‘This Needs to Happen Now.’ Aly Raisman Demands Larry Nassar’s Enablers Be Held Accountable

Aly Raisman set forth a list of demands for U.S. Olympic Committee CEO Scott Blackmun in a strongly worded statement released on Twitter Friday.

Raisman’s two-page letter, which came in response to Blackmun’s promise of an independent investigation into circumstances that allowed former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar to sexually abuse gymnasts for years, calls for a wide-ranging, wholly independent investigation into the organization’s staff, senior officials and board of directors. Any officials with knowledge of Nassar’s abuse, or a role in obscuring or downplaying its effects, should be removed and replaced, she wrote.

The entire board of directors resigned, at Blackmun’s request, in the wake of the scandal.

“This needs to happen now,” Raisman wrote. “This is our chance to put our best effort forward, and anything less will be a failure of the Olympic family and future generations of athletes.”

Raisman has emerged as one of the strongest voices speaking out against Nassar and USA Gymnastics, joined by what she has called an “army of survivors.” She delivered a powerful, 13-minute victim impact statement during the sentencing phase of his trial, and has repeatedly criticized USA Gymnastics and the USOC for their handling of the situation and failure to protect athletes.

“This is just the beginning,” she said Thursday on the Today show, vowing to hold Nassar’s enablers accountable.