Aly Raisman said her interactions with then-USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar were “horrible memories” in her autobiography to be published Tuesday.
In a “60 Minutes” interview segment published Friday, Raisman first said publicly that she was sexually abused by Nassar, who has been sued by more than 125 women alleging abuse. Nassar pled not guilty to the assault charges.
Nassar, who is in jail awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to child pornography charges, and his lawyers have declined comment.
Two other Olympians, 2000 Olympic bronze medalist Jamie Dantzscher and Raisman’s 2012 Olympic teammate McKayla Maroney, also said they were sexually abused by Nassar while with the U.S. national team.
Raisman, 23, said Nassar first treated her when she was 15, though she was at first in denial that it was sexual abuse.
“I always thought he was weird, but I just thought he was weird,” Raisman said on TODAY on Monday. “I want people to know that I really didn’t know what was happening to me. He was a doctor, and he told me that his treatment would help heal all of my injuries. I was so young. I had never really worked with another doctor or trainer before. Everyone said he was the best.”
In her book, “Fierce,” Raisman said she would not get into specifics of what she called Nassar’s abuse, writing “that information is private,” as first reported by the Boston Globe and confirmed by NBC Sports.
“We had been so manipulated. It had all been intentional,” Raisman wrote. “He had taken advantage of me … I wanted to throw up. Realizing you’ve been a victim of sexual abuse is a horrible, sickening feelings.”
Raisman wrote that when she was 15 and in Australia for a competition, a national team staff member noticed her wincing during practice. Raisman said she just wanted to sleep, but the staffer insisted that she see Nassar, calling it “a huge honor” to work with “the best there is.”
Raisman relented because she didn’t want to be labeled as uncooperative. Nassar gave her a massage in her hotel room while she wore leggings and with two other people in the room.
“There was something about the massage that made me uncomfortable, but the staff member’s words stuck in my head,” Raisman wrote.
Raisman wrote that during her years on the national team, “treatment sessions” with Nassar “always made me feel tense and uncomfortable.”
“It was different with Larry,” she wrote. “I would lie on the table, my hands involuntarily balling themselves into fists as his ungloved hands worked their way under my clothing.”
Raisman wrote that Nassar comforted female gymnasts by bringing them candy. He gave her gifts and said how well she performed in training sessions.
“Most of us thought the way he touched us was weird,” she wrote. “But he did it to so many of us that we assumed, blindly, that he must know something we didn’t.”
In July 2015, Raisman wrote that she met with an investigator, urged by then-USA Gymnastics president Steve Penny to agree to the interview. Raisman didn’t know the subject matter before the investigator arrived.
“I hope this isn’t about Larry Nassar,” Raisman wrote. “But I dismissed the thought. I trusted him, because he was nice to me, and because he had tons of awards. … The whispers couldn’t be true.”
Raisman was asked about Nassar but said she made excuses for him. She was laser focused on trying to make the Olympic team the following year.
“I was terrified that the media would find out, and bring it up at every turn, before I was ready to talk about it, before I had even begun to process it myself,” she wrote. “ … I was overwhelmed with emotion.”
After talking to her mom, Raisman called a USA Gymnastics official to talk about what she would have told the investigator if she was not in shock. She was later told that she “needed to stop speaking about Larry” due to a process in place that would protect her and others.
USA Gymnastics said in September 2016 that it relieved Nassar of his duties in summer 2015, “immediately after learning of athlete concerns.”
Raisman originally planned to keep this part of her story private. She changed her mind and included it in the book to help others.
“If a sexual predator is committing assault, the unfortunate reality is that it might not be their first time, and probably isn’t their last,” she wrote. “That makes it even more scary, realizing it can happen to anyone. I know that now, because it happened to me.”
USA Gymnastics posted a statement after the “60 Minutes” interview aired Sunday.
“We are appalled by the conduct of which Larry Nassar is accused, and we are very sorry that any athlete has been harmed during her or his gymnastics career,” it read. “Aly’s passion and concern for athlete safety is shared by USA Gymnastics. Our athletes are our priority, and we are committed to promoting an environment of empowerment that encourages speaking up, especially on difficult topics like abuse, as well the protection of athletes at all levels throughout our gymnastics community.
“USA Gymnastics regrets if Aly felt any constraints in sharing her full experiences with the independent investigator or at any time, as USA Gymnastics did seek Aly’s input in this matter,” USA Gymnastics said in another statement, according to TODAY.
Raisman said she does not believe USA Gymnastics is doing everything that it can.
“This is just the beginning. I’m just getting started,” Raisman said on TODAY. “I’m not going to stop until I get what I want, which is change.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
