The entire USA Gymnastics (USAG) board announced that they would be resigning after the U.S. Olympics Committee (USOC), which oversees the United States’ Olympic governing bodies, demanded that the board step down before January 31, or else face termination as the national governing body for the sport, ABC News reports.
The resignation of the board comes after Larry Nassar’s sentencing of 40 to 175 years in prison for sexually abusing the gymnasts that he treated during his time with USAG.
During the trial, USAG drew intense criticism from Olympic gymnasts, particularly Olympic gold medalist Aly Raisman, for its lax oversight and perpetuating an abusive culture that allowed Nassar to keep abusing these young women and girls, The Washington Post reports.
Olympic gold medalist McKayla Maroney, who filed a lawsuit against USAG and USOC, said that the allegations against Nassar were never properly investigated, nor was Nassar removed or disciplined. Her attorney told ABC News, “In 2015 when USA Gymnastics admits that they became aware that he had molested girls, they didn’t call Child Protective Services. Instead they hired a private investigator and they waited five weeks. … He was allowed to stay in the treatment room and treated dozens and dozens of little girls over the next year. … They allowed him to put out a cover story that he was retiring from USA Gymnastics when it wasn’t true. They were getting rid of him.”
According to The Post, three USAG board members resigned on Monday, but after Nassar’s sentencing, USOC called for more change and demanded that the entire board resign. Scott Blackmun, USOC Chief Executive Officer, wrote in a letter given to USAG on Thursday, “We are also aware of the recent resignations of USAG board chair Paul Parilla and three other board members. Now that these steps have been completed, USAG must build on them with a categorically fresh start at the board level,” ABC News reports.
In addition to demanding that the USAG board resign or lose its certification as the sport’s governing body, USOC’s letter demanded that USAG put an interim board in place by January 31 and have a permanent board within the next year, ABC News reports. The letter outlined that there would be increased oversight by USOC, including a liaison and a SafeSport and ethics training. According to ABC News, SafeSport is partnered with USOC, and its website states that the organization believes that “all athletes deserve to participate in sports [that] are free from bullying, hazing, sexual misconduct or any form of emotional or physical abuse.”
USOC also said that it would conduct an independent investigation of USAG and USOC for the culpability of its officials, The Post reports.
According to ABC News, USOC said that these changes were not to cover up the Nassar scandal, but simply because the culture needed to change.
“We do not base these requirements on any knowledge that any individual USAG staff or board members had a role in fostering or obscuring Nassar’s actions,” the letter said. “Our position comes from a clear sense that USAG culture needs fundamental rebuilding.”