Olympic gymnast Simone Biles has come forward with her own allegations against former Team USA gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar. According to TMZ, the 20-year-old issued a statement stating “I too am one of the many survivors that was sexually abused by Larry Nassar.”
Biles supported her fellow gymnasts McKayla Maroney, Aly Raisman, and Gabby Douglas when they came forward with their own allegations last year. In total, Nassar is alleged to have abused over 120 young girls while he worked as medical professional, according to CNN. Nassar’s sentencing hearing begins this week, after he pled guilty to seven counts of sexual misconduct back in November. Accusations against Nassar go back as far as 1998, but were put under a new spotlight thanks to the #MeToo movement.
The gold medalist's statement comes out before several days of victim's testimonies during Nassar's hearing. “Please believe me when I was say it was a lot harder to first speak those words out loud than it is now to put them on paper,” Biles shared in her statement. "There are many reasons that I have been reluctant to share my story, but I know it's not my fault."
Nassar has already been sentenced to 60 years on child pornography charges.
"This behavior is completely unacceptable, disgusting, and abusive, especially coming from someone whom I was TOLD to trust,” Biles wrote. "As I continue to work through the pain, I kindly ask everyone to respect my privacy. This is a process, and one that I need more time to work through."
Read the full statement below.
