Olympic champ Douglas says she was among victims

Associated Press

Olympic champion gymnast Gabby Douglas says she is among the group of athletes sexually abused by a former team doctor.

Douglas, the 2012 Olympic all-around champion and a three-time gold medalist, wrote in an Instagram post Tuesday that she waited so long to reveal the abuse by Larry Nassar because she was part of a group “conditioned to stay silent.”

Douglas included the revelation in an apology for comments made on social media last week that suggested women dress modestly to help prevent abuse. Douglas said her comments, which she later deleted, were taken out of context.

“I didn’t view my comments as victim shaming because I know no matter what you wear, it NEVER gives anyone the right to harass or abuse you,” Douglas wrote.

The 21-year-old Douglas is the latest high-profile gymnast to come forward against Nassar, who spent nearly two decades as the national team doctor for USA Gymnastics before being fired in 2015. Two-time Olympic teammate Aly Raisman wrote about alleged abuse by Nassar in her autobiography “Fierce,” released earlier this month. Two-time Olympic medalist McKayla Maroney disclosed abuse by Nassar in October.

Jamie Dantzscher, a bronze medalist on the 2000 U.S. Olympic team, was part of the initial wave of lawsuits filed against Nassar in 2016 following reporting by the Indianapolis Star that highlighted chronic mishandling of abuse allegations against coaches and staff at some of USA Gymnastics’ more than 3,500 clubs across the country.

Nassar, 54, was accused of molesting several girls while working for USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University. He’s facing similar charges in a neighboring Michigan county and lawsuits filed by more than 125 women and girls.

Nassar pleaded guilty Wednesday to multiple charges of sexual assault and faces at least 25 years in prison.

USA Gymnastics launched an independent review of its policies in the wake of the allegations against Nassar. In June, the gymnastics board adopted the new USA Gymnastics SafeSport Policy that replaced the previous policy.