One of the most talented and decorated female gymnasts in the history of the sport has come forward claiming she was sexually abused by the US team doctor.
In an interview set to air on 60 Minutes this Sunday, Aly Raisman says that she too was a victim of Larry Nassar.
Raisman, who will detail her experience in her upcoming memoir ‘Fierce,’ lashed out at those who protected Nassar and allowed these alleged offenses to go on for so long.
‘Why are we looking at why didn’t the girls speak up? Why not look at what about the culture?’ asks Raisman in a preview of her CBS interview.
‘What did USA Gymnastics do, and Larry Nassar do, to manipulate these girls so much that they are so afraid to speak up? ‘
The six-time Olympic medalist was the US captain for both the 2012 and 2016 Games, leading her team to gold in the all-around competition both times.
Raisman, 23, is currently training to return in three years for the 2020 Games in Tokyo, an unprecedented move in the sport which would give her a shot at surpassing Shannon Miller’s US record of seven Olympic medals.
Nassar is currently behind bars in a Michigan prison after pleading guilty to possession of child pornography in July.
Authorities revealed back in December of last year that they had discovered over 37,000 images and videos of child pornography featuring girls as young as six and a Go Pro video of Nassar molesting a group of young girls in a pool.
Speaking out: Six-time Olympic medalist Aly Raisman, 23, says that she was a victim of sexual abuse at the hands of Larry Nassar in a 60 Minutes interview (above)
Mad as hell: In the interview, set to air on Sunday, the US team captain at both the 2012 and 2016 Games says she is angry at USA Gymnastics for protecting Nassar (Raisman on the podium at the 2016 Rio Games after receiving silver in the individual all-around)
In a preview clip, interviewer Jon Lapook says to Raisman at one point that she looks ‘angry,’ prompting her to explain why she is so upset with the national team.
‘I am angry. I’m really upset because it’s been – I care a lot you know, when I see these young girls that come up to me, and they ask for pictures or autographs, whatever it is,’ explains Raisman.
‘I just – I can’t – every time I look at them, every time I see them smiling, I just think – I just want to create change so that they never, ever have to go through this.’
The preview did not reveal the extent of the alleged assaults and for how long they occurred, with Nassar having been the team doctor during the 2012 Games in London.
More than 130 victims have now filed lawsuits against Nassar claiming he abused them under the guise of treatment, with a number of these women claiming they were underage at the time of the incident.
Among the accusers is another decorated gymnast, Raisman’s 2012 teammate McKayla Maroney.
It was during the #MeToo campaign last month when Maroney shared her story, claiming Nassar began abusing her when she 13, and that the assaults did not stop until she left the sport just last year at the age of 20.