Minnesota Gymnast Says She Was Abused By Team Doctor

Minnesota native Maggie Nichols wrote in a letter Tuesday she was sexually assaulted by former USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University doctor Larry Nassar and that she was the first to report the abuse to team officials. Nichols joins more than 100 women who have accused Nassar of sexual assault, including Olympic gold medalists Aly Raisman, Gabby Douglas, and McKayla Maroney.

"Up until now, I was identified as Athlete A by USA gymnastics, the US Olympic Committee and Michigan State University," Nichols wrote in a statement provided by her lawyer John Manly. "I want everyone to know that he did not do this to Athlete A, he did it to Maggie Nichols."

Nichols, who grew up in Little Canada, said Nassar began abusing her at 15 when she started training for the Olympics.

"My back was really hurting me, I couldn’t even really bend down, and I remember he took me into the training room, closed the door and closed the blinds," she wrote. "I trusted what he was doing at first, but then he started touching me in places I really didn’t think he should. He didn’t have gloves on and he didn’t tell me what he was doing."

"He did this 'treatment' on me, on numerous occasions," she said, adding that "USA Gymnastics and the USOC did not provide a safe environment for me and my teammates to train. We were subjected to Dr. Nassar at every National Team Camp which occurred monthly at the Karolyi Ranch. His job was to care for our health and treat our injuries. Instead, he violated our innocence."

Gina Nichols told The New York Times that her daughter finally felt comfortable coming forward after "living with this torment" for so long. “We kept being told U.S.A. Gymnastics is handling it, so she just did what she was told to do, and she was told to keep quiet,” Gina said. “If she uses her voice and comes forward, she feels she might be able to help others.”

U.S.A. Gymnastics said in a statement to the New York Times Tuesday that it's "entirely baseless" to suggest the organization tried to cover up sexual abuse.

Nichols retired from elite gymnastics after missing out on the 2016 Olympic team. After a summer training in Minnesota, Nichols began competing on the collegiate level for the University of Oklahoma. ESPN called her the "best collegiate gymnast" in 2017.

Nassar was sentenced to 60 years in prison in December on child pornography charges after authorities found more than 37,000 images of child pornography on his computer. He is expected to receive at least 25 years for molestation charges, The New York Times reported.

Nichols plans to submit her letter to a Michigan judge who will preside over Nassar's upcoming sentencing, according to ESPN.

Photo credit: Maggie Nichols competes on the floor exercise during the women's U.S. Olympic gymnastics trials in San Jose, Calif., Friday, July 8, 2016. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)