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McKayla Maroney's Mom Says She's 'Not Great' After Revealing Alleged Molestation
October 19, 2017
Erin Maroney, the mother of former Olympic gymnast McKayla Maroney, said her daughter is doing "as expected" after making public allegations of sexual assault against Larry Nassar.
"She's doing as expected," Erin Maroney said Thursday, per TMZ Sports. "She's not great, not fine. She's just low-key doing okay."
Maroney, who won two medals at the 2012 London Olympics, said she was molested by Nassar beginning at age 13 through her Olympic triumph.
"People should know that this is not just happening in Hollywood," Maroney said in a statement. "This is happening everywhere. Wherever there is a position of power, there seems to be potential for abuse. I had a dream to go to the Olympics, and the things that I had to endure to get there were unnecessary and disgusting."
Nassar joined USA Gymnastics in 1986. He worked with the program for the better part of 30 years as a doctor who routinely examined its female athletes. According to multiple lawsuits filed last year, allegations of Nassar's abuse date back to at least 1994. Numerous women have come forward since 2016, and Nassar was arrested on federal child pornography and criminal sexual conduct charges in 2016.
Maroney described the pattern of abuse in her statement:
"I was molested by Dr. Larry Nassar, the team doctor for the US Women's National Gymnastics Team, and Olympic Team. Dr. Nassar told me that I was receiving "medically necessary treatment that he had been performing on patients for over 30 years." It started when I was 13 years old, at one of my first National Team training camps, in Texas, and it didn’t end until I left the sport. It seemed whenever and wherever this man could find the chance, I was 'treated.'
"It happened in London before my team and I won the gold medal, and It happened before I won my Silver. For me, the scariest night of my life happened when I was 15 years old. I had flown all day and night with the team to get to Tokyo. He'd given me a sleeping pill for the flight, and the next thing I know, I was all alone with him in his hotel room getting a 'treatment.' I thought I was going to die that night."
Maroney retired from competitive gymnastics in 2016.