Lawsuits against USA Gymnastics, Larry Nassar, etc. - news & updates

[VGThuy]

I just remember many victims also blaming Terin for what happened to them as well since she was the athlete representative and didn't do her job in looking out for them. Of course, how could she when she was brought up in that same system, was taught what was "normal" by that system, and it turns out she was abused herself.

 

[sonsofanarchy]

I just remember many victims also blaming Terin for what happened to them as well since she was the athlete representative and didn't do her job in looking out for them. Of course, how could she when she was brought up in that same system, was taught what was "normal" by that system, and it turns out she was abused herself.

I always felt that was unfair to Terin even before this. I don't know how much power or knowledge people expect her to have had. She was basically just brought on by Marta to be one of her guinea pigs. She probably had limited knowledge of some of the extreme things happening, and even if she did limited power. Marta would simply fire her on the spot, discredit her, and blacklist her in that scenario, while nothing would happen. And I don't even think Marta who had a way more inside track of things than Terin ever had honestly knew hardly anything (I know Marta is a devil, but I can't imagine her condoning the Nassar stuff and a lot of the other things happening, it doesn't even help her win even).

 

[Erin]

I just remember many victims also blaming Terin for what happened to them as well since she was the athlete representative and didn't do her job in looking out for them. Of course, how could she when she was brought up in that same system, was taught what was "normal" by that system, and it turns out she was abused herself.

I don’t recall that, although Terin did get defensive about her role as the athlete rep. The problem with Terin was when she posted a meme that could be interpreted to promote abusive coaching and didn’t seem to realize the problem with posting that. And still doesn’t realize what the problem was with it.

 

[Jimena]

It's not only Terin who's been affected by the filing deadline. IIRC, the article mentioned another unidentified athlete.

 

[Coco]

Reading all of these accounts, I'm starting to wonder how the economics of coaching gymnasts Level 7 and up factor into the abuse.

One of the CGA gymnasts said they were expected to be at practice (4 hours after school!) every day whether they were in a cast or not. Made me wonder...coaches have payroll and other expenses that don't change when an athlete has a cast on...how much of making them workout too soon after injuries comes from a bad mindset vs economic need?

 

[VGThuy]

Reading all of these accounts, I'm starting to wonder how the economics of coaching gymnasts Level 7 and up factor into the abuse.

One of the CGA gymnasts said they were expected to be at practice (4 hours after school!) every day whether they were in a cast or not. Made me wonder...coaches have payroll and other expenses that don't change when an athlete has a cast on...how much of making them workout too soon after injuries comes from a bad mindset vs economic need?

Good question!

 

[Erin]

Reading all of these accounts, I'm starting to wonder how the economics of coaching gymnasts Level 7 and up factor into the abuse.

One of the CGA gymnasts said they were expected to be at practice (4 hours after school!) every day whether they were in a cast or not. Made me wonder...coaches have payroll and other expenses that don't change when an athlete has a cast on...how much of making them workout too soon after injuries comes from a bad mindset vs economic need?

My experience is that it's a bad mindset. I trained at and worked for a club that was a non-profit organization, and the head coaches were on salary, so their economics were not impacted by the number of people they trained. They still had that attitude anyway. I think most coaches truly believe that taking time off is a huge detriment to a gymnast and that they are better off training constantly, even if it means injuries don't heal.

Also, (in my experience) most competitive gymnasts have chronic, nagging injuries that never go away. So the coach wants to set a consistent expectation that you train while injured. And the base assumption is frequently that the gymnast is lying about the injury anyway, so it's kind of treated like a punishment to do conditioning so that they are incentivized to not "pretend" (in the coach's mind) to be injured anymore and be able to do more. It's so messed up.

I'm sure there are some coaches where the economics are a factor. But I think the culture is so bad that the problem exists even when economics aren't a factor.

 

[VGThuy]

The whole coaches being automatically distrustful of students to the point where they think they're faking injuries is bananas, but then the American school system is set up to where teachers and authority figures are set with a system where students are never to be trusted, which differs from some other cultures. I wonder where they get that mentality from. Like they're thinking their gymnasts are just being lazy. IMO, if the coach thinks that and they want to make gymnasts push through it, then they're way too invested in that gymnast's career for their own personal glory. They should work on the source issue and help the gymnast figure out what they ultimately want, but they should not force a gymnast to do something if they don't want to do it. It's their life and career, not the coach's. I think this may also be part of the glamorization of military attitudes and adopting it for young children.

 

[Aceon6]

Level 10s and elites should be able to train/compete with minor injuries as there’s no guarantee they won’t be a bit banged up on the day of the competition. They probably would even if they weren’t pressured.

It seems that many coaches aren’t willing to get a diagnosis before they decide. If 10 of their gymnasts had similar falls in the past and we’re ok, they assume the 11th is the same. Same for concussion protocol. I suspect half the elite gyms don‘t even have one.

 

[MacMadame]

Level 10s and elites should be able to train/compete with minor injuries as there’s no guarantee they won’t be a bit banged up on the day of the competition. T

I think this depends very much on what the injury is. Some injures can be trained through and some cannot. If you have an overuse injury, often the only cure is rest. So stress fracture and bursitis and nerve damage really shouldn't be trained through. But you can train around a muscle tear once it's stabilized. I know because I've done it.

 

[Aceon6]

I think this depends very much on what the injury is. Some injures can be trained through and some cannot. If you have an overuse injury, often the only cure is rest. So stress fracture and bursitis and nerve damage really shouldn't be trained through. But you can train around a muscle tear once it's stabilized. I know because I've done it.

Agree. That’s why it’s so important for an INDEPENDENT medical professional to do an assessment.

 

[Coco]

My experience is that it's a bad mindset. I trained at and worked for a club that was a non-profit organization, and the head coaches were on salary, so their economics were not impacted by the number of people they trained.

Coaches will still make their salary, but what about the $$ coming in the door?

How do gymnasts pay? Do they buy X lessons at one time or pay by the month? Or do they pay before or after the session?

Because if someone is in a leg cast for 6 weeks, that could be a significant loss of income.

It doesn't seem like sound training to work the same muscle group for four hours every day without variety. But if the only way the gym keeps the $$ coming is to have an athlete do that, that is a huge incentive to make them do that.

 

[MacMadame]

Agree. That’s why it’s so important for an INDEPENDENT medical professional to do an assessment.

And then be listened to!

Remember when Michelle Kwan was in a boot and withdrew from the GP series due to a stress fracture? It was not the best timing (I think it was an Olympic season) and I'm sure she wanted to skate but she didn't because it would make the situation worse.

 

[FiveRinger]

Coaches will still make their salary, but what about the $$ coming in the door?

How do gymnasts pay? Do they buy X lessons at one time or pay by the month? Or do they pay before or after the session?

Because if someone is in a leg cast for 6 weeks, that could be a significant loss of income.

It doesn't seem like sound training to work the same muscle group for four hours every day without variety. But if the only way the gym keeps the $$ coming is to have an athlete do that, that is a huge incentive to make them do that.

This was my initial thought. It’s abominable that a gym forces athletes to come to training in back braces and leg casts when all they can literally do are arm curls. And they are charged for the privilege. WTF?

 

[Bellanca]

It's inferring a financial racket more than anything else. To require an injured gymnast "train" for the sake of appearances or to bolster team morale is nothing more than a flimsy excuse, especially when their doctor recommends otherwise. It's another sordid chapter in a book that is already bursting at the seams.

I think what we're finding out is that a lot of these coaches and their staff are quite selfish and appear to live in a bubble.

 

[canbelto]

I wonder if the extremely short peaks of most elite gymnasts is why sports medicine is so poor in gymnastics. Say a huge NBA star gets a major injury. The teams know that in order to invest in the player they have to give the player the best rehab so they can get another 10 good years out of said player. There isn't "another good 10 years" for WAG. So basically the view is "compete injured or miss the entire quad."

 

[Rob]

I went to a ballet academy for jr. high and high school, and there was no reduction in tuition if you were injured and could not dance. We were required to sit on the bench and watch (and you can learn quite a lot from that). But the tuition covered English, Math, Science, French, Music, Art, History etc. too and of course, you still went to school.

There are aches and pains and strains that do not amount to a debilitating injury - you rest as needed, warm up properly, maybe only do barre (not center) or maybe you don't jump or use pointe shoes for a few days, then stretch, ice or heat etc. I danced on achilles tendonitis for years not knowing I had a torn FHL tendon (no MRIs back in the olden days). Nearly everyone has some sort of tendonitis. But if there was a true injury, we were not allowed to take class, had to watch - so of course we would all try to hide the injury so we would not get benched or lose our parts in performances. Can't fake if it is a full break, serious tear, surgery though. Of course, you can perhaps take barre with an upper body injury, and there is no need to do arm curls or rope climbs in ballet when you have a lower body injury. However, as soon as you were able, you did start conditioning to the extent possible.

 

[missing]

I can't seem to find the right thread but I feel this is worth posting:

WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI made numerous serious errors in investigating sexual abuse allegations against former USA Gymnastics national team doctor Larry Nassar and didn't treat the case with the “utmost seriousness,” the Justice Department's inspector general said Wednesday. The FBI acknowledged conduct that was “inexcusable and a discredit" to America's premier law enforcement agency...

The inspector general’s office found that “despite the extraordinarily serious nature” of the allegations against Nassar, FBI officials in Indianapolis did not respond with the “utmost seriousness and urgency that they deserved and required.”

When they did respond, the report said, FBI officials made “numerous and fundamental errors” and also violated bureau policies. Among the missteps was a failure to conduct any investigative activity after until more than a month after a meeting with USA Gymnastics. Agents interviewed by phone one of three athletes, but never spoke with two other gymnasts despite being told they were available to meet.

 

[skatfan]

NyTimes article:

Inspector General Says F.B.I. Botched Nassar Abuse Investigation (Published 2021)

In a report released just before the start of the Tokyo Olympics, the inspector general found that the F.B.I. was delayed by more than a year in ramping up its investigation, allowing Mr. Nassar to abuse more victims.

www.nytimes.com

“Even when the F.B.I.’s handling of the case came under scrutiny from Congress, the media, and bureau headquarters in 2017 and 2018, Indianapolis officials did not take responsibility for their failures, the report said. Instead, it said, officials in the Indianapolis office provided “incomplete and inaccurate” information in response to the media and the agency’s internal inquiries.”

 

[FiveRinger]

Senate Judiciary Committee Announces Oversight Hearing Over FBI's Dereliction of Duty in Nassar Case

 

[Aceon6]

Looks like there is a settlement in the class action. I‘ve seen a couple of tweets indicating that a Nassar survivor will be joining the USAGym board. Waiting for Indianapolis Star or ESPN for a detailed report.

 

[Sylvia]

USAG, USOPC settle Nassar lawsuits for $380M

USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee agree to pay $380 million settlement to survivors of former Olympic team doctor and convicted sexual predator Larry Nassar.

www.espn.com

A source with knowledge of the mediation talks said a committee of survivors of Nassar's abuse, which included former Olympians Aly Raisman, Kyla Ross and Tasha Schwikert as well as attorneys Rachael Denhollander and Sarah Klein, had rejected earlier settlement offers.
"This settlement occurred because of a five-year, bare-knuckled legal fight the USOPC and USA Gymnastics decided to initiate against me and 500-plus sister survivors," Klein, who served as co-chair of the survivors committee, told ESPN Monday. "After thousands of hours of this survivors committee's time, blood, sweat and tears, today we prevailed."

Rachael Denhollander: https://twitter.com/R_Denhollander/status/1470506429387792388

Important note about this settlement: while the majority of survivors are survivors of Nassar's abuse, our settlement includes survivors abused by coaches and other officials in the sport. This is not just a Nassar problem...

And it was not resolved by only Nassar survivors. An important member of the fiduciary committee who has worked tirelessly on this process is a survivor of a former prominent coach, and this all started with survivors of coach abuse who spoke to the Indy Star.

Some survivors are Olympians and elite gymnasts, and wielded their platform powerfully.
Most of the over 500 represented here, are not, but showed up over and over again.
We did this together. Don't forget their voices, what they gave, and what it took.

 

[overedge]

I hope USFS learns something from this about how costly it can be to ignore or downplay institutional abuse of athletes.

 

[skatingguy]

I hope USFS learns something from this about how costly it can be to ignore or downplay institutional abuse of athletes.

I'm sure they will - if other organizations are any indication they have learned that they need to work harder to keep the abuse concealed next time.

 

[overedge]

This was alluded to in the article that Sylvia posted, but in this interview with Rachael Denhollander, she says that there are more than 500 victims involved with the settlement, and more than 300 were abused by Nassar. The other 200 or so were "abused by individuals affiliated with USA Gymnastics in some capacity".

USA Gymnastics, USOPC reach $380M settlement with victims

The legal wrangling between USA Gymnastics and the hundreds of victims of sexual abuse by former national team doctor Larry Nassar, among others, is over after a $380 million settlement was reached. The fight for substantive change within the sport's national governing body is just beginning...

news.yahoo.com

IMO these numbers really need to be publicized more. Nassar was a horrible abuser, but sadly, he's not an aberration or an outlier.

 

[Theatregirl1122]

I'm sure they will - if other organizations are any indication they have learned that they need to work harder to keep the abuse concealed next time.

Not so far.

 

[skipaway]

Go Get Em!

Thirteen sexual assault victims of Larry Nassar are seeking $10 million each from the FBI, claiming a bungled investigation by agents led to more abuse by the sports doctor, lawyers said Thursday.

 

[Sylvia]

Bumping this thread back up - AP article on April 23, 2024 - US government agrees to $138.7M settlement over FBI’s botching of Larry Nassar assault allegations:

US government agrees to $138.7M settlement over FBI's botching of Larry Nassar assault allegations

The U.S. Justice Department is paying a $138.7 million to settle more than 100 claims that it badly mishandled allegations of sexual assault against Larry Nassar in 2015 and 2016.

apnews.com

The U.S. Justice Department announced a $138.7 million settlement Tuesday with more than 100 people who accused the FBI of grossly mishandling allegations of sexual assault against Larry Nassar in 2015 and 2016, a critical time gap that allowed the sports doctor to continue to prey on victims before his arrest.
When combined with other settlements, $1 billion now has been set aside by various organizations to compensate hundreds of women who said Nassar assaulted them under the guise of treatment for sports injuries.
Nassar worked at Michigan State University and also served as a team doctor at Indianapolis-based USA Gymnastics. He’s now serving decades in prison for assaulting female athletes, including medal-winning Olympic gymnasts.

Acting Associate Attorney General Benjamin Mizer said Nassar betrayed the trust of those in his care for decades, and that the “allegations should have been taken seriously from the outset.”
“While these settlements won’t undo the harm Nassar inflicted, our hope is that they will help give the victims of his crimes some of the critical support they need to continue healing,” Mizer said of the agreement to settle 139 claims.

“I’m deeply grateful. Accountability with the Justice Department has been a long time in coming,” said Rachael Denhollander of Louisville, Kentucky, who is not part of the latest settlement but was the first person to publicly step forward and detail abuse at the hands of Nassar.
“The unfortunate reality is that what we are seeing today is something that most survivors never see,” Denhollander told The Associated Press. “Most survivors never see accountability. Most survivors never see justice. Most survivors never get restitution.”

Michigan State University, which was also accused of missing chances over many years to stop Nassar, agreed to pay $500 million to more than 300 women and girls who were assaulted. USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee made a $380 million settlement.
Mick Grewal, an attorney who represented 44 people in claims against the government, said the $1 billion in overall settlements speaks to “the travesty that occurred.”
A retired federal judge, Gregory Sleet, served as a mediator in the federal claims.

 

[Sylvia]

Orange County Register article and news originally posted by @clairecloutier back on August 3, 2019:

Yet another report of abusive coaching in U.S. women's gymnastics. This time, it's former U.S. gymnast Anna Li and her mother, former Chinese gymnast, Jiani Wu.

Mistreatment of young gymnasts alleged against Anna Li, USA Gymnastics’ new athletes’ rep, and her mom

Li and her mother Jiani Wu, also a coach in the Legacy Elite Gymnastics gym in Illinois, are routinely emotionally and, in the case of Wu, physically abusive toward young female gymnasts, Legacy gy…

www.ocregister.com

It's interesting that Li and Wu are accused of similar types of psychological and physical abuse as John Geddert was recently by Sara Teristi (although, at least, not the truly disgusting sexually-tinged abuse from Geddert). It makes you wonder just how much that culture has pervaded U.S. ladies' gymnastics.

I guess this scandal is coming out because Anna Li was recently added to the Athletes' Council for USAG, and people are upset.

Aug. 8, 2019:

And Anna Li has resigned as athlete's rep.

Orange Country Register article today (Jan. 8, 2025) - paywalled but the headline and first sentence are: Anna Li, Jiani Wu suspended by U.S. Center for SafeSport for abusing athletes
Anna Li, a former U.S. national team member and eight-time UCLA All-American, and her mother Jiani Wu, an Olympic medalist for China and...":

Anna Li, Jiani Wu suspended by U.S. Center for SafeSport for abusing athletes

The suspensions follow a nearly six-year SafeSport investigation in which the Center’s handling of the case prompted widespread criticism.

www.ocregister.com

ETA: "Li will not be able to coach or have contact with athletes for nine months. Wu was suspended for a year with similar restrictions." https://x.com/GymCastic/status/1877146079377956929

Centralized Disciplinary Database | U.S. Center for SafeSport

This public database lists adults in the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Movement whose sport participation is restricted based on SafeSport Code violation.

uscenterforsafesport.org

Anna Li	Aurora	IL	USA Gymnastics	(Subject to appeal / not yet final); Physical & Emotional Misconduct	Suspension	Probation, No Contact Directive(s), Education	01/08/2025	U.S. Center for SafeSport
Jiani Wu	Aurora	IL	USA Gymnastics	(Subject to appeal / not yet final); Physical & Emotional Misconduct	Suspension	Probation, Education, No Contact Directive(s)	01/08/2025	U.S. Center for SafeSport