Simone Biles Calls out FBI for Larry Nassar Investigation
Simone Biles was in Washington D.C. Wednesday to tell the Senate Judiciary Committee that current and former FBI agents mishandled the Larry Nassar investigation, according to ESPN. Nassar, the former team doctor for Team USA gymnastics, is currently serving a life sentence in prison for child pornography, tampering with evidence, and sexual assault.
"It truly feels like the FBI turned a blind eye to us," Biles told the Senate hearing Wednesday. She also said that the agents should be federally prosecuted for their actions. According to a report published by the Department of Justice's inspector general, the FBI agents failed to respond with the "seriousness and urgency" after heading reports about Nassar's abuse in the summer of 2015. The report revealed that agents mishandled the evidence while making false statements to investigators.
"I will close with one final thought. The scars of this horrific abuse continue to live with all of us," Biles said per Fox News. "As the lone competitor at the recent Tokyo Games who was a survivor of this horror, I can assure you that the impacts of this man's abuse are not ever over or forgotten."
"The announcement in the spring of 2020 that the Tokyo Games were to be postponed for a year meant that I would be going to the gym, to training, to therapy, living daily, among the reminders of this story for another 365 days. As I have stated in the past, one thing that helped me push each and every day was the goal of not allowing this crisis to be ignored. I worked incredibly hard to make sure that my presence could maintain a connection between the failures and the competition at Tokyo 2020."
Biles was joined by fellow gymnasts Aly Raisman, McKayla Maroney and Maggie Nichols, who called out Nassar's behavior in 2015. The four gymnasts said that Nassar sexually abused them during their time with the national team. Biles withdrew from multiple events during the Olympics due to mental health struggles. She competed in the balance beam and won the bronze medal.
"That has proven to be an exceptionally difficult burden for me to carry, particularly when required to travel to Tokyo without the support of any of my family," Biles revealed. "I am a strong individual and I will persevere, but I never should have been left alone to suffer the abuse of Larry Nassar."
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.