The sexual assault victims of former US Olympic gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar gathered on the stage at the Staples Center in Los Angeles for the ESPY awards on Wednesday night, in a powerful display of solidarity.
Less than six months after the 54-year-old was given up to 175 years in prison for sexual assault on top of a separate sentence of 60 years jail for possessing child porn, 141 of Nassar’s victims flooded the stage while Aly Raisman accepted the Arthur Ashe Courage Award on their behalf.
The 24-year-old was sure to point out to the crowd that the ‘sea of bravery’ in front of them was not the full number of Nassar’s victims.
Jennifer Garner presented Raisman with the honor, prefacing the tale of Nassar as an instance where ‘the dream of being an athlete turns into a nightmare.’
Garner hailed the women who emerged forward to speak of the horrors they suffered as doing so ‘with remarkable poise, unimaginable strength and unbelievable courage.’
Two-time Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman gathered with 140 other women who were abused by Larry Nassar to accept the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the ESPYs on Wednesday night
Raisman was sure to point out despite there being nearly 150 women standing on the stage, it represented only some of Nassar’s victims (Pictured from left: Sarah Klein, Tiffany Thomas Lopez and Raisman were at the forefront of 141 women who were abused by Nassar)
‘1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2004, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016. These were the years we spoke up about Larry Nassar’s abuse,’ she solemnly told the crowd.
‘All those years, we were told ‘You were wrong, you misunderstood, he’s a doctor, it’s okay, don’t worry, we’ve got it covered… be careful, there are risks involved’.
‘The intention? To silence us in favor of money, medals and reputation. But we persisted, and finally, someone believed us.’
Raisman went on to thank Michigan Judge Rosemarie Aquilina, who stood tearfully in the crowd. She thanked her for helping the women: ‘rediscover the power they possess’.
‘You may never meet the hundreds of children you saved, but know they exist,’ she said.
Aquilina allowed each of Nassar’s victims to speak directly to him in days of victim impact statements, with nearly 200 deciding to do so, either in person, through written statement or via a video stream.
The former Team USA doctor pleaded guilty in November 2017 to molesting female athletes under the guise of medical treatment in incidents dating back to the 1990s.
Authorities said Nassar victimized more than 260 women and girls, including several Olympic gold medalists, and three girls under 16.
Jennifer Garner embraced Raisman as she handed over the award, telling the audience the recipients’ story was an exampleof where ‘the dream of being an athlete turns into a nightmare’
Heavy: Raisman said complaints against Nassar were ignored ‘in favor of money, medals and reputation’
Emotional: The ladies shared a hug at the commencement of the ceremony
Red carpet: (L-R) Raisman, Jordyn Wieber, Thomas Lopez and Klein posed with one another during entrances Night to remember: The brave survivors of Nassar’s abuse made a profound social statement on the evening
The fact Nassar was able to terrorize the women for so long, despite repeated attempts to speak up, is something that clearly still angers Raisman, who notes multiple times the ways in which his victims were ignored, or adults chose to overlook his heinous crimes.
‘Perhaps the greatest tragedy of this nightmare is that it could have been avoided,’ she said.
‘Predators thrive in silence, and it is all too common for people to choose to not get involved. Whether you act or do nothing, you are shaping the world we live in, impacting others.
‘All we needed was one adult to have the integrity to stand between us and Larry Nassar. If just one adult had listened, believed and acted, the people standing before you on this stage would have never met him.’
After a thunderous round of applause, the two-time Olympian ended with a message for other survivors of sexual abuse.
‘Don’t let anyone rewrite your story. Your truth does matter, you matter, and you are not alone,’ she said.
‘We may suffer alone, but we survive together.’
Raisman stood with the large group – who represented only a portion of Nassar’s victims alongside Sarah Klein, who said she was the doctor’s first victim 30 years ago, and softball player Tiffany Thomas-Lopez, who also faced abuse at the hands of Nassar.
‘Telling our story over and over again in graphic detail is not easy,’ Klein had told the crowd following an emotional video where a number of the women had retold their story and vowed to never let it happen again.
‘It is grueling and it is painful, but it is time,’ she said.
Raisman appeared on Good Morning America earlier this week, opening up about how she’s processing the honors.
‘Getting that award with this incredible army of survivors is very, I mean, it’s hard to put into words,’ said the Needham, Massachusetts native. ‘I don’t even know if it’s really sunk in yet.
‘We’ve all been through something really horrible, but we’re all gonna get through it together. I think that’s such an empowering feeling – knowing you’re not alone.’
Jim Kelly, former quarterback for the Buffalo Bills, added to the emotion of the night when he stood up to accept the Jimmy V award, which recognizes ‘a deserving member of the sporting world who has overcome great obstacles through perseverance and determination’.
The NFL great was diagnosed with oral cancer in 2013, and nine months later, tests revealed the disease had spread to his sinus. The cancer and its harsh treatments left Kelly having trouble speaking and unable to produce saliva or taste, but he was declared cancer free in Septemer 2014, ESPN reported.
In March this year, Kelly revealed his cancer had come back.
By the end of the month, The Buffalo News reported after 12 hours of surgery in New York, cancer had been removed from Kelly’s upper jaw and lymph nodes.
Despite his health troubles, and still having a mouth full of stitches, Kelly moved the audience to tears speaking about how a smile on a loved one’s face could make all the difference to someone who is suffering.
‘I came up with a saying: Make a difference today for someone who is fighting for their tomorrow,’ he said.
‘Every single person in this room can be a difference maker. You can be a normal person who just gets up every morning and goes to work, but you can be a difference maker.
‘Put a smile on those faces. My kids, my friends, when they came in to see me, not once did they ever have a frown on their face.
‘So I urge anybody out there, if you have someone out there who’s suffering – it doesn’t have to be cancer, it can be something like you’re not having a good day, your mom your dad, your grandparents… what you say to them and the smile you have on their face – that could be the difference in them making it to the next day.’
As he closed his speech, he referenced former North Carolina State men’s basketball coach Jim Valvano – the award’s namesake who battled cancer himself in 1993.
‘Always always persevere,’ he told the audience. ‘Like Jimmy V said. ‘Never give up’.’
Kelly’s speech was in stark contrast with a monologue presented by former Nascar driver Danica Patrick.
As Patrick told jokes about jockeys, Cleveland, and the national anthem, crowd members sat with blank looks on their faces, if they weren’t physically wincing at the questionable delivery.
The newly retired race car driver had the spotlight stolen by a child she had recruited for the act.
Labelling the segment ‘Dani-Kids’ – which Patrick explained was a program to help young kids achieve their dreams, a mock-horrified Patrick stood by, while a young girl cracked age-inappropriate jokes.
One of them involved LeBron James buying two houses in Brentwood as a black man causing the biggest stir in that upscale neighborhood since O.J. Simpson.