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Athlete A: Where Do We Go From Here?
Trigger Warning: Sexual Abuse, Child Molestation
On June 24, 2020, Netflix released a documentary called Athlete A, a film about the USA Gymnastics scandal and its former team doctor Larry Nassar. In 2018, he was sentenced to prison for sexually abusing over 200 female gymnasts, the majority being minors. Nassar was a doctor for the US women’s national team since 1986, yet serious investigations didn’t start until after the 2016 Olympic Games when The Indianapolis Star exposed the story to the public.
Athlete “A,” who has been later revealed as Maggie Nichols, a former national team member, was one of the whistleblowers that reported Nassar (in 2015) to USA Gymnastics (USAG). Instead of seeking immediate justice and prioritizing the safety of the athletes, USAG brushed the accusations under the rug and blackballed the Olympic hopeful until the organization was forced to address the mess when the story went public and Nassar was arrested after the FBI found over 30,000 images of child pornography at his home.
