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Olympic Gymnast McKayla Maroney Alleges That Team Doctor Molested Her For Years
Maroney at the adidas Olympic Media Lounge in London in 2012. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images for adidas)
Olympic gold medalist McKayla Maroney took to Twitter on Wednesday to accuse former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar of allegedly molesting her throughout her gymnastics career, beginning when she was 13.
Maroney spoke out as part of the #MeToo movement currently sweeping social media, tweeting, "Dr. Nassar told me that I was receiving 'medically necessary treatment that he had been performing on patients for over 30 years.' It started when I was 13 years old, at one of my first National Team training camps, in Texas, and it didn't end until I left the sport."
Nassar has been accused of sexual assault by over 100 women and girls, and pleaded guilty to federal child-pornography charges last summer.
In her Wednesday statement, Maroney claimed Nassar molested her under the guise of medical treatment throughout her career in gymnastics, recounting one instance of being allegedly drugged by Nassar in Tokyo at the age of 15.
"It happened in London before my team and I won the gold medal, and it happened before I won my Silver. For me, the scariest night of my life happened when I was 15 years old. I had flown all day and night with the team to get to Tokyo. He'd given me a sleeping pill for the flight, and the next thing I know, I was all alone with him in his hotel room getting a "treatment." I thought I was going to die that night."
#MeToo pic.twitter.com/lYXaDTuOsS
— mckayla (@McKaylaMaroney) October 18, 2017
A native of Southern California, Maroney officially announced her retirement from gymnastics in 2016 after winning two Olympic medals—and going viral for her "not impressed" pose at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
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In her #MeToo statement, Maroney laid out her thoughts on how to eradicate the scourge of sexual abuse, writing, "Our silence has given the wrong people power for too long, and it's time to take our power back." Maroney's statement garnered support on Twitter from her former "Fierce Five" Olympic teammates Aly Raisman, Kyla Ross and Jordyn Wieber.
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