Aly Raisman To Alleged Abuser: 'We Are A Force, You Are Nothing'

LANSING, MI — Nothing. Pathetic. Sick. Someone who took advantage of her passions and dreams.

That's some of how Olympic gold medalist Aly Raisman described the man she says abused her as a member of USA Gymnastics.

Raisman, from Needham, MA, appeared in court Friday as one of the more than 120 women to give a victim impact statement against former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar. He has pleaded guilty to three counts of engaging in sexual misconduct with a person under the age of 16.

Raisman originally said she would submit written testimony because speaking would be too painful, but chose to come forward after watching other victims speak throughout the week. Due to the number of known victims, sentencing for Nassar has been pushed to either Monday or Tuesday.

"Larry, you do realize now that we, this group of women you so heartlessly abused over such a long period of time are now a force and you are nothing," Raisman said. "The tables have turned Larry. We are here, we have our voices and we are not going anywhere."

An emotional Raisman spoke with passion as she confronted the man who started abusing her as a teenager. She recounted the disturbing details of when Nassar entered her hotel room in Australia when she was 15 years old, forcing her on her stomach and allowed himself to be pleasured while telling Raisman it was medical treatment.

Raisman said she thought something was off about Nassar, but thought she was wrong to think that because he was a doctor.

"You never healed me, you took advantage of our passions and dreams," she said. "I thought you were weird, but I felt guilty because you were a doctor so I let myself think the problem was me. You are so sick I can’t comprehend how angry I am when I think of you."

Raisman has since become an advocate for the abused gymnasts. This week, she said on ESPN's Outside the Lines that she believes that USA Gymnastics does not care about the victims. During her statement, she criticized the country's governing body for the sport, pointing out that on the day USA Gymnastics announced they were cutting ties with the Karolyi Ranch Training Center, where many reported cases abuse occurred, gymnasts were still training there. The line brought out a moment of laughter from those listening.

"Did (USA Gymnastics) reach out when I came forward? No. At this point, talk is worthless to me. We need to believe this won’t happen again," she said. "For this sport to go on we need real change and we need to fight for it. If we leave it up to the organizations, history will repeat itself."

An email obtained by theIndy Star indicates that the World Team Trials event will still take place at the ranch.

Raismen called for an independent investigation into USA Gymnastics and requested that Nassar receive the maximum sentence possible. Her full remarks received an ovation from the crowd and the assurance that the words of all the victim would be taken into consideration for sentencing.

Nassar, whose known abuse goes back three decades, has been sentenced to 60 years in prison for child pornography charges from a separate case. At 54, the sentence is essentially a life sentence. In the latest case, he faces 25-40 years in prison.

Below is Raisman's full statement:

Image Credit: Dan Libon