U.S. Gymnasts Accuse Team Doctor Of Sexual Abuse: 'He Touches You Funny'
Feb. 20 2017, Published 1:57 p.m. ET
Three former elite U.S. gymnasts have publicly revealed new claims of alleged sexual abuse by a former team physician.
On Sunday's edition of 60 Minutes, Jamie Dantzscher, Jeanette Antolin and Jessica Howard sat down to discuss the details of Larry Nassar, who has been accused of sexual abuse by dozens of women and girls.
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Nassar allegedly uses his position as team physician to administer "his bare hand to the victims' vagina, on multiple locations, in the victims' assigned living quarters, without any supervision or chaperone," according to one of the lawsuits filed against him.
"He would put his fingers inside of me and move my leg around," Dantzscher, member of the 2000 team that won a bronze medal at the Sydney Olympics, told 60 Minutes. "He would tell me I was going to feel a pop. And that that would put my hips back and help my back pain."
"I remember being uncomfortable because of the area," Antolin, who was part of the national team from 1995-2000 and competed at the 1999 worlds, later added. "But in my mind, I was like, If this helps, I'll do anything. It was treatment. You don't complain about treatment."
"The girls would say 'Yeah he touches you funny,'" Howard, a three-time rhythmic gymnastics national champion, said. "He started massaging me. And he had asked me not to wear any underwear. And then he continued to go into more and more intimate places. I remember thinking something was off but I didn't feel like I was able to say anything because he was, you know, this very high-profile doctor."
USA Gymnastics confirmed that an investigation was underway this week after the organization learned of "athlete concerns" regarding Nassar in June 2015. Since then, USA Gymnastics have contacted the FBI and removed Nassar from further assignments.
In November, the Michigan attorney general charged Nassar with three counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a person younger than 13.
In December, Nassar was indicted on two federal charges related to child pornography. A third charge was later added, with prosecutors accusing Nassar of attempting to destroy some of the 37,000 images and videos the FBI found on his hard drives, according to USA Today.
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Nassar vehemently denies any wrongdoing.
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