“To Protect the American People”

 FBI’s Mission Statement Fails in Light of U.S.A. Gymnastics Abuse

Megan Valadez / Assistant Opinion Editor / The USD Vista

I am tired of women’s voices not being heard. I am tired of women having to work 10x harder just to almost be equal to men. I am tired of law enforcement officials blowing over the sexual assault testimonies of millions of women every year. I am tired of not being believed, and that needs to change.

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics (which took place during Summer 2021 due to COVID-19) was a spectacle of both widespread criticism and support in the eyes of the U.S.A. Women’s Gymnastics team. Much of the attention came to light when the world’s most accomplished gymnast, Simone Biles, withdrew from most of the gymnastics competitions at theSummer Olympics due to mental duress. But for many gymnasts, this started way before the 2020 Olympics. 

Not only is Biles the most famous and most accomplished Olympic gymnast, but she has also gone through something very traumatic. She faced a lot of hate and criticism for pulling out of many competitions. I don’t think anyone knew the true extent of her trauma. Not only was the spotlight heavily weighing on her to perform perfectly, but the abuse by Nassar weighed on her more heavily.  Ultimately, she pulled out of the competitions because she was not in a good headspace to perform such dangerous routines. Her mental and physical health came first. The fact that people did not stand behind her and her decision is utterly heartbreaking. 

On January 24, 2018, Lawrence G. Nassar was sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison for sex crimes. He was the team physician for the American gymnastics team and the University of Michigan. Many young women and teenagers were molested under the guise of his medical treatment. 

The abuse surfaced publicly in 2016, even though it started as early as the 90’s. The Indianapolis Star put out a series of investigative reports that stated how the U.S.A. Gymnastics – the sport’s governing body, had hidden files of complaints involving more than 50 coaches suspected of abuse, most of which were never reported to law enforcement. The Indianapolis Star interviewed two former gymnasts who said Nassar penetrated them with his fingers and claimed it was a medical procedure. These two women opened the floodgates for over 100 other women to come forward and make statements about their abuse by Nassar. 

Between the start of the F.B.I. investigation and the publication of the Indianapolis Star article, Nassar abused at least 70 women and girls, according to a report issued in July of 2016 by the Department of Justice. Most recently on September 15, 2021, Simone Biles and three other gymnasts gave heartbreaking testimonies to Congress, where they gut-wrenchingly described the abuse they suffered by Nassar and said the F.B.I “turned a blind eye.” 

McKayla Maroney, a former Olympic gymnast, described the haunting details of being sexually assaulted by Nassar when she was 15 years old before the Senate Judiciary Committee, “That evening I was naked, completely alone, with him on top of me, molesting me for hours.” She even stated that Nassar molested her just before she won an Olympic gold medal at the London Olympics in 2012. “I told the F.B.I. all of this, and they chose to falsify my report, and to not only minimize my abuse but silence me yet again,” Maroney said to the court.

In addition to the pain of not being believed, these gymnasts made it clear that the F.B.I. failed to act and acknowledge the abuse, which led to further abuse of many young athletes. Biles said to the court, “How much is a little girl worth? I suffered and continue to suffer because no one at the FBI did what was necessary to protect us. We have been failed and we deserve answers. Nassar is where he belongs, but those who enabled him deserve to be held accountable.”

Biles pulling out of many of the competitions had much to do with the mental strain of continuing to train throughout the year-long delay of the 2020 Olympics. “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,” said Biles, while holding back tears. 

F.B.I. Director Christopher Wray also testified on September 15 and apologized for the agency’s lack of understanding. “On no planet is what happened in this case acceptable,” he said. Yes, this is not acceptable, but this continues to happen to so many people and women every single day. People are quick to question and not believe victims and their sexual assaults are greatly downplayed. Not only is Nassar to blame but also the entire system that perpetuated his abuse. The F.B.I. and U.S.A. Gymnastics knew what was going on and did nothing. This allowed Nassar to continue to abuse and ruin the lives of so many women and young girls who were faced with his abuse. 

Biles stated that a message needs to be sent to every agency that failed them: “If you allow a predator to harm children, the consequences will be swift and severe. Enough is enough.” And she is absolutely correct. Enough is enough. I am tired of women not being heard or seen. I am tired of women not being believed or being called gendered/sexist slurs because they come forward. 

This needs to change everywhere, including on college campuses, where women are forced to see their abusers on campus and where abusers get let off easy. Our entire society needs to change the way we view sexual assault. Sexual assault is never okay and what happened to the hundreds of athletes that came forward, and the millions of other people who are assaulted every day, needs to end.