U.S. Olympic Committee announces independent investigation into Larry Nassar scandal

(Image credit: JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP/Getty Images)

published 2 February 2018

The U.S. Olympic Committee announced Friday that it would launch an independent investigation into the decades of sexual abuse perpetrated by former gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar, ABC News reports. The probe will seek to "determine when individuals affiliated with USA Gymnastics or the USOC first became aware of any evidence of Nassar's abuse of athletes, what that evidence was, and what they did with it."

Last week, Nassar was sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison on seven charges of criminal sexual misconduct; more than 200 people have accused him of sexual abuse. On Wednesday, the entire USA Gymnastics board of directors resigned after heavy criticism of the organization's handling of the scandal.

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.