Local Community Advertising
It doesn’t just happen in Hollywood.
That was the message from former Olympic gymnast McKayla Maroney, who posted a lengthy statement to Twitter on Wednesday morning.
“Everyone’s words over the past few days have been so inspiring to me,” said the 21-year-old. “I know how hard it is to speak publicly about something so horrible, and so personal, because it’s happened to me too.”
Maroney alleges that she was molested by Dr. Larry Nassar, who’s the team doctor for the U.S. women’s national gymnastics team.
According to Maroney, the abuse started as early as when she was 13-years-old, when she attended one of her first national team training camps in Texas.
#MeToo pic.twitter.com/lYXaDTuOsS
— mckayla (@McKaylaMaroney) October 18, 2017
Dr. Nassar told her she was receiving “medically necessary treatment that he had been performing on patients for over 30 years” and Maroney says “it didn’t end until I left the sport.”
In the statement, the gymnast details what she calls the scariest night of her life, when she was just 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.”
hi✨ pic.twitter.com/ErNpACqJ2p
— mckayla (@McKaylaMaroney) September 2, 2017
Maroney made a few suggestions on how we can change as a society, which included speaking out, holding people accountable, more education on the issue and zero tolerance.
“Is it possible to put an end to this type of abuse? Is it possible for survivors to speak out, without putting careers, and dreams in jeopardy? I hope so.”
Local Community Advertising