Nassar Scandal Reforms At US Olympic Committee; CEO Steps Down

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO — U.S. Olympic Committee CEO Scott Blackmun is stepping down for health reasons, and the organization is putting new processes in place to protect and support athletes in the wake of the Larry Nassar sexual assault scandal, according to an announcement Wednesday. Nassar, a once prominent sports doctor who treated elite Olympic gymnasts, is effectively spending the rest of his life in prison after multiple convictions for criminal sexual assault and child pornography.

Blackmun, who has prostate cancer, will be replaced at least temporarily by current board member Susanne Lyons, who will oversee the day-to-day operations while a search is underway for a successor.

“Given Scott’s current health situation, we have mutually agreed it is in the best interest of both Scott and the USOC that we identify new leadership so that we can immediately address the urgent initiatives ahead of us,” USOC Chairman Larry Probst said in a statement. “The USOC is at a critical point in its history. The important work that Scott started needs to continue and will require especially vigorous attention in light of Larry Nassar’s decades-long abuse of athletes affiliated with USA Gymnastics.”

More than 265 girls and women, including several USA Gymnastics Olympic medalists and national team members, have accused Nassar, 54, of assaulting them under the guise of "medically necessary" treatment.

They include Aly Raisman and McKayla Maroney, two members of the 2012 gold-medal team known as the "The Fierce Five," and national team member Maggie Nichols, who offered information that prompted USOC to launch an independent investigation into the Nassar scandal in early February. Several other Olympic gold medalists have also accused Nassar of molesting them, including 2012 team members Jordyn Wieber and Gabby Douglas, and 2016 gold medalist Simone Biles.

“While we are eager to review the findings of the independent investigation, the USOC is taking important actions now based on what we already know,” Lyons said in the statement. “We are evaluating the USOC’s role and oversight of all the National Governing Bodies, considering potential changes to the Olympic structure and aggressively exploring new ways to enhance athlete safety and help prevent and respond to abuse.”

Among the reforms USOC announced Wednesday are:

• Money will be set aside to support counseling for gymnasts molested by Nassar, as well as other Olympic and Paralympic athletes recovering from similar abuse.
• An advisory group that includes survivors, advocates, child psychologists and other medical professionals will guide the USOC on stronger safeguards against abuse throughout the Olympic community, and effective support for victims. This may lead to additional changes to the USOC policies and methods for addressing cultural issues and conflicts of interest that may exist in sports, hampering prevention of abuse.
• A review of USOC and its National Governing Board by the Ted Stevens Amateur Sports Act will include input from safe sport advocacy groups, the NGB Council, the Athletes’ Advisory Council, current athletes and policymakers to consider clarifications and changes to this structure to ensure both are positioned to oversee and act when necessary to protect athletes.
• USOC SafeSport procedures will be reviewed to determine what measures are necessary to ensure allegations of abuse are reported to the U.S. Center for SafeSport, in addition to law enforcement, and that necessary follow-ups occur.
• USOC funding of the Center for SafeSport will be doubled so more more investigators and staff can be hired and cases can be resolved more quickly. More money will be dedicated to ongoing communication for victims and their families, providing age-appropriate training on recognizing and helping to prevent abuse, and offering better and more accessible resources online.
• Current and former athletes will have a stronger voice within the USOC.
• The USOC will work with USA Gymnastic to address its governance issues, implement a culture change, and act on the results of the independent investigation once it is complete.

“The goal of our organization is to protect and support each and every athlete,” Whitney Ping, an athlete representative on the USOC board, said in the statement. “We are absolutely committed to our ongoing and increased efforts to ensure current and future athletes can train and perform in an environment where they feel safe and supported. As the independent investigation continues, we will continue to look for ways to strengthen them even further.”

Nassar will likely die in prison. In the first of back-to-back sentencing hearings in Michigan earlier this year, Ingham County Circuit Judge Rosemarie Aquilina sentenced Nassar to up to 175 years on 10 criminal sexual assault charges, saying at the time she had effectively signed his death warrant.

Circuit Judge Janice Cunningham in neighboring Eaton County sentenced Nassar to up to 125 years in prison on three similar charges relating to assaults at the Twistars gymnastics facility. Cunningham said there was no evidence he could be reformed and that she was not convinced he understood what he did wrong or “the devastating effect” his abuse had on his victims.

Previously, U.S. District Judge sentenced him to 60 years in prison on federal pornography charges. Nassar is serving his sentence at a high-security federal prison in Tucson, Arizona.

Photo of Larry Nassar, Scott Olson/Getty Images