“All those years we were told: ‘You are 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,” said Raisman, a gold medal-winning Olympic gymnast who has been withering in her criticism of the U.S. Olympic Committee and USA Gymnastics for not doing more to protect vulnerable athletes from Nassar’s abuses.
Nassar was on the staff of Michigan State University for over 20 years. The school agreed in May to pay $500 million to settle lawsuits filed by 332 alleged victims of him.
More than 150 women, girls and family members spoke directly to Nassar during an extraordinary, week-long sentencing hearing at a Michigan court in January. Nassar, who was already serving a 60-year federal term on charges related to child pornography, was sentenced to a term of 40 to 175 years.
Incredibly powerful moment as Larry Nassar survivors gather on stage at the #ESPYS to accept the Arthur Ashe Courage Award. https://t.co/SrcAMqxyM8 pic.twitter.com/fZnVPPGBxT
— Good Morning America (@GMA) July 19, 2018
Raisman praised the judge who presided over that hearing, Rosemarie Aquilina, for allowing them to “face our abuser, to speak our truth and feel heard.” The six-time Olympic medal winner, including two golds in the team competition, added, “For too long, we were ignored, and you helped us rediscover the power we each possess.”
Raisman began her remarks by listing the many years in which “we spoke up about Larry Nassar’s abuse.” The first woman who spoke, Sarah Klein, identified herself as Nassar’s first victim, “30 years ago,” and she praised an MSU police detective, Andrea Munford, and state prosecutor, Angela Povilaitis, for “finally putting our abuser away for life.”
“Speaking up and speaking out is not easy. Telling our stories of abuse over and over and over again, in graphic detail, is not easy,” Klein said. “We’re sacrificing privacy, we’re being judged and scrutinized, and it’s grueling, and it’s painful, but it is time.”
Klein said it was “a privilege to stand up here with my sister survivors as we represent hundreds more who are not with us tonight.”
Larry Nassar survivor before receiving this year's Arthur Ashe Courage award alongside sister survivors: “If we have to walk this journey to make sure that no other little girl has to walk this journey, then that's exactly what we're going to do.” https://t.co/T3gtmmd6PF #ESPYS pic.twitter.com/Ua4q0ndhSU
— Good Morning America (@GMA) July 19, 2018
Actress Jennifer Garner introduced the recipients. “Even if the story we are about to tell you is going to be hard to hear, we all have to hear it,” Garner said. “We have to hear it, for one, to make sure that what happened at Michigan State University and USA Gymnastics never happens again.”
“To all the survivors out there, don’t let anyone rewrite your story,” Raisman said. “Your truth does matter, you matter, and you are not alone.”
