'You Had One Job': Simone Biles Puts USA Gymnastics On Blast For Failing To Protect Athletes
Simone Biles has been outspoken about her feelings over USA Gymnastics’ handling of the scandal involving doctor Larry Nassar, who has been accused by 300 athletes of sexual abuse.
Now, the Olympic Gold medalist is stating her anger with the organization publicly. On Wednesday (August 7), during a workout at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri, Biles told reporters that USA Gymnastics failed to protect their athletes.
“We had one goal and we did everything they asked us for, even if we didn’t want to,” Biles said as he began tearing up, according to The Hill. “And they couldn’t do one damn job. You had one job. You literally had one job and you couldn’t protect us.”
The statement comes just after Biles tweeted a response to a report from The Washington Post about the findings of a Senate panel on the Olympics and USA Gymnastics and their negligence and enabling of Nassar’s abuse.
“The more I learn, the more I hurt,” Biles wrote. “USAG failed us. USOC failed us. Many failed us. And they continue to fail us. Real and actual change isn’t easy but it’s clear there’s a lot more work that needs to be done.”
USA Gymnastics, in response to the findings, said they are working on making athletes' safety a priority. "We at USA Gymnastics have made a lot of progress in strengthening our athlete safety measures and putting our athletes first, but we know we have more to do," USAG president and CEO Li Li Leung relayed in a statement to The Hill.
"One of our goals is for our athletes to feel comfortable in speaking up and sharing their opinions, and we are listening to what they have to say. We will continue to work hard to demonstrate to Simone and all of our athletes, members, community and fans that we are working to foster a safe, positive and encouraging environment where athlete voices are heard," Leung added.
Larry Nassar was sentenced to more than 100 years in prison after pleading guilty to sexual assault of minors and child pornography charges. He was accused and found guilty of abusing nearly 300 athletes, including Biles.
