Among the more than 160 women who testified in court accusing sports doctor Larry Nassar of sexual abuse was at least one swimmer, according to media reports.
Nassar was sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison yesterday after a sentencing hearing in which the judge allowed all of the women accusing Nassar of sexual abuse to address him directly. Media reports continue to detail all of the more than 160 testimonies, and today multiple outlets report that at least one swimmer is included among the alleged victims.
Per WILX.com, Marie Anderson testified on Friday, January 19th. Anderson was a youth swimmer who was treated by Nassar at the age of 15, when Nassar was with Michigan State University Sports Medicine. Anderson says she was having issues with her lower back, and that Nassar told her she needed “pelvic adjustments.”
WLIX reports that Anderson was “visibly angry when speaking to Nassar.” A New York Times recapping of the testimony quotes Anderson as saying her parents were in the room when she was assaulted. An eventual alumnus of Michigan State, Anderson had harsh words for her alma mater for allowing the abuse to happen as well:
“As an alumni of Michigan State University, I am disgusted to my core that this man was able to harm so many under their responsibility,” she said, according to The Lansing State Journal. “The pride I had in my alma mater is tarnished and diminishing as this continues to progress.”
The WILX report includes a powerful story of when Anderson heard about other abuse allegations coming out against Nassar:
“She recalled a time when the reports were first coming out. She was sitting at McAlister’s Deli in Lansing and women at a table close to her were talking about “their friend, Larry.” She remembers them discussing how “girls were making up these lies just for attention.” They didn’t know that she was abused by Nassar. She says, “little did they know that one of those girls, who I promise you, would have been very happy with no attention at all was sitting next to them with tears falling down onto her plate.”
And yet, nobody talks about parent responsibility. I am sure rumors were swirling around about that monster, yet, they still chose to send their little girls to Larry at camps. A chance to (maybe) be at Olympics was more important to parents?
This is just second-hand victim blaming. Makes it just as garbage, IMO.
Read more of the victim statements. Plenty of them weren’t Olympic hopefuls, lots were just random referrals.
Assigning responsibility to parents b/c “you are sure there were rumors” seems short-sighted.
Responsibility starts with those closest to Nassar, personally and professionally, who choose to look the other way and/or actively protected his atrocities. They need to be held responsible.
ask yourself who is to blame for Larry Nassar: a bunch of people who aren’t Larry Nassar, or Larry Nassar.
When people are victims of sexual abuse they often internalize the abuse, blame themselves, or try to block it out and pretend it didn’t happen. The sentiment that Psychodad expressed- that this abuse is somehow the parents fault instead of the abuser’s fault contributes to tendency to victim blame for which makes it harder for survivors to come forward. Furthermore, victims are also hesitant to come forward because they often receive backlash and even death threats (e.g: Roy Moore supporters burned one of his accuser’s house down) and the perpetuators of the abuse is rarely brought to justice.
Reminder Alabama is like a third world country
It’s still disheartening how many people side with the abusers in cases like this. I had a close family friend tell me how some of Bill Cosby’s victims were only coming forward for money or fame and my head very nearly spun off my head.
We’ll never know the actual number, but the total number of victims could very well be in the thousands and I wouldn’t be that surprised.
I don’t have an opinion on Bill Crosby though I think it an altogether different category than Larry Nasser.
Larry worked with as you say 1000s of ppl . I don’t know what an Oesteopath does for example that is different to a Chiropractor . I know there are Manipulative Physios & Sports Physios who realign hips for example .
I’d like to stay on topic . There has to be some fundamental things we can learn or admit to ourselves. These girls were in pain & ppl will do anything to relieve that pain . That the whole nation is in an Opoid crises is perhaps the critical reference point not Bill Crosby or Harvey.
My point wasn’t Cosby, broh. The point is not believing accusers and victims, which is literally what this swimmer talked about in her victim statement.
Osteopaths v chiropractors and the opioid crisis are straight out of left field, so. Maybe take your own advice?
(Rawr! I’m feeling catty.)
So what is an Oesteopath & do their guidelines include insertion into v**** & an*** canals?
It is not a case of believing accusers , it is a case of anyone coming forward to put in a complaint to the appropriate State authority . Did they ? Why did Maggie Kelly’s coach go to Rhonda Faehn of USAG rather than the police either in Texas or her home state? From then all were fobbed off with a private investigation & then by a ‘ FBI ‘who took 9 months to come up with 0 .
So many questions but there is always the basic wtf is an Oesteopath doing that attracted the women & girls like a bee… Read more »
just shut up dude
You just did that thing that everybody has been doing since 96. Makayla got $1.2 million for shutting up . My price is higher dude.
Just for the record – It was world champion Maggie Nichols who reported it to her coach. Not Maggie Kelly. For whatever reason I have seen Maggie Kelly multiple times now and it’s pissing me off.