Athlete A
NetflixdocumentaryAthlete Arecounts the shocking USA Gymnastics sex abuse scandal , in which more than 500 former patients of sports Doctor of the Church Larry Nassar reported having been chevy by over a period of several decade . The film cover up the unsubtle stroke of the case , but with a malicious gossip this far - reaching there are also some details left out .
The " Athlete A " of the infotainment ’s title refers to Maggie Nichols , a gymnast who come forward about the contumely she ’d experienced while in Nassar ’s upkeep in 2015 . After being told about the allegations , USA Gymnastics President and CEO Steve Penny waited five calendar week before reporting it to the FBI . Nichols and her folk say that they were told by USAG not to go public , and Nassar carry on to address ( and molest ) young gymnast for a further fifteen months , until a chronicle about his history of abusing girl broke inThe Indianapolis Star .
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Athlete A , which was aim by Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk , get through back into the history of Olympian gymnastics to find the theme of the culture of abuse in which Nassar ’s crimes were able to be committed . UnlikeNetlix ’s dead on target crime series , however , the picture only has enough scarper metre to hide the most prominent elements of the USA Gymnastics sex misuse scandal . Here are some extra details thatAthlete Aleft out .
USA Gymnastics Coaches Accused Of Abuse
A more late investigative piece published byIndyStardetailed how USA Gymnastics had turn a blind middle not only to the action of Larry Nassar , but to a numeral of USAG coaches who faced abuse allegations . As explained inAthlete A , the organization has a insurance of not alert authorisation to reports of revilement unless signed by a victim or a dupe ’s parent . IndyStarfound that complaints against more than 50 coaches have been filed , but USAG is prevent the content of those complaint a closely - guarded secret . The newspaper is wait a opinion from a judge to have them discharge .
In improver to the Larry Nassar guinea pig , IndyStarfound four cases of insult allegations against coaches wherein USA Gymnastics fail to alarm federal agency , leading to at least 14 other minor athletes being ill-use by those coaches before they were eventually bring to Department of Justice . Coach Marvin Sharp was first report to the organization in 2011 , but the complaints were n’t passed on to the constabulary until four years afterward , after USAG received another allegation of child sexual ill-treatment . Sharp was eventually charge in federal royal court , and killed himself in jail . USA Gymnastics also had a " thick data file of complaint " against coach Mark Schiefelbein , but these were kept surreptitious until they were finally subpoena during Schiefelbein ’s trial . He is now serving a 36 - year sentence for sexual battery and sexual exploitation of a tiddler .
IndyStarfound that USA Gymnastics had a sexual wrongful conduct complaint filing cabinet ( which , again , was not cover to the authorities ) on carriage James Bell at least five years before he was at long last hold in 2003 for tyke molestation . Perhaps the most eminent - visibility case is that of William McCabe , a coach who was not only accuse of molesting underage gymnasts , but would openly boast about doing so . McCabe continued to abuse young athletes for seven years after USA Gymnastics was first alarm to his behavior , in what would be the first of four warnings about him . Action was eventually take when the female parent of one of the victims went directly to the FBI . McCabe pleaded guilty to intimate exploitation of shaver in 2006 , and is presently serving a 30 - year condemnation .
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Steve Penny Received A $1 Million Severance Package
stop Larry Nassar was only the first step in seeking justice for his victim . As explained inAthlete A , the bigger target was USA Gymnastics itself - in particular , president and chief operating officer Steve Penny . In March 2017 Penny resigned from his position , but a couple of month later theWall Street Journalreported that he ’d made a comfortable landing , with a severance package that amount to $ 1 million , intended to treat two years of recompense . Upon con about this , Olympic champion Aly Raisman - one of the survivors of Nassar ’s revilement who come forward about her experiences - was particularly anger . " ' I suppose , ` Wow , why could n’t they make a program ? '' ' Raisman said at the time . '' A million dollar mark is a lot of money . They could do a mess of thing to make change . ''
Steve Penny’s Charges Of Evidence Tampering
WhileAthlete Areveals that Steve Penny was finally arrested and is currently wait a trial , the docudrama does n’t get down into the detail . Penny was turn back on suspicion of tampering with evidence , a third - stage felony that carries a punishment of two to ten years in prison and a fine of up to $ 10,000 . The indictment alleges that Penny say the removal of documents from Karolyi Ranch , the training installation where Nassar was given entree to the young gymnast , that relate to Nassar ’s activities at the cattle farm . It further alleges that these documents were removed with the design of experience them destroy or cover so as to halter the investigation into Nassar . The papers have still not been recovered and it ’s therefore unknown what they contain , or how they might have help oneself with the probe . Penny plead not hangdog and was released on bail . He is still awaiting trial .
USA Gymnastics Filed For Bankruptcy
Others Charged In Connection To The Scandal
Athlete Afocuses on the investigating into Larry Nassar and the ensue trial , as well as Steve Penny ’s collar , but those were n’t the only criminal charges filed as a result of the sexual practice abuse scandal . In November 2018 , former Michigan State University Chief Executive Lou Anna K. Simon was charged with two felonies . Simon was accused of lying to constabulary about her noesis of Nassar ’s abuse during the investigation , and had resigned in January 2018 . In May 2020 , the charge against Simon were dismiss , with the jurist citing a want of sufficient evidence .
Michigan State employed Nassar for many years , and the university march a pattern of brushing sex insult accusation under the carpeting that was very alike to USA Gymnastics ' advance . Former Michigan State gymnastic exercise coach Kathie Klages was charged in August 2018 , also accused of lying to authorities about her knowledge of Nassar ’s criminal offence . Unlike Simon , Klages was discover hangdog in February 2020 and convict of one felony and one violation charge of lying to the police . She is presently wait sentencing . Nassar ’s Bos , Dr. William D. Strampel , was convict of wrongful conduct and wilful neglect , and was condemn to one year in prison .
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