Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman says she is among the young women sexually abused by a former USA Gymnastics team doctor.
Raisman tells “60 Minutes” she was 15 when she was first treated by Dr. Larry Nassar, who spent more than two decades working with athletes at USA Gymnastics. He’s now is in jail in Michigan awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to possession of child pornography.
Raisman, the captain of the 2012 and 2016 Olympic gold-medal winning teams, details the abuse in her book “Fierce,” which will be released on Tuesday. Raisman’s interview with “60 Minutes” will air on Sunday night.
Raisman is the latest gymnast to claim she was sexually abused by Nassar. McKayla Maroney, who won two medals at the 2012 Games as Raisman’s teammate, said last month she was molested for years by Nassar.
Nassar also is awaiting trial on separate criminal sexual conduct charges and has been sued by more than 125 women alleging sexual abuse. Nassar has pleaded not guilty to the assault charges, and the dozens of civil suits filed in Michigan are currently in mediation.
USA Gymnastics said in a statement Friday that Raisman sharing her personal experience took “great courage” and it is “appalled by the conduct of which Larry Nassar is accused.”
The 23-year-old Raisman has been highly critical of USA Gymnastics in recent months, calling for leadership change at the top of the organization while advocating for athlete’s rights.
Raisman declined to get into specifics at that time about whether she was abused by Nassar but painted a vivid picture of how Nassar’s behavior went unchecked.
“I think that, you just want, you want to trust people and that he was just a disgusting person, he took advantage of so many people’s trust,” Raisman said. “And I think, it just disgusts me he was a doctor. It’s crazy. Because when a doctor says something you want to believe him and it’s just awful.”
Jamie Dantzscher, a bronze medalist on the 2000 U.S. Olympic team, filed a lawsuit against Nassar in California in September 2016. She says Nassar touched her inappropriately while disguising the abuse as treatment. Dantzscher initially filed as “Jane Doe” but came forward publicly to “60 Minutes” in February.
USA Gymnastics announced Tuesday it hired Kerry Perry as the organization’s new president and CEO. Perry starts on Dec. 1.
