Why was the abuse by Larry Nassar able to continue for so long?

He was the Doctor that was able to help the girls perform well at the highest levels and overcome injuries. Because he helped promulgate winners, his faults were ignored.

USA Gymnastics is a powerful organization within the sport, and took a “we know what is best” approach to grooming young girls. And despite many girls complaining over the years, their stories were discounted. And many parents also discounted their daughter’s stories.

And with Bela Karolyi complicit at his “training ranch”, the girls had to go along in order to compete at the world level.

You would be astonished (I sincerely hope you would be astonished!) by how often the reports of young women are discounted because it suits authority to do so.
These young women were seen as athletic commodities. Any reports against Nasser would be discounted as “ignorance (of medical stuff)”, “hysteria”, and (my personal fave ~) “unrequited affection”. This predator had the ability to immediately and irrevocably destroy an athletic and college career.

Look at the reactions to Dylan Farrow’s open letter about Woody Allen. Regular folks who didn’t know the family, had never met Allen but only liked his work immediately and viciously attacked Farrow.

Young women are simply not believed.

But wouldn’t a father believe his own daughter? I can’t imagine a parent raising it to a higher level rather than dealing with it himself.

I would probably end up in prison.

These big universities, will tolerate anything if the program is going well. Think Sandusky, at Penn state. Great success is more important than embarrassing the alumni by making such matters public…

I understand the tendency for the organization to cover up. But what about the parents?
Wouldn’t they want to “have a talk” with the doctor?
Out of those 150 girls was there not one parent willing to take action outside of the norm?

@LuckyGuy You would certainly think so. I don’t know the answer to that. There are articles about the case in today’s NY Times and an editorial. The Judge, a woman, apparently encouraged every woman to speak and most of them were emboldened to.

@LuckyGuy When I think of my own daughter, I get the same reaction as you. Yet the parents go to a coach like Karolyi or to the Michigan State Athletic Director, and get told that “she doesn’t understand he was just examining her” and “we know what is best, he is the Doctor for the National Team!”

Parents get told everything is alright, and they want to believe that.

@zenvelo Makes sense. .Parents are often in denial about abuse for various reasons.

@LuckyGuy, what @zenvelo said, coupled with the fact that young women often don’t tell their fathers these things. It’s personal and embarrassing, and when you aren’t believed by so many, even the idea that your father might not believe you is daunting.

I heard of at least one story, where the Dr. positioned himself between the parents. Families trusted this person, and he took advantage. I wonder if he thought he would be caught?

He was a doctor.

Because gymnasts have sheltered lives. I think because they spend so many hours in the gym their parents do not talk about sex and predators with them. I think it is weird. As a teenager i was very much aware of my body and would not be ok with anyone rubbing my genitals as a medical remedy. I think it is weird that they were so innocent about these things. You should educate your kids about these things if they will be spending so many hours away from you. I did not even feel comfortable with my own mother helping me to insert tampons when it came time for me to wear them as a teenager and i needed help. I do not even feel comfortable about my son going to daycare…

@LuckyGuy Look how long the Jerry Sandusky abuse was covered up too. We can question that as well.

I’m with @candidmajor – well put.

@LuckyGuy I read in other Internet comments that one father did, but he killed himself (for not having believed his daughter) rather than anyone else responsible.

I don’t know for certain but my guess would be because the women and girls were just pawns in what was considered a larger game for the Olympic committee and the University. The players come and go but the game goes on.

When much younger I had a co-worker whose boyfriend was a college football player, a big lineman. He broke his toe early in the season, during two-a-days I believe. He told the coaches he had broken his toe. They told him it wasn’t broken and gave him painkillers for the “sprain”. When he insisted it was broken they had the team physician look at him. He told tell him it wasn’t broken and suggested the coaching staff inject his toe before the games to supplement the painkillers, effectively numbing half his foot for each game and when it got bad during practices. He played the entire season and after the last game they called him in, re-examined his toe and, lo and behold, decided it actually was broken after all. By that time he required surgery to repair it They probably wouldn’t have done that had he been a senior but he was a junior with one more season to play.

I am not comparing a broken toe to what these ladies suffered, only giving it as an example of the callousness and self-serving attitude that people in power in the sports industry can exhibit toward the athletes

@rojo, and yet, that’s exactly what you just did.

^^ I guess if you are so inclined to look for the dark cloud in everything then you could well believe that which is why I attempted to clarify it beforehand. Obviously, I failed. FML

^I thought you were crystal clear. Remember that Fluther is sexist, towards men. Ignore this, and you’ll have a better time…