The Foundation for Global Sports Development delivers and supports initiatives that promote fair play, education, and the benefits of abuse-free sport for youth.
White Law PLLC was founded to provide more personalized representation to clients facing legal dilemmas. Whether you have an issue that is complex or relatively straightforward, any legal matter can have a significant impact on your life. Our team of experienced lawyers based in Okemos, Michigan, strive to deliver outstanding legal services that exceed your expectations. We utilize our extensive legal knowledge and the latest in technology to bring you effective and proven solutions to your legal issues.
Oprah Winfrey Network – Interview with Victims
Oprah Winfrey Network – Interview with VictimsUm, and, you know, she didn’t even tell my parents. The person she did tell was Larry NASSAR. When you saw Larry next, what happened? I remember he came in the office and closed the door, sat on his chair, and he reassured me that it was a medical treatment, that it was to help me. And I said, “I am so sorry. It was a big misunderstanding, and it’s all my fault. -You apologized? I hopped back up on the table, and he continued to abuse me. Vargas: and it wasn’t the only time a gymnast says she reported NASSAR to kathie klages at Michigan state. Remember Lindsey lemke? Her mom says she called coach klages in a panic, nearly 20 years after larissa boyce complained.
No. I’m sorry. Well, you know, a couple women have told us, kathie, that they spoke with you back in 1997, and they told you that Larry NASSAR digitally, -I’m sorry. Penetrated them. I’m sorry. Vargas: Michigan state would eventually suspend kathie klages, and she announced her retirement the next day, saying if she had doubts about NASSAR, she would have reacted immediately to protect her gymnasts. But larissa and Lindsey and other gymnasts we spoke with allege in lawsuits that there were many others who failed to protect them from NASSAR and turned a blind eye to the abuse. There were institutions that allowed this to happen, the culture of abuse in gymnastics that allowed this to happen. But what are all these coaches and what’s the gymnastics federation getting out of this? Because I think Larry was willing to let these girls practice no matter what their injuries were, and that’s what the coaches wanted. Vargas: then, a possible turning point in 2014, a young woman complained about dr. NASSAR, and Michigan state launched a formal investigation, but it says it came up empty. NASSAR is cleared, but there was a problem. Some of the witnesses were close to NASSAR, including one of his protégés, which is just unbelievable. Vargas: NASSAR then returned to work at Michigan state for another 2 years. ESPN reported that over those 2 years, NASSAR assaulted at least a dozen young women, who have since gone to the police. But where was usa gymnastics in all this? At least one Olympic-level coach, JOHN GEDDERT, is alleged in a lawsuit to have ignored a complaint from an athlete’s family in 1997. Geddert led the 2012 women’s Olympic team in London to gold and also owns that Michigan gymnastics club, twistars. If they wanted to be an elite gymnast or try to go to the Olympics, that was the gym to go to. To me, JOHN GEDDERT, as the owner of your gym, you should know what that doctor is doing to your athletes. Vargas: geddert denies violating athletic protection policies, though his coach’s privileges were suspended in January 2018 by usa gymnastics, which had already severed ties with dr. NASSAR in 2015 over athletes’ concerns, but it never told Michigan state, so NASSAR continued to practice there for another year. If usa gymnastics had simply, in 2015, picked up the phone and called the Michigan state police, he would not have been able to molest for another year. Vargas: usa gymnastics, in a statement released on January 24, 2018, said, “usa gymnastics supports an independent investigation.
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My first thoughts of Larry NASSAR is that he was a gregarious, kind, thoughtful person. Very competent, very caring, very warm and engaging. He was charismatic. I was enamored by him. Everyone was. Vargas: olympian kerri strug vaulted into history and our hearts with her bravery at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, man: kerri strug is hurt! Vargas: brought to her knees by injury but winning a gold medal for her team. There was another rising star sharing that iconic moment, the man on the right helping to support her team doctor Larry NASSAR. He was seen as a man who was the best at what he did, so good that usa gymnastics wanted him at the Olympics. They wanted him to be the one person on Earth who would be treating their top athletes. This was a guy who taught religious school at a local church. He volunteered as the team doctor for the whole high school there. Vargas: NASSAR rubbed shoulders with gymnastics royalty, béla and MÁRTA KÁROLYI. With U.S. Gymnastics, it’s basically all about the károlyis, and to have the károlyis’ trust means everything in gymnastics. Vargas: the károlyis’Texas training camp was well-known in gymnastics circles for its grueling boot camp atmosphere. When dr. NASSAR worked at the camp, the girls say he was a rare friendly face, plying them with candy and kindness. He was nice. I mean, he was kind. He was caring. Vargas: Lindsey lemke met Larry NASSAR at twistars gym. Her parents became close family friends with the doctor and his wife. He began treating her for back pain when she was in middle school. Hello, and welcome to gymnasticsdoctor. Com. Doctor NASSAR liked to show off his techniques, posting videos he called tender teaching moments on his website. There are legitimate treatments that require doctors to touch intimate areas, and dr. NASSAR took advantage of that, going beyond medical necessity for his own perverse pleasure. Lindsey says when she was 12, NASSAR’ s procedures and his fingers suddenly became invasive. And then he went inside of me, and I was like, “this isn’t the same thing. Was he talking to you during this?
No. My back never got better until I stopped seeing Larry. Vargas: NASSAR’ s victims say they were uniquely vulnerable. They were in pain from injuries. They were told dr. NASSAR was the only one who could heal them. As top athletes, they were used to taking orders. They were programmed for obedience. They wanted robots, and it was survival of the fittest. And if you didn’t survive, then, “see you later. You’re not on the team. Vargas: akemi look was a rhythmic gymnast. She says she was seen by dr. NASSAR several times with no issues until one appointment when she was 15. And then he says to me, “okay, um, “I’m just gonna make an adjustment. It might be a little bit uncomfortable. The next thing I know, I feel his fingers pressing up inside my vagina. I remember my face getting really hot and being so confused about why he was touching me there. I just buried my head in the table and just prayed for it to be over. Vargas: she told no one. I felt so violated and so embarrassed that someone had touched me there, I had to justify it to myself by saying that it, that he was trying to heal me. Vargas: it wasn’t just the girls who were fooled by NASSAR’ s treatments. The sports medicine community viewed him as an authority in the field. NASSAR even contributed a chapter to this medical textbook, complete with a cringeworthy photo of what the author says as NASSAR’ s hands on a girl’s bottom. In the text, NASSAR encourages other doctors to touch
You apologized? I hopped back up on the table, and he continued to abuse me. Vargas: and it wasn’t the only time a gymnast says she reported NASSAR to kathie klages at Michigan state. Remember Lindsey lemke? Her mom says she called coach klages in a panic, nearly 20 years after larissa boyce complained.
No. I’m sorry. Well, you know, a couple women have told us, kathie, that they spoke with you back in 1997, and they told you that Larry NASSAR digitally, -I’m sorry. Penetrated them. I’m sorry. Vargas: Michigan state would eventually suspend kathie klages, and she announced her retirement the next day, saying if she had doubts about NASSAR, she would have reacted immediately to protect her gymnasts. But larissa and Lindsey and other gymnasts we spoke with allege in lawsuits that there were many others who failed to protect them from NASSAR and turned a blind eye to the abuse. There were institutions that allowed this to happen, the culture of abuse in gymnastics that allowed this to happen. But what are all these coaches and what’s the gymnastics federation getting out of this? Because I think Larry was willing to let these girls practice no matter what their injuries were, and that’s what the coaches wanted. Vargas: then, a possible turning point in 2014, a young woman complained about dr. NASSAR, and Michigan state launched a formal investigation, but it says it came up empty. NASSAR is cleared, but there was a problem. Some of the witnesses were close to NASSAR, including one of his protégés, which is just unbelievable. Vargas: NASSAR then returned to work at Michigan state for another 2 years. ESPN reported that over those 2 years, NASSAR assaulted at least a dozen young women, who have since gone to the police. But where was usa gymnastics in all this? At least one Olympic-level coach, JOHN GEDDERT, is alleged in a lawsuit to have ignored a complaint from an athlete’s family in 1997. Geddert led the 2012 women’s Olympic team in London to gold and also owns that Michigan gymnastics club, twistars. If they wanted to be an elite gymnast or try to go to the Olympics, that was the gym to go to. To me, JOHN GEDDERT, as the owner of your gym, you should know what that doctor is doing to your athletes. Vargas: geddert denies violating athletic protection policies, though his coach’s privileges were suspended in January 2018 by usa gymnastics, which had already severed ties with dr. NASSAR in 2015 over athletes’ concerns, but it never told Michigan state, so NASSAR continued to practice there for another year. If usa gymnastics had simply, in 2015, picked up the phone and called the Michigan state police, he would not have been able to molest for another year. Vargas: usa gymnastics, in a statement released on January 24, 2018, said, “usa gymnastics supports an independent investigation.
Download View in BrowserThe Foundation for Global Sports Development delivers and supports initiatives that promote fair play, education, and the benefits of abuse-free sport for youth.
White Law PLLC was founded to provide more personalized representation to clients facing legal dilemmas. Whether you have an issue that is complex or relatively straightforward, any legal matter can have a significant impact on your life. Our team of experienced lawyers based in Okemos, Michigan, strive to deliver outstanding legal services that exceed your expectations. We utilize our extensive legal knowledge and the latest in technology to bring you effective and proven solutions to your legal issues.