Aly Raisman slams 'Dateline' coverage of gymnastics abuse scandal, saying show cut her accusation
Dateline dug deep into the charges of abuse that have rocked the gymnastics world — but Aly Raisman says not deep enough.
Raisman, who was among the more than 250 gymnasts abused by disgraced team doctor Larry Nassar, appeared on the program’s “Silent No More” special on Sunday to share her story. But the gold medalist now says that the show cut statements she made outing a USA Gymnastics (USAG) figure she considers to be complicit in Nassar’s widespread abuse.
Hour prime time for investigative piece, no interview/scrutiny of current/recent execs of USAG, the org responsible for the sport & much of this mess! Why? I named someone currently in power at USAG that I reported Nassar to, it was omitted. Why? Still many unanswered questions.
— Alexandra Raisman (@Aly_Raisman) April 23, 2018
Raisman, who has sued the U.S. Olympic Committee for failing to conduct an investigation into Nassar’s crimes, has said that her warnings about Nassar went unheard.
“I was told [by USA Gymnastics] to be quiet,” the 23-year-old told ESPN in January. “And I think that when somebody in high power is telling you to be quiet, right when they realized you are abused, I think that that is a threat. … USA Gymnastics just said, ‘We’re handling this. We got this. Like, stop asking us questions.’”
According to Raisman in a tweet Sunday night, she named names in her Dateline segment, to no avail. (One follower speculated that because NBC, which airs Dateline, owns the broadcasting rights for USAG, a conflict of interest may have ensued.)
Her tweet didn’t specifically name the person in question, though she previously identified former coach John Geddert as someone who may have overhead accounts of Nassar’s abuse. Geddert retired in January following the news that USAG was suspending his membership as an investigation is conducted into his own behavior and allegations of abuse.
Not all of Raisman’s interview ended up on the cutting-room floor. The special — which also featured gymnast McKayla Maroney and coaches Bela and Martha Karolyi — saw the Olympian open up about giving testimony against Nassar in court.
“It was something I decided to do last-minute,” she told host Savannah Guthrie. “Earlier in the week, I thought I was sure that I wasn’t going to go, because I just felt like it was going to be too traumatizing and too scary.”
But she said watching other gymnasts read victim impact statements made her realize that she “wasn’t alone.”
“We have this army of survivors who are fighting for change.”
Aly Raisman on the statement that changed her life #Dateline pic.twitter.com/ZfHrD95AmT
— Dateline NBC (@DatelineNBC) April 22, 2018
Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:
Aly Raisman, Simone Biles, and other gymnasts react to Larry Nassar sentencing
People are calling the judge who sent Larry Nassar to prison a hero
How Larry Nassar’s victims are healing thanks to cathartic statements
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