In a Michigan court, dozens of parents have sobbed, wiped away tears or stood silently in a grim backdrop as young women and teenagers testify about being molested by Lawrence G. Nassar, the former Olympic gymnastics team and sports medicine doctor.
Many of the parents heard that they were present when Nassar abused their children, using his body to block their view as he leaned over the examining table.
One mother was looking at her phone during the treatment, the court heard. Others did not watch Nassar closely, sold by his reputation as a doctor for elite gymnasts and his easygoing manner.
Over the last week, as more than 150 young women have read statements about Nassar’s abuse, one element has stood out: the role of the parents who sent their children to him. Many stood next to their daughters in court, and some spoke, offering yet another glimpse into how a predator can enter the lives of a family eager to fulfill the ambitions of their children, some of them dreaming of Olympic gold.
“I willingly took my most precious gift in this world to you, and you hurt her,” said Anne Swinehart, who was allowed to directly address Nassar in court after her daughter Jillian spoke on Tuesday. “Physically, mentally and emotionally, and she was only 8.”
“I cannot help but think, how did I miss the red flags?” she said. “How is it that I misinterpreted your intent so wrongly? I wanted my daughter to get better, to achieve her dreams, to participate and succeed in a sport she loved.”
Anne Swinehart said she remembered looking at Jillian during an appointment and seeing her grimacing in pain. Now, she said, she realizes “that it was not a knotted muscle that was causing that.”
“Quit shaming and blaming the parents,” she continued, referring to people monitoring and reporting on the statements. “Trust me, you would not have known. And you would not have done anything differently.”
Judge Rosemarie Aquilina of Ingham County Circuit Court, who has called the women and teenagers “survivors” and “superheroes” as they have spoken in court, continued to work her way toward the end of a list of more than 150 young women and teenagers who wanted to make statements. Many victims were flanked by a parent for support.
Anne Swinehart was among the parents who also requested time to speak. Aquilina said she and other parents should not feel guilty.
“The red flags may have been there, but they were designed to be hidden,” the judge said. “I know how hard-core sports moms are.”
Nassar, 54, pleaded guilty in November to seven counts of sexual assault, and for more than a week his sentencing hearing has been delayed as the number of women who have wanted to speak in court has grown.
His sentencing is expected on Wednesday, after the statements are finished, and he has already received a 60-year sentence for child pornography in a separate case.
For years, Nassar had been praised by coaches as the best in the business.
With grief distorting their faces, some parents said they initially could not believe their children when they finally confided in them about the abuse, especially on hearing that they had been sitting close by when it happened. They spoke of being overcome by guilt.
The women have said that Nassar positioned their bodies so their parents, or sometimes a trainer, could not see what he was doing, using a towel, raising the table, or slipping his hand under baggy shorts.
“You also hurt my mother,” said Alexandra Romano, whose statement was read to the court by her sister. “She had no idea, because you had these treatments down to a routine.”
Aquilina told her: “Leave the guilt here. It doesn’t deserve any more of your family’s time.” She also called Nassar a “mastermind” at hiding the abuse.
One young woman said on Tuesday that her father, a detective, said that it was his “cop instinct” that something was not right after being in a treatment room with his daughter and Nassar, and that he and her mother were now struggling with feelings of guilt.
Some of the families spoke of being friends with Nassar and his wife and daughters, and of being grateful that he treated the young athletes — sometimes free of charge — on a table in his basement near his children’s toys and at the Michigan State University clinic.
“Dr. Nassar won the trust of my mother, who attended every appointment with me,” a woman identified only as Victim 126 said.
One family whose daughter was abused said they had helped Nassar clean out his basement after a flood.
Olivia Venuto, a dancer, said she was abused by Nassar from 2006, when she was 12, until 2013. At first, her parents did not believe that she had been abused, and she said they sent him messages of support after accusations of abuse against him became public in 2016.
“He abused me for seven years, many times with my mom or dad in the room,” Venuto said.
Jillian Swinehart said she was sexually abused by Nassar “hundreds of times,” either at Michigan State or his house, until 2016. Her family thought she was lucky to be referred to him for back problems, she said.
Anne Swinehart, her mother, told the court she would never forget learning that he had abused her daughter.
“But even then, I tried to justify it. I tried to believe that there was some medical necessity for this treatment,” she said. “The alternative was just too horrific, to think that I had let this happen to my child when I was sitting right there. I tried to rationalize it in a medical way.”
“More questioning led to finding out that while I sat there in your office, in your home, I thought that you were massaging my daughter to help her sore, broken body, and the whole time you were assaulting her,” she said to Nassar, sitting across from her in the courtroom.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
World: At Larry Nassar's sentencing, parents ask: 'how did i miss the red flags?'
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