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McKayla Maroney Claims Gymnastic Team Doctor Molested Her

McKayla Maroney (Credit: Getty Images/Tommaso Boddi)

David Hookstead Sports And Entertainment Editor
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American gymnastics legend McKayla Maroney released a statement early Wednesday morning claiming she was repeatedly molested by the team doctor.

US Women’s National gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar has already been convicted on charges of child pornography, and he’s still facing more charges for alleged sexual misconduct with multiple athletes.

Maroney released the statement on Twitter, and it reads in part:

I was molested by Dr. Larry Nassar, the team doctor for the US Women’s National Gymnastics Team. 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. It seemed whenever and wherever this man could find the chance, I was ‘treated.’ 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.

This guy deserves the book thrown at him if he is convicted of sex crimes against children. I’m not sure life in prison is even scratching the surface of what child predators deserve.

The flood gates appear to have been thrown wide open in the past couple weeks when it comes to sexual harassment and assault. I can’t imagine the courage it would take from somebody of Maroney’s stature to come forward.

It should be interesting to follow along as more famous women will undoubtedly continue to come forward against sexual predators.

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