Aly Raisman says USA Gymnastics made 'corrupt' decisions in hiring interim president
Former Olympian Aly Raisman is now the second athlete to voice concerns about interim USA gymnastics president Mary Bono.
Raisman took to Twitter to criticize Bono and USA gymnastics for their lack of accountability and transparency.
My teammates & I reported Nassar's abuse to USAG in 2015. We now know USOC & lawyers at Faegre Baker Daniels (Mary Bono's firm) were also told then, yet Nassar continued to abuse children for 13 months!? Why hire someone associated with the firm that helped cover up our abuse?
— Alexandra Raisman (@Aly_Raisman) October 15, 2018
Raisman said that she and her teammates reported their abuse at the hands of Larry Nassar in 2015 to USA Gymnastics which she said then informed the United State Olympic Committee as well as the lawyers at Faegre Baker Daniels where Bono was employed.
Nassar continued abusing children for 13 months.
“Why hire someone associated with the firm that helped cover up our abuse?” Raisman asked.
Raisman continued in a five-part tweet, saying that by hiring Bono, USA gymnastics was making corrupt decisions.
Clearly this is not a “new” USAG. Same corrupt decisions. Perhaps it’s because true accountability is less likely if authority is placed in the hands of someone similarly motivated to avoid it ….
— Alexandra Raisman (@Aly_Raisman) October 15, 2018
She then called on USA gymnastics to release all documents and data in the name of transparency.
The second problematic president
Bono is another in a line of controversial USA gymnastics presidents as the organization is struggling to reorganize leadership after the Nassar scandal.
Her predecessor Kerry Perry was forced to resign after just nine months on the job. Her tenure, however short, was marked by multiple missteps and questionable decision making -including the hiring of a former Nassar defender to work with young up-and-coming gymnasts.
Not a “new” USAG questionable hire
This isn’t the first time Raisman has spoken out about a questionable USA gymnastics hire.
In August, she also criticized the hiring of Mary Lee Tracy as the elite development coordinator for its women’s program
Tracy had defended Nassar in an interview even though more than 50 victims had spoken out against the disgraced doctor.
USA Gymnastics has appointed someone who, in my view, supported Nassar, victim-shamed survivors, & has shown no willingness to learn from the past. This is a slap in the face for survivors, & further confirmation that nothing at @USAG has changed. What a profound disappointment! https://t.co/lklLiqsOCJ
— Alexandra Raisman (@Aly_Raisman) August 29, 2018
As coordinator, Tracy would have worked with young gymnasts seeking to compete at the sport’s highest level.
She was fired three days after being hired.
Simone Biles also criticizes Bono
Her 2016 Rio Olympics teammate Simone Biles has also spoken out against Bono.
In a now-deleted September tweet, Bono sent out an anti-Nike message, complete with filled-in Nike logo. Her message came one day after the apparel company announced that Colin Kaepernick would be the face of a 30th anniversary “Just Do It” advertising campaign.
Bono apologized and USA gymnastics issued their own statement Monday, saying they had missed her tweet during a background check.
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