The United States Olympic Committee released a statement Tuesday announcing the USOC will launch an investigation by independent team to determine why the abuse of former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar was not thwarted when first reported.
In the statement, the USOC acknowledged that they had not been direct in apologizing to victims or done much to implement changes to ensure something like Nassar’s molestation of athletes never happens again.
The news comes minutes after Nassar was sentenced to 40-175 years prison for sex abuse in Lansing, Mich.
The statement addressed survivors and athletes specifically, apologizing for not sending a representative to Nassar’s sentencing and recognizing the strength and courage the survivors had to come forward.
“The purpose of this message is to tell all of Nassar’s victims and survivors, directly, how incredibly sorry we are,” the statement read. “We have said it in other contexts, but we have not been direct enough with you. We are sorry for the pain caused by this terrible man, and sorry that you weren’t afforded a safe opportunity to pursue your sports dreams. The Olympic family is among those that have failed you.
“I know this apology is not enough. We have been working on taking steps at the USOC and mandating changes among National Governing Bodies to ensure this does not happen again.”
The USOC’s statement laid out steps at the USOC and mandated changes such as changing the and governance structure and culture of the sport, launching the independent investigation and cooperating fully with the third-party team and making the sport a safe place for victims to come forward and heal.
The full statement can be read on Team USA's official website.
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