USA Gymnastics releases statement on ‘Athlete A’; update on investigations
USA Gymnastics released two statements on Thursday, regarding the recent release of “Athlete A” on Netflix, as well as an update on independent investigations regarding the Larry Nassar case.
The “Athlete A” statement is attributed to USAG CEO Li Li Leung. Both statements are printed at length below.
Statement from USAG CEO Li Li Leung on the Release of “Athlete A“
“We are deeply committed to learning from the mistakes of the past and the mishandling of the horrific abuse perpetrated by Larry Nassar. In order to do that, we must listen with open hearts to Maggie Nichols’ story, and the experiences of other survivors, so that we can truly understand the impact it had, and the circumstances that led to it and enabled it for too long.
Because of the bravery of Maggie and other survivors who have come forward, there have been transformational reforms across the sport. Within USA Gymnastics, under an entirely new leadership team, we have implemented stronger policies and preventative measures, launched multiple educational efforts, and made sweeping organizational, leadership and personnel changes. Most importantly, we have prioritized changing the sub-culture within our community that allowed this to happen. We owe these survivors an incredible debt of gratitude for igniting these changes across the sport.
Despite these changes, we recognize that the work is not yet done. We must keep listening, keep evolving and keep improving – and we are committed to doing so.”
Statement from USAG regarding independent investigations
“We have recently received a number of questions about the existence and status of independent investigations into the horrific abuse perpetrated by Larry Nassar. So far, there have been a total of six independent investigations that have been led by Ropes & Gray (an independent law firm), several congressional committees, the Indiana Attorney General, and Walker County, Texas. USA Gymnastics has fully cooperated with all investigative bodies, including by producing information that they have requested; and we will continue to cooperate. We are deeply committed to learning from these investigations, and finding ways to prevent abuse in the future.”
Below are publicly available reports:
- Ropes & Gray – Report of the Independent Investigation
- Senate Olympics Investigation – Senator Jerry Moran & Senator Richard Blumenthal
- Report – Energy and Commerce Committee, Majority Staff
- Deborah Daniels Report
