Courtesy of the New York Times:This GIF of Judge Aquilina throwing away the letter Larry Nassar wrote the court about how hard it is for him to listen to victim testimonies PRETTY MUCH SAYS IT ALL. pic.twitter.com/5HB9WMaPqU— Ellie Hall (@ellievhall) January 24, 2018
After an extraordinary seven-day hearing that drew more than 150 young women to speak out publicly about sexual abuse they said was committed by Dr. Lawrence G. Nassar, the former team doctor for the American gymnastics team, a judge sentenced him on Wednesday to 40 to 175 years in prison.
He had faced a minimum term of 25 to 40 years.
Judge Rosemarie Aquilina, who had opened her courtroom to all the young women who wanted to address Dr. Nassar directly, and forced him to listen when he pleaded to make it stop, handed down the sentence, saying to him, “You’ve done nothing to deserve to walk outside a prison again.”
“It is my honor and privilege to sentence you,” she said, and noting the length of the sentence, added, “I just signed your death warrant.”
Given an opportunity to address the court before sentencing, Dr. Nassar apologized and, occasionally turning to the young women in the courtroom, said: “Your words these past several days have had a significant effect on myself and have shaken me to my core. I will carry your words with me for the rest of my days.” Several women sobbed in the gallery as he spoke.
Just before sentencing Dr. Nassar, the judge read parts of a letter he submitted to the court last week. In the letter, he complained about his treatment in a separate federal child pornography case and wrote that his accusers in this case were seeking news media attention and money. “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned,” he wrote in the letter. There were audible gasps from the gallery when the judge read the line.
I'm guessing that did not help him with his sentencing.
Obviously this guy is a pig.
The impact of this case has also rippled through the world of USA Gymnastics, which just saw an Olympic coach suspended and three members of their board resign under pressure.
As you know I was at one time a gymnastics coach, but certainly not at this level.
My concern during my years coaching was not sexual abuse, which I never saw, but the ever present danger of eating disorders which were quite prevalent with female gymnasts in their teens and early twenties.
I think pound for pound gymnasts are the strongest, most coordinated athletes in the world.
But they are often pressured to slim down, or bulk up depending on their body type, and the risk of developing a poor body image is a constant danger that can have lifelong repercussions.
That same insecurity also makes them vulnerable to predators like Dr. Nassar.
For decades these young women suffered in silence, feeling that they had no voice, that nobody wanted to listen.
But for these last seven days they certainly found that voice and have been speaking out loud and clear, and I have no doubt that they have inspired hundreds, if not thousands, of others to do the same.
In my opinion what happened today is right up there with the Women's March, the #MeToo movement, and the outing of powerful predators like Harvey Weinstein, Roger Ailes, and Bill O'Reilly.
This is another example of women standing up for themselves, saying that they are tired of the status quo, and declaring that they are taking charge of their lives and putting those who would minimize, victimize, of disenfranchise them on notice.
I for one think it is about time.
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