Christine Blasey Ford presented the Sports Illustrated’s Inspiration of the Year Award to Rachael Denhollander, a lawyer who first accused USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar of sexual abuse, in a video posted on Twitter Tuesday afternoon.
“Rachael Denhollander, I am in awe of you, and I will always be inspired by you. In stepping forward, you took a huge risk, and you galvanized future generations to come forward … We all have the power to create real change, and we cannot allow ourselves to be defined by the acts of others,” she stated in the video.
In her first public statement since September, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford presents Sports Illustrated’s Inspiration of the Year Award to Rachael Denhollander https://t.co/2lBOB9nVDk pic.twitter.com/AjRYVYfOmS
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) December 12, 2018
Blasey Ford gained notoriety after accusing then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct dating back decades. After the initial claim became public, she and Kavanaugh publicly testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee back in September. (RELATED: Report: Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s Ex-Boyfriend Says She Coached A Friend Before Taking A Polygraph Test)
After Denhollander came forward publicly to accuse former Michigan State and USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar of sexual assault, more than 300 women have reiterated similar claims.
Nassar was sentenced to 60 years in federal prison on child pornography. After he serves that sentence, he will serve an additional sentence of 40-to-125 years in prison on three counts of sexual assault while concurrently serving 40-to-175 years on Michigan state charges of sexual assault.
Earlier this week, Blasey Ford was announced as one of the ten finalists for Time’s Person of the Year Award but did not win the honor.