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The Larry Nassar sexual abuse scandal became a sudden talking point amid the backlash against Simone Biles for defending trans athletes in women’s sports. Some critics, including Biles’ target in her social media rant Riley Gaines, pointed to the abuse perpetrated by Nassar while criticizing Biles’ stance on trans athletes.
Then on Wednesday, a USA Gymnastics spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the organization’s transgender eligibility policy and resources pages were deleted from its website in May, to “assess compliance with the current legal landscape.”
The lead attorney for the U.S. women’s gymnasts who were affected by Nassar, John Manly, weighed in on the comparisons between the Nassar abuse and biological male inclusion in women’s sports.
“Larry Nassar was sexually assaulting children, that’s fundamentally different,” Manly told Fox News Digital.
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From left to right, U.S. Olympic gymnasts Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney, Aly Raisman and Maggie Nichols arrive to testify during a Senate Judiciary hearing about the Inspector General’s report on the FBI handling of the Larry Nassar investigation of sexual abuse of Olympic gymnasts, on Capitol Hill, in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 15, 2021. (Saul Loeb/Pool via REUTERS)
However, Manly believes that the leadership at USA Gymnastics and its method of deciding to allow trans athletes in the women’s category is the same type of leadership method that allowed the Nassar scandal to occur.
“I think that’s precisely right,” Manly said. “[Female gymnasts] are in that position with that trans athlete in the locker room because of the organizations that create policies. … In that same token, Larry Nassar was created and allowed to flourish because they didn’t have policies preventing precisely what he was doing. He was treating little girls in their hotels rooms alone on their beds, during the Olympics, there’s no policy against it.”
Manly added, “Athletes are not first in this sytem, they’re not. Money and medals are, and the people who run it are first.”
President Donald Trump signed his “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” executive order in February, but the order only applies to institutions that receive federal funding, while USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) are private entities.
As a lawyer, Manly questioned the validity of the organization’s recent excuse of “compliance with the current legal landscape” for deleting the policy pages.
“That’s a bunch of nonsense,” Manly said. “That’s corporate speak for ‘we’re concerned that the political winds have shifted and people are taking a dim view of the policy’ and they don’t want to become Bud Light.
“The reason Larry Nassar happened, one, is because they didn’t put athletes first, and two, because they slithered around and tried to cover it up, and [it’s] the same thing here. Make a decision, stand out and defend it.”
FORMER STAR GYMNAST SLAMS USA GYMNASTICS FOR TRANS ATHLETE POLICY HANDLING
Still, unlike Nassar, Manly believes that blame does not always fall on the trans athletes themselves, especially those who are underage. Manly, who has known Biles for several years, believes the gymnast was trying to make a similar point in her recent controversial social media rant, but it was “misunderstood.”
“I think it’s a misunderstanding. I think what I suspect what Simone was trying to say is ‘we shouldn’t blame children, child athletes, for competing when these organizations allow it. But I haven’t spoken to her about it… I respect Riley Gaines and obviously I respect and love Simone, and I wish it hadn’t happen, but I can’t speak to that,” Manly said.
In December 2021, Manly helped Biles and fellow U.S. women’s gymnasts Aly Raisman, McKayla Maroney and Maggie Nichol secure a $380 million settlement from USA Gymnastics and USOPC over the Nassar abuse.
Since then, the attorney has followed the issue’s impact on the legal landscape, with an eye on Gaines’ lawsuit against the NCAA for the inclusion of biological male Lia “Will” Thomas in the 2022 NCAA women’s swimming championship.
“I think it’s really important,” Manly said of Gaines’ lawsuit’s impact on women’s sports history. “How that plays out is going to determine whether women’s sports is going to continue as we know it or if it’s going to change… the fact that the NCAA hasn’t just owned up to it and come to a settlement with her is shocking to me.”
Manly says he would consider filing his own lawsuit against the USOPC if any American Olympians came to him with a legitimate case.
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“I’d file them to protect women, to protect female athletes, but I shouldn’t have to file those cases, what should happen is the USOPC should step in and say ‘were going to protect our athletes and we’re going to have clarity,” he said.
While Manly hopes that the policies will be clear and allow fair competition in time for the Los Angeles Olympics, he says he has “no confidence,” the policies will be at that point in summer 2028 if the current USOPC leadership remains in power.
“I don’t have any hope for anything with this board,” he said.
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