A gymnast has claimed that her ‘abusive’ former Team USA coach threatened her after her Nassar testimony.
Lindsey Lemke was among the 150 women who confronted their abuser, disgraced team doctor Larry Nassar, in a Michigan courtroom during his sentencing.
And the athlete used her testimony to condemn other Team USA officials including John Geddert, who she trained under at Twistars Gymnastics.
Victim and gymnast Lindsey Lemke speaks during a sentencing hearing for Larry Nassar on January 18 where she confronted Simon
The courtroom erupted in applause for the very first time as Lemke said: ‘Larry, I hope you, [MSU president] Lou Anna Simon, [MSU gymnastics coach] Kathie Klages, [Twistars owner] John Geddert and all of USAG are scared. Because you have pissed off the wrong army of women.’
She later revealed that the now-suspended coach had threatened her after the testimony.
Dominique Moceanu had tweeted at Lemke: I heard Geddert threatened you after you mentioned him in court… He better be careful!
‘Yes this is correct, however I was threatened way too many times by him growing up and I have learned that he does not have that control over me,’ Lemke responded.
In an exchange of tweets on Wednesday night (seen above), Lemke revealed that John Geddert had threatened her after she mentioned him in court
‘I am so thankful for your support with Geddert needing to be held accountable!!’
‘[H]owever I was threatened way too many times by him growing up and I have learned that he does not have that control over me,’ Lemke said in the tweet. ‘I am so thankful for your support with Geddert needing to be held accountable!!’
‘He was abusive,’ Lemke told ESPN. ‘He deserves to be in jail with Larry.’
Geddert was the US women’s gymnastics national team coach for the 2012 Olympics. He insists he had ‘zero knowledge’ of Nassar’s widespread abuse.
But the coach was suspended this week by USA Gymnastics before he suddenly announced his retirement.
She has called for Geddert to be held to account for his actions.
‘A lot of people say John Geddert maybe shouldn’t be held responsible because he didn’t actually see the treatment, which is false, but regardless of that I want people to know as a gym owner it is your responsibility to know what that doctor is doing to your athletes,’ Lemke told reporters after Nassar’s sentencing.
Geddert has not commented on the claims.
Lindsey Lemke shared this tweet on January 15 – three days before she spoke in court
In her resignation letter, pictured above, Simon said as tragedies are politicized, blame is inevitable. She acknowledged she was a natural focus of the anger as president
Lemke also confronted MSU President Lou Anna Simon outside the courthouse after Nasar’s hearing.
After being questioned about the school’s inaction in the wake of the Nassar allegations along with the refusal of faculty members to have an open dialogue with students about what was being done, Lemke asked Simon if she knew her name.
When she revealed she did not, Lemke pointed out that she was a captain on the gymnastics team when the scandal hit and Nassar lost his job.
Lemke said in court the following day that during that time she was asked to sign a card of support for the pedophile and not speak to any member of the media.
Lindsey Lemke tweeted ‘one down’ after Simon’s resignation was announced
Won’t back down: Representatives from the Michigan House approved a resolution demanding that Simon resign as president of the school in a 96 – 11 vote (above with Lindsey lemke in foreground)
Lemke also made her opinion of Simon clear one day prior when she tweeted: ‘Lou Anna Simon told me today that she had no idea who the victims were & their names until today being at court. She was there for the last half of the day to see around 10 (maybe) statements. You don’t even know the magnitude of people this has reached. You are not a president.’
Simon has since announced that she is resigning after pressure from the school board to step down.
After Simon’s resignation Lemke tweeted ‘one down’. And in an exchange of tweets on Wednesday night, Lemke revealed that Geddert had threatened her after she mentioned him in court.
She said: ‘Yes this is correct, however I was threatened way too many times by him growing up and I have learned that he does not have that control over me. I am so thankful for your support with Geddert needing to be held accountable!!’