abuse, but that USA gymnastics knew about the abuses and chose to do nothing about it because the organization didn’t want to have a scandal on their hands.
Above is the 2000 olympic gymnastics team that took the prozone medal in the all around competition. Credit to gymnastics.about.com
Another gymnast, Rachael Denhollander, has come forward after recent events. She claims that he assaulted her five times during physical examinations with her mother in the room. But he placed himself in a way that the girls mother was unable to see anything. Denhollander was being treated for back pain at Michigan State in her teens.
Rachael Denhollander in her interview with the NY Daily News
Both girls claim that they felt special to know he wanted to treat them. The anonymous athlete told The Indy Star, “It felt like a privilege to be seen by him. I trusted him.” Denhollander spoke to the New York Daily News and claimed, “I was terrified by his abuse. I was ashamed and very embarrassed. He’s this famous team doctor. He’s trusted by my friends. He’s trusted by these other gymnasts.”
Nassar’s legal team denies any of the charges that have been made against him. Before the allegations, he was one of the top olympic doctors. He has been highly respected for his decades of treatment to our nations athletes. We will keep you up to date with any new information that gets released.