Olympic gold medalist Aly Raisman has praised the ‘brave survivors’ who spoke out against disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein and held him ‘accountable’.
For the 25-year-old gymnast, the Weinstein trial that convicted the 67-year-old movie mogul of a criminal sex act and rape this week, hit home.
She was one of a slew of about 200 women who accused USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar of sexual abuse.
‘I applaud the brave survivors who held Harvey Weinstein accountable, and the investigative journalists who prevailed against the resistance of money and power to uncover enough facts for Lady Justice to do her thing,’ Raisman said in a lengthy statement on Thursday.
‘Truth is essential to both justice and reform,’ she added.
While commending the #MeToo movement in Hollywood, Raisman then demanded justice in the athletic world, accusing USA Gymnastics and the US Olympic Committee of covering up the Nassar scandal.
Olympic gold medalist Aly Raisman, 25, has praised the ‘brave survivors’ who spoke out against disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein and held him ‘accountable’ in a statement shared Thursday
She shared a long statement praising justice in the Weinstein case while shedding light on the roadblocks she’s facing in her lawsuit against the US Olympic Committee and USA Gymnastic
‘While we were winning medals for Team USA, Larry Nassar was molesting us,’ Raisman said in her statement.
‘It’s been almost five YEARS since I reported my abuse and USAG/USOC still disclaim responsibility and obstruct our search for the truth,’ she said.
Raisman reported the abuse to the two organizations in 2015, which lead to Nassar’s firing, though rumors had swirled since the 1990s about the predator.
She said she suffered ‘serial molestation, sexual abuse and harassment’ by Nassar.
In March 2018, Raisman filed a lawsuit against USA Gymnastics and the United States Olympic Committee saying the organizations ‘knew or should have known’ about Nassar’s widespread abuse that persisted for years, but never stopped him.
While Nassar was convicted in early 2018 of several counts of sexual abuse and will likely spend the rest of his life in jail, Raisman is demanding justice from the USAG and USOC organizations.
Nassar was convicted in early 2018 of several counts of sexual abuse and will likely spend the rest of his life in jail. He is pictured in court in January 2018
‘They acknowledge widespread sexual abuse, organizational incompetence and ongoing criminal investigations but STILL suppress the facts needed to understand how this nightmare actually happened,’ Raisman said in her statement.
She accused the organizations of running a ‘cover-up’ in blocking access to records and materials relevant to Nassar and his interactions with athletes.
On Friday, USA Gymnastic filed a disclosure statement in the US Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Indiana asking Nassar survivors to accept a $215million settlement.
The settlement would give $1.25million to abused former Olympic and World Championships team members and $82,550 to others.
That settlement also releases the USOC, former USA Gymnastics CEO Steve Penny, and former national team directors Bela and Martha Karolyi from all claims.
It does not address to what extent USA Gymnastics officials were aware of Nassar’s predatory behavior and if they took steps to conceal the abuse, according to the Orange County Register.
‘Now they seek to ensure we’ll never know the truth, by demanding we release those people we know to be culpable so they won’t have to reveal who else may be culpable,’ Raisman said in her statement.
Raisman praised Weinstein accusers including Mimi Haleyi (left) and Jessica Mann (right) who testified in court on how the movie mogul raped them
Two weeks ago USOC’s former head of Medical Services Bill Moreau filed a lawsuit against the USOC, accusing them of violating their duty to protect athletes.
He claims that at the 2012 Olympics in London he spoke with Nassar about how he treated gymnasts alone.
‘Moreau’s recent revelations are just the latest – and surely not the last – reminder that we still don’t know the full truth,’ she said.
Raisman said she and others have demanded an independent investigation into the organization’s conduct since 2017, but none has ever taken place.
She then called on USOC CEO Sarah Hirshland & USAG CEO Li Li Leung to release all documents related to Nassar and alleged abuse.
‘Your choice will either mitigate the suffering of survivors and future generations or athletes or perpetuate it. Please choose responsibly!’
In January 2018, Nassar was sentenced in Michigan state court to 40 years to 175 years in prison on criminal sexual conduct charges. He had already been sentenced to 60 years for child pornography charges. In February 2018, he was further sentenced to 40 to 125 years in jail for three counts of sexual assault.