Larry Nassar, the former USA Gymnastics doctor who was sentenced for sexually abusing numerous young female athletes, has been stabbed multiple times by a fellow inmate in prison.
According to U.S. media reports, Nassar was attacked by an inmate at the U.S. Penitentiary Coleman in Florida on Sunday afternoon and was confirmed by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. However, the Bureau did not disclose the prisoner’s identity due to privacy and security considerations. “Responding staff immediately initiated life-saving measures,” stated Bureau spokesperson Benjamin O’Cone.
O’Connor added, “The inmate was transported by emergency personnel to a local hospital for further treatment and evaluation.” An internal investigation has been initiated, and the FBI has been notified of the incident, O’Cone further informed. No other inmates or staff were harmed in the occurrence.
Larry Nassar’s Conviction and Impact on USA Gymnastics
Joe Rojas, president of the local correction officers’ union, told CNN that Nassar, who has been serving a decades-long sentence since his 2018 conviction, was stabbed ten times — twice in the neck, twice in the back, and six times in the chest. The Associated Press, the first to report the assault, affirmed that Nassar was stable.
Larry Nassar was sentenced to a maximum of 175 years for sexually abusing young female gymnasts, including Olympic gold medalists Simone Biles, Aly Raisman, and McKayla Maroney. His conviction came after a week-long hearing where 160 of his victims, most minors at the time of the abuse, bravely narrated their experiences.
The scandal involving Nassar led to a significant overhaul in USA Gymnastics’ leadership, culminating in a bankruptcy filing due to the burden of lawsuits filed by hundreds of women abused by the former team doctor. Additionally, Michigan State University, Nassar’s former employer, agreed to a $500 million settlement with the victims. USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee arrived at a $380 million settlement.
In July 2021, a report by Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz exposed the FBI’s severe mistakes, which allowed Nassar to abuse at least 70 more victims before his arrest. Furthermore, in September 2021, Biles and Maroney, among other high-profile Olympic gymnasts, testified before a U.S. Senate panel about the abuse they suffered under Nassar. They severely criticized the FBI’s mishandling of the investigation, with Biles accusing the Bureau of ignoring Nassar’s victims.
