A former U.S. Olympics gymnastics coach being charged Thursday with crimes, including sexual assault, human trafficking and running a criminal enterprise is the latest fallout from the sexual abuse scandal involving former Michigan State University sports doctor Larry Nassar.
John Geddert is accused of injuring people for years through forced labor and recruiting minors for forced labor, according to court documents.
Nassar was convicted on charges related to his serial molestation of young women and girls under the guise of medical treatment.
Numerous people have been charged, fired or forced out of their jobs during the investigations into the once-renowned sports doctor. He was sentenced to decades in prison after hundreds of girls and women said he molested them, including while he worked for Michigan State and Indiana-based USA Gymnastics, which trains Olympians.
A look at some of the individuals and organizations affected:
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
— The U.S. Education Department fined Michigan State University $4.5 million in September 2019 for failing to respond to sexual assault complaints against Nassar. The same day, MSU President Samuel Stanley Jr. announced the resignation of Provost June Youatt, saying the investigation findings showed she and former President Lou Anna Simon “failed to take appropriate action on behalf of the university to address reports of inappropriate behavior and conduct.”
— Lou Anna Simon: The university president and school alumna resigned in January 2018 amid growing pressure. She denied any cover-up by the university. She was later charged with two felonies and two misdemeanors, charges a judge dropped last May. She had been accused of lying during an interview when investigators were trying to determine how Nassar got away with sexual assault for so long.
The MSU governing board later hired former Michigan Gov. John Engler. He resigned amid fallout from remarks he made about some of Nassar’s victims. In May 2019, MSU named Dr. Samuel Stanley Jr., a medical researcher who had led Stony Brook University in New York for nearly a decade, as its president.
MSU has settled lawsuits totaling $500 million.
— Mark Hollis: The athletic director called his departure in 2018 a retirement, but he, too, had faced pressure to leave.
— Kathie Klages: The former head gymnastics coach resigned in 2017 after she was suspended for defending Nassar over the years. Klages was charged with lying to investigators. She was convicted in February 2020 and sentenced in August to 90 days in jail.
— Brooke Lemmen: The former school doctor resigned in 2017 after learning the university was considering firing her because she didn’t disclose that USA Gymnastics was investigating Nassar. A state investigation cleared her of any violations in 2018.
— William Strampel: The former dean of the university’s College of Osteopathic Medicine was charged in March 2018 amid allegations that he failed to keep Nassar in line, groped female students and stored nude student selfies on his campus computer. Strampel retired as Michigan State was trying to fire him. He was found guilty in June 2019 of neglect of duty. He was sentenced in August 2019 to a year in jail.
— Bob Noto: The university in February 2018 announced the departure of its longtime vice president for legal affairs.
— The university agreed in August 2019 to resolve a federal civil-rights investigation related to Nassar.
USA GYMNASTICS
— Rhonda Faehn: The former senior vice president of the organization was dismissed in January 2019 by the University of Michigan after working for just a few days as a coaching consultant for its women’s team. She was fired after an outcry over her hiring.
— Valeri Liukin: The coordinator of the women’s national team for USA Gymnastics announced in February 2018 that he was stepping down.
— USA Gymnastics said in January 2018 that its entire board of directors would resign, as requested by the U.S. Olympic Committee. The USOC then took steps to decertify the gymnastics organization that picks U.S. national teams, and USA Gymnastics filed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition.
— Steve Penny: The former president and CEO of the organization resigned under pressure in March 2017. He was replaced by Kerry Perry. Penny has pleaded not guilty to a third-degree felony alleging he ordered the removal of documents relating to Nassar from the Karolyi Ranch in Texas.
— Less than a year after being hired as USA Gymnastics’ president and CEO, Perry resigned in September 2018 after the USOC questioned her ability to lead the scandal-rocked organization.
— Former California U.S. Rep. Mary Bono was hired in October 2018 as the interim president for USA Gymnastics only to resign four days later. Bono said she felt her affiliation with the embattled organization would be a “liability” after a social media post by Bono criticizing Nike and former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick drew widespread scrutiny.
— Ron Galimore: The longtime USA Gymnastics chief operating officer resigned in November 2018 but denied any wrongdoing. The Indianapolis Star reported earlier that an attorney hired by USA Gymnastics directed Galimore to come up with a false excuse to explain Nassar’s absence at major gymnastic events in the summer of 2015.
— Li Li Leung in March became USA Gymnastics president and CEO.
TWISTARS GYMNASTICS CLUB
— John Geddert: The owner of the Michigan club was charged Thursday with crimes, including sexual assault, human trafficking and running a criminal enterprise. He was suspended in 2018 by USA Gymnastics and announced his retirement. He was the U.S. women’s coach at the 2012 Olympics. Geddert has said he had “zero knowledge” of Nassar’s crimes.
KAROLYI RANCH
— USA Gymnastics said in January 2018 that the Texas ranch where a number of gymnasts said Nassar abused them would no longer serve as the national training center. Owners Martha and Bela Karolyi have since sued the USOC and USA Gymnastics, . They also have been named in lawsuits.
U.S. OLYMPIC COMMITTEE
— Scott Blackmun: The CEO resigned in February 2018, citing difficulties with prostate cancer and the federation’s need to move forward to deal with the sexual abuse scandal.
— Alan Ashley: The USOC fired the chief of sport performance in December 2018 in the wake of an independent report that said neither he nor Blackmun elevated concerns about the Nassar allegations when they were first reported to them.
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
