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Aly Raisman is Suing USA Gymnastics and the US Olympic Committee

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Fordham chapter.

 

“I refuse to wait any longer for these organizations to do the right thing. It is my hope that the legal process will hold them accountable and enable the change that is so desperately needed.”

That’s what Aly Raisman told NBC News after suing USA Gymnastics and the United States Olympic Committee. She is alleging that both parties were either aware of disgraced team doctor Larry Nassar’s horrific sexual abuse – or they should have been.

Raisman is one of 250 women and girls to accuse of Larry Nassar of sexual abuse while receiving what he called medical treatment. He told these young women that he would help pain in different places of their bodies by “intravaginal manipulation.” He molested them and he allowed them to believe he was actually helping him rather than give himself sexual pleasure. 

A young man also came out with allegations against Nassar earlier this week. 18-year-old Jacob Moore was a gymnast on the U.S. men’s junior national team. At the age of 16, Moore sought treatment from Nassar for shoulder pain. Naturally, Nassar gave Moore acupuncture in and around his genitalia. He also exposed Moore’s genitalia to a female gymnast in the room – who was also a minor. 

Aly Raisman’s legal action happened after the chief executive of the U.S. Olympic Committee stepped down because of a prostate cancer diagnosis. Perhaps the USOC thought Scott Blackmun stepping down would be a step in the right direction. That didn’t work for Raisman, though. 

“After all this time, they remain unwilling to conduct a full investigation, and without a solid understanding of how this happened, it is delusional to think sufficient changes can be implemented,” she said.

Let us also not forget when Raisman showed up to Nassar’s sentence hearing and delivered a tear-jerking and applause-worthy testimony of his abuse and questioned why the USOC still were not in attendance to see just what this monster had done.

The USOC apologized days later…cool. Now what? More details of Aly’s lawsuit are bound to come out soon and hopefully the progress she is spearheading will continue to grow. We all know Nassar is in big trouble he will never be able to get out of. But it’s not just on him. The hard truth of this awful situation also falls all over the USOC and USA Gymnastics. I would love to know how they’re going to try and get away with this – because from where I stand, it seems downright impossible. 

Lauren is a senior at Fordham University pursuing a degree in Journalism and Political Science. With a career goal of being a broadcast journalist, she is spending time interning at networks such as NBC and FOX. Hobbies include writing for Her Campus and singing in Fordham's all-female a cappella group, the Satin Dolls, as well as drinking too much coffee, listening to far too many boy bands, and watching Buzzfeed Tasty videos one after another.