While there have been many charges in the entertainment world about rape and celebrities forcing people to do what they want for a promotion or a job, not many have been talking about the gymnastics doctor, Larry Nassar, who sexually assaulted his patients, mere children. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Lewis said in a court hearing, “On the surface, he was a respected, world-renowned expert for elite athletes. He was a medical doctor, a husband, and a father. But underneath this veneer lurked a predator.” Larry Nassar is being accused of assaulting members of the USA girl’s gymnastic team, and not only has he plead guilty to being a pedophile, but also for three more criminal sex charges. Nassar is most likely facing 25 years behind bars, but his victims such as Gabby Douglas, want him imprisoned for the rest of his life. Nassar plead guilty to those four charges, but has also been accused of molesting more than 130 former patients. Most of the accusations started when gymnast Rachel Denhollander reported his assault to the Indianapolis Star more than a year ago, encouraging other well-known and some not-so-known gymnasts to speak out as well. The USA gymnastics team fired Larry Nassar in 2015, but did not release any information on his predatory behavior.
While many attribute sexual assault to mainly the entertainment world, they need only to look into all of the different kinds of work and the accusations stemming from them to see the disturbing prevalence of predators in the workplace. After all, you never know what industry predators flock to- from music production to a gymnastics team, predators will always be out there.
