If the first day of the Larry Nassar sentencing hearing was marked by tears, the second was marked by rage and anger.
Multiple victims came forward on Wednesday morning to deliver scathing indictments of the disgraced doctor, revealing the damage he had done with his years of sexual abuse.
It was not just the female victims who spoke in court either, with Judge Rosemarie Aquilina offering Thomas Brennan a chance to deliver his own impact statement.
Breannan was in the courtroom to support victim Gwen Anderson, and erupted in the middle of the young woman’s tearful statement when he saw that Nassar was hiding his face.
‘Look at her!’ Brennan screamed at Nassar, as tears rolled down Anderson’s face.
He then leaned in to the microphone as he and Anderson returned to their seats, saying: ‘For the record, go to hell.’
That is when Judge Aquilinia asked him to return to the podium, not to chide him for the outburst but rather to see if he had anything else to say.
Second time: The second day of the sentencing hearing for Larry Nassar began on Wednesday (Thomas Brennan and victim Gwen Anderson in court on Wednesday)
Lashing out: After seeing that Nassar was hiding his face, the coach and exercise physiologist looked at the disgraced pedophile and screamed: ‘Look at her’
Told foo: Then, as he and Anderson returned to the gallery, Brennan leaned into the microphone at the podium and said to Nassar (above on Wednesday): ‘For the record, go to hell’
‘Anything else you’d like to say?’ asked Judge Aquilina.
‘Me?’ responded Brennan.
‘You. You’re here sir. You spoke out. I’m allowing you an opportunity. You seem to have a few things you would like to say that I think the world probably wants to hear. So do I.’
Brennan paused for a moment and then proceeded to deliver his own powerful speech touching upon the guilt he felt as a result of Nassar’s abuse.
‘I have a different relationship with Larry from the standpoint that I was a coach for many years. I’m also an exercise physiologist,’ revealed Brennan.
‘When I graduated from grad school, he was an advisor of mine, he’s been a mentor of mine. I’ve done clinics with him for years in the past. And I’ve probably sent well over 100 kids to him over the years. So the guilt I feel for that is hard to fathom.’
Brennan continued: ‘So, he didn’t only deceive these girls, which is honest to god, that’s the worst of the worst, is what he did to these girls, so they have the voice. But what you did to everybody else who trusted you and sent girls your way is disgusting. Reprehensible. Unforgivable. That’s all I’ve got to say.’
Then, just as she has done with every single person who has stepped up to deliver a victim impact statement throughout the trial, Judge Aquilina had a few powerful and encouraging words of her own for Brennan.
‘Sir, thank you very much for speaking up,’ said Judge Aquilina.
‘I hear that guilt that you feel and probably so many who brought girls to him have the same voice, sentiment that you do. But again, I truly appreciate there not being any blame on anyone who should not take the blame as well.’
She continued: ‘There is no girl who was assaulted who is blaming you or anybody else. Thankfully the blame lies solely with the defendant.’
Anderson used her time in front of the court to take back her power.
‘I didn’t want to go public because I was scared that my students would see me at my weakest moments, that they’d see me as a victim,’ said Anderson.
‘But I’ve come to realize that this is not my weakest moment. This is my moment of strength.’
The middle school teacher also said that because of her job she is reminded every single day how young and defenseless she and the other victims were at the time.
‘I still can’t think about it. We were just kids. We were just kids,’ said Anderson.
The day began with the mother of national team member Maggie Nichols reading the impact statement her daughter released last week before saying a few words of her own to Nassar.
‘A real doctor helps heal,’ said Gina Nichols while staring down Nassar.
‘He doesn’t hurt. You actually are not a real doctor. You’re not a doctor at all. You’re a serial child molester. A pedophile.’
She also made a point of turning around to address the head of USA Gymnastics, saying: ‘It wasn’t just Larry it was all the people, all the people.’
Gina continued: ‘Including USA Gymnastics, and I see that you’re representing them there [looking at new president Kerry Perry]. They’rer accountable. They are accountable. And I don’t want to hear any more statements from everybody else, “we’re doing this and we’re doing that, we have a safer place now.”‘
She then stated: ‘It’s too late now.’
Perry was later joined in court by the head of Michigan State University President Lou Ann K. Simon, who was absent from the proceedings on Tuesday.
The university has also been criticized for allowing Nassar’s behavior to go unreported for so long.