USA Gymnastics: Larry Nassar sexual abuse charges mount

[hoipolloi]

15 hours ago, Leftitinmysnood said:

That's right, Rachael Denhollander, the first whistle-blower against USA gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar graduated from Bill Gothard's law school. 

Whoa. Read her recent interviews as well as the initial one in the IndyStar. In case anyone is interested, the full text of her victim impact statement is available.

Wonder what she makes of the Gothard debacle & similar scandals or whether she had been attending an IBLP-affiliated church.

Finally, considering their shielding of CJ Mahaney & other abusers, the Gospel Coalition has a lot of fucking nerve to publish this article.

 

[WhatWouldJohnCrichtonDo?]

Can anyone tell if this is the same Rachael Denhollander?

http://creation.mobi/rachael-denhollander

It came up when I googled her yesterday, but I'm just not up to researching in depth right now.

[Briefly]

5 hours ago, Leftitinmysnood said:

Spiritual Sounding Board found an article that talks about how she had to leave her church and lost friends because of her pursuit of justice. It looks like taking a stand also motivated her to go to law school. I don't think this is how Gothard envisioned his students changing the world, but more power to her.

That is really sad, her friends should have supported her and obviously her church should have.  But I guess the victim is still considered to be at fault, heavy sigh here.

[hoipolloi]

Can anyone tell if this is the same Rachael Denhollander?
http://creation.mobi/rachael-denhollander
It came up when I googled her yesterday, but I'm just not up to researching in depth right now.

Almost certainly, given the reference to a “biblical world view.”

If you had a chance to (see her) read her statement, you’ll notice the fundie context of her comments to Nasser on sin, repentance, punishment, etc.

[clueliss]

The Olympic Committee is giving USA Gymnastics board 6 days to resign.  

Olympic Committee gives USA Gymnastics board 6 days to resign - CNN https://apple.news/AUk5hWyjGTfqYOV0Rt4XscA

 

And the Karolyi’s mistreatment ogpf gymnasts came out due to Nadia,  yet they were allowed what I’m going to call control of the US women’s team for a long long time.  Even when Bela was taken out of the official picture Marta was still there making decisions.  I haven’t trusted either of them for at least 20 years.

[Leftitinmysnood]

14 hours ago, WhatWouldJohnCrichtonDo? said:

Can anyone tell if this is the same Rachael Denhollander?

http://creation.mobi/rachael-denhollander

It came up when I googled her yesterday, but I'm just not up to researching in depth right now.

That would be her. Oak Brook is technically a California based school, so students can take the California Bar Exam, but often have to beg their home states for reciprocity. Many states don't have reciprocity with CA, so those graduates either work for organizations who don't need them in court, move to California, or they are SOL. 

Her husband is shown with her in some of the court photos. It seems he was very supportive.

[hoipolloi]

MSU's athletic director is resigning:

Quote

"It's been an absolute honor to guide the Athletic Department for the last decade. That being said, today I am announcing my retirement," Hollis said in a statement released by the university. "This was not an easy decision for my family, and you should not jump to any conclusions based on our decision -- listen to facts. I am not running away from anything, I am running toward something. Comfort, compassion and understanding for the survivors and our community; togetherness, time and love for my family," Hollis said....Hollis, a Michigan State alum, started working for the athletic department in 1995. He took over as the department's director on Jan. 1, 2008. He has received awards and praise for his innovative marketing ideas throughout his career. The teams under his watch have, however, had a history of sexual assault issues, including an ongoing rape case involving three former members of the football team.

MSU deserves to have the NCAA hammer dropped on them in a big way. The Nasser predation scandal -- in which MSU is complicit -- is at least as bad & widespread as the Sandusky scandal at Penn State. It's likely, though, that MSU will do everything in its power to deflect the fallout from the sacred football program.

[JordynDarby5]

On 1/25/2018 at 12:40 AM, hoipolloi said:

The SI commentary by Charles Pierce is good:

 

That is very good and yes that's what needs to be done. Burn it all down.

5 hours ago, hoipolloi said:

MSU's athletic director is resigning:

MSU deserves to have the NCAA hammer dropped on them in a big way. The Nasser predation scandal -- in which MSU is complicit -- is at least as bad & widespread as the Sandusky scandal at Penn State. It's likely, though, that MSU will do everything in its power to deflect the fallout from the sacred football program.

Yes, it does. 

[hoipolloi]

ESPN has published an in-depth investigative article showing that MSU's malfeasance  extends beyond the Nasser case and well into the sacred football & basketball programs:

Quote

 

MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY administrators have long claimed, to the federal government and public, that they have handled sexual assault, violence, and gender discrimination complaints properly.

But an Outside the Lines investigation has found a pattern of widespread denial, inaction and information suppression of such allegations by officials ranging from campus police to the Spartan athletic department, whose top leader, Mark Hollis, announced his retirement on Friday. The actions go well beyond the highly publicized case of former MSU athletic physician Larry Nassar....Since Dantonio's tenure began in 2007, at least 16 MSU football players have been accused of sexual assault or violence against women, according to interviews and public records obtained by Outside the Lines....Outside the Lines also has obtained never-before-publicized reports of sexual or violent incidents involving members of Izzo's storied basketball program, including one report made against a former undergraduate student-assistant coach who was allowed to continue coaching after he had been criminally charged for punching a female MSU student in the face at a bar in 2010. 

 

N.B. It is highly likely that nearly every Division I (and II - nth) university sports program has similar problems. We just don't know about them - yet.

[FundieFarmer]

N.B. It is highly likely that nearly every Division I (and II - nth) university sports program has similar problems. We just don't know about them - yet.

 

 

I’d concur. I told Mr. FF yesterday that my first college blatantly ignored my harassment by another student and told me it was because she had some issues and was trying to get right with God so I should forgive her. Um. She tried to run me off the road? But okay...

 

And my college where I went to get away from her didn’t police any of their athletes as they assaulted girls in my sorority. It was just an open secret.

 

I am convinced that the 1-in-4 stat is very low. Heck you put me in a room with my pledge class and that number is 60%. If I run through my closest friends it gets closer to 80%. This isn’t a stat where people just don’t know anyone it’s happened to. Survivors are everywhere and #MeToo shows that. I am grateful for the judge in this case and her kick-ass response. It gives me hope that we will progress to a point where women can report without fear.

[JordynDarby5]

23 hours ago, hoipolloi said:

ESPN has published an in-depth investigative article showing that MSU's malfeasance  extends beyond the Nasser case and well into the sacred football & basketball programs:

N.B. It is highly likely that nearly every Division I (and II - nth) university sports program has similar problems. We just don't know about them - yet.

Very likely.

[SuperSluth]

USAG...for years...has had a child predator list! The list prohibits these people from coaching in USAG events, but does not prohibit them from obtaining jobs working with beginners and pre-teams. I remember when the owner of the gym I attended got arrested. He had been exposing himself to a class of young girls who only came in on weekends when no parents stayed to watch the class. My mom had to ask me all these questions... none of what Nassar did is new to USAG.

https://usagym.org/pages/aboutus/pages/permanently_ineligible_members.html

9.2 Special Categories of Misconduct.

(a) If the Corporation becomes aware that any Member:

(i) Is listed on any State or Federal sexual offender list or registry;

(ii) Has been declared a sex offender in any applicable State or Federal jurisdiction; or

(iii) Has been convicted of or has entered a plea of guilty, a statement of no contest, or has been sentenced to any affirmative terms related to a criminal charge or indictment issued by an applicable City, County, State or Federal jurisdiction, and such charge or indictment directly or indirectly involved or related to sexual misconduct, child abuse or conduct that is a violation of any law or regulation that is specifically designed to protect minors;

[clueliss]

The Texas Rangers have been asked to investigate accusations of abuse at the Karolyi Ranch.  

Texas Rangers to probe alleged abuse of gymnasts at Karolyi Ranch - NBC News https://apple.news/AdLsRaJxKSZqkM7oVv0R_3A

[hoipolloi]

And now the number of victims is up to 265, as Nasser's third sentencing hearing gets underway in MI:

Quote

As Nassar’s third sentencing hearing got underway on Wednesday in Eaton County, Michigan, Judge Janice Cunningham said dozens of women and girls were expected to deliver statements in court. “Some of the victims have chosen not to be identified,” she said....Nassar faces a minimum of 25 years in prison in Eaton County, although he is already assured of spending the rest of his life in prison. When he appeared last week in Ingham County Circuit Court, Judge Aquilina told Nasser she had signed his “death warrant”.

Horrific, but it's probably not the total number of victims. 

[Rowan]

On 1/17/2018 at 3:38 PM, SuperSluth said:

 

There used to be a snark gymnastics blog...any refugees from Gymnastics Gossip Message Board (GGMB)?

I am - dropped out of following gymnastics for a lot of the last quad, and am desperately searching for a new forum/board. 

ETA - my husband and I got into a major discussion last night, he couldn't believe how nobody spoke up/was willing to take things far enough with the media or the police (you mean police who "looked into" reports and did nothing?) if there were 250+ victims. I spent a good half hour or more after that instead of going to bed, looking for articles, quotes, victim accounts and mailed him a 5 page email. About how respected this piece of shit was and anyone daring to question him was squashed by everyone else. Everyone was either looking out for their own interests or in denial. And no doubt the elite athletes (both the USAG elites and the college women) knew that their career was on the line if they spoke out. 15+ years of dedication and sacrifice down the tubes to make a major statement that everyone else was denying? Never going to happen. It frustrates me a bit that from my husband's position of white male privilege without much hardship in his life, that he would think that this situation is so cut and dry.  

Edited February 1, 2018 by Rowan
more content

[Mela99]

They're holding sentencing hearings this week over here in Eaton County, too. I was down at the complex yesterday to visit a client and it was an absolute madhouse. I've never seen anything like that. I don't anticipate Judge Cunningham reflecting anything like what Judge Aquilina did. 

[Spartan89]

I’m making a statement (by letter, not in person) at the Eaton County hearing. It feels weird to be so public about everything that happened, but if I can help women be more comfortable talking about their experiences going forward, it will be worth it.

[Mela99]

Oh my god, a dad was testifying, asked for five minutes alone in a room with him, and PROCEEDED TO ATTACK NASSAR.

http://wlns.com/2018/02/02/nassar-attacked-in-courtroom/

I shouldn't say I love this, but my god. Respect, dad. 

[WhatWouldJohnCrichtonDo?]

 I can understand why he would do that, but I hope that the publicity and the legal trouble he just put himself in isn't going to cause him and his family more pain. 

[Mela99]

I'm not entirely sure if he was arrested and lodged, or just taken out. I would assume Judge Cunningham would at LEAST hold him for a while. 

Update: He was released from custody. There's already a GoFundMe with over 11k. 

Edited February 2, 2018 by Mela99

[hoipolloi]

Rachel Denhollander has said more about the church that rejected her & her husband in this CT interview.

It wasn't a SGM church but rather "a Louisville, Kentucky, church 'directly involved in restoring' former SGM president C. J. Mahaney. She said that she and her husband “'left because we were told by individual elders that it wasn’t the place for us.'"

Quote

The ultimate reality that I live with is that if my abuser had been Nathaniel Morales instead of Larry Nassar, if my enabler had been [an SGM pastor] instead of [MSU gymnastics coach] Kathie Klages, if the organization I was speaking out against was Sovereign Grace under the leadership of [Mahaney] instead of MSU under the leadership of Lou Anna Simon, I would not only not have evangelical support, I would be actively vilified and lied about by every single evangelical leader out there. The only reason I am able to have the support of these leaders now is because I am speaking out against an organization not within their community. Had I been so unfortunate so as to have been victimized by someone in their community, someone in the Sovereign Grace network, I would not only not have their support, I would be massively shunned. That’s the reality.

Good for her. I hope that she continues to speak out.

[hoipolloi]

Oh, wait, Rachel got the SGM & Mahaney parts wrong.  

The Wartburg Watch article on this is worth reading.

[hoipolloi]

Well, the other shoe is dropping.

In an interview at Christianity Today, Rachael Denhollander says the church that kicked her out was an SGM-affiliated church in Louisville, KY:

Quote

The reason I lost my church was not specifically because I spoke up. It was because we were advocating for other victims of sexual assault within the evangelical community, crimes which had been perpetrated by people in the church and whose abuse had been enabled, very clearly, by prominent leaders in the evangelical community....[Editor’s note: Denhollander clarified that she and her husband did not attend a SGM church, but a Louisville, Kentucky, church “directly involved in restoring” former SGM president C. J. Mahaney. She said that she and her husband “left because we were told by individual elders that it wasn’t the place for us.”...]...The ultimate reality that I live with is that if my abuser had been Nathaniel Moralesinstead of Larry Nassar, if my enabler had been [an SGM pastor] instead of [MSU gymnastics coach] Kathie Klages, if the organization I was speaking out against was Sovereign Grace under the leadership of [Mahaney] instead of MSU under the leadership of Lou Anna Simon, I would not only not have evangelical support, I would be actively vilified and lied about by every single evangelical leader out there. 

The asswipes at SGM pushed back on her comments, saying that she's wrong about SGM:

Quote

We thank God for Rachael’s courage in confronting Nassar and commend her invaluable work on behalf of other abuse victims. Like so many, we were impressed by her faithful witness to Christ in such difficult circumstances. At the same time, it needs to be said that she is mistaken in her accusations made against Sovereign Grace Churches and C.J. Mahaney. The Christianity Today article publicly mischaracterizes Sovereign Grace and C.J. based on accusations of which Rachael had no involvement and which are not true and have never been true.

Good post & discussion on this at The Wartburg Watch.

Brent Detwiler (SGM insider turned foe) has a FB post w/comments on this as does another person, Rebecca Davis. Rachael Denhollander comments in Rebecca's post, providing some background on why their church froze them out & why they would prefer not to be adversarial, at least at this time.

[mirele]

I wasn't going to picket Together For the Gospel in April. I really wasn't. I was going to stay here in Arizona so I could be of help to a friend who I expect will be recovering from gender confirmation surgery during that same week. But after I saw that the tentacles of CJ Mahaney reached out AGAIN and caused problems for others, I was like, "aw, to hell with that."

Here's some background on the sex abuse scandal that Mahaney covered up. https://www.washingtonian.com/2016/02/14/the-sex-abuse-scandal-that-devastated-a-suburban-megachurch-sovereign-grace-ministries/ 

Also, the ladies at the Wartburg Watch have been all over Mahaney for years.

Mahaney should have been sat down a long time before this, but no, he's a plenary speaker on the subject of "The Heartache and Heartbreak of Pastoral Ministry (2 Tim 4:9-18)" and leading a seminar on "Criticism: A Pastor’s All-too-Common Companion". This is a guy who covered up child sexual abuse at his church in Maryland, and has never suffered for it. Instead, he was allowed to leave his church, go to Mark Dever's Capitol Hill Baptist Church, and then run off to Louisville to open a Southern Baptist church. The whole thing is scandalous--particularly since there's not been a single word, a single apology from Mahaney or any of his dudebro friends, all of whom can be seen at the top of the T4G dot org web page.

So I changed my mind and I will be in Louisville for Together For The Gospel 2018. Out in front of the YUM! Center, bringing truth about the fact that the T4G crowd doesn't give a rat's patootie about child abuse so long as they keep honoring CJ Mahaney. I've had enough. I've got my tickets (expensive) and my hotel reservation (overpriced but convenient) and have two months to get prepared. I've had enough.

 

 

[Antipatriarch]

8 hours ago, hoipolloi said:

The asswipes at SGM pushed back on her comments, saying that she's wrong about SGM

Mark Prater is a slimeball PR apologist for SGM's disgusting legacy.