Aly Raisman Rips USAG for 'Victim Shaming' After Statement on Maggie Nichols

Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast Aly Raisman criticized USA Gymnastics on Wednesday for the statement it released Tuesday regarding gymnast Maggie Nichols.

Nichols said she was sexually assaulted by former Team USA physician Larry Nassar. USA Gymnastics released a statement denying accusations it had attempted to cover up allegations made against Nassar.

Raisman ripped USA Gymnastics and its handling of the situation in the following tweet:

On Tuesday, Nichols wrote in a letter that she was the first person to alert USA Gymnastics of Nassar's actions in 2015, per ESPN.com's John Barr.

Nassar was sentenced to 60 years in prison on child pornography charges. He also pleaded guilty to seven counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct against minors from his time as a gymnastics physician.

Nichols said Nassar began sexually abusing her when she sought treatment for severe back pain at the age of 15.

After her coach overheard her telling another gymnast about what transpired, Nichols and her coach notified USA Gymnastics.

In its statement, USA Gymnastics also described the interview process with Nichols and two other athletes regarding allegations against Nassar:

"USA Gymnastics reported Nassar to the FBI in July 2015 and to a different FBI office again in April 2016. When Maggie's comments were relayed by her coach to the organization, USA Gymnastics immediately contacted her parents and hired an experienced, independent investigator to speak with her and others at a mutually agreed date and time. The information that Maggie and later a second athlete provided was important, but did not provide reasonable suspicion that sexual abuse had occurred. Following a third athlete interview on Friday, July 24, 2015, the investigator recommended that USA Gymnastics report to law enforcement, and USA Gymnastics contacted the FBI on the next business day, Monday, July 27. When USA Gymnastics representatives met with the FBI on Tuesday, July 28, 2015, they disclosed the information received during all three interviews, including Maggie's. The FBI then took over the matter, and it decided who to speak with and when. USA Gymnastics cooperated fully with the FBI, including the agents' July 28, 2015, request to not do anything that might interfere with their investigation. USA Gymnastics interpreted that request to mean that it should not discuss the matter, and it refrained from doing so."

Prior to Nichols coming forward publicly, Raisman, McKayla Maroney and Gabby Douglas were among the high-profile gymnasts to say they were also sexually abused by Nassar.

In a separate tweet Wednesday, Raisman stressed the importance of an overhaul within USA Gymnastics. She also mentioned Nassar and former USA Gymnastics President Steve Penny, who resigned in March:

Nichols is currently a sophomore gymnast at the University of Oklahoma. She previously competed internationally for Team USA.

Raisman is a six-time Olympic medalist and three-time gold medalist who was part of the Fierce Five and Final Five United States gymnastics teams at the 2012 and 2016 Summer Games, respectively.