Olympian Raisman Tells Nassar "The Tables Have Turned"
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LANSING, MI (CBSMiami) - Six-time Olympic medalist Aly Raisman addressed her abuser, Larry Nassar, in a Michigan court on Friday.
Nassar, a former doctor for the Olympics gymnastics team, has already been sentenced to 60 years in prison on federal child pornography charges.
The current proceedings relate to charges of sexual assault against seven girls. Last November, he pleaded guilty to seven counts of criminal sexual conduct in Ingham County, Michigan, and admitted to sexually assaulting and abusing young girls under the guise of providing medical treatment.
During the sentencing phase, the judge has allowed more victims to give impact statements.
Raisman, 23, was one of his victims. On Friday, she faced him.
"You are so sick I cannot even comprehend how angry I am when I think of you," she said. "You were really touching me an innocent child to pleasure yourself."
Much of her anger was aimed at the sports doctor's employers for failing to protect young athletes from a serial abuser.
"If over these many years just one adult listened and had the courage and character to act this tragedy could have been avoided," she said.
"Your Honor, I ask you to give Larry the strongest possible sentence, which his actions deserve, for by doing so you will send a message to him and to other abusers that they can not get away with their horrible crimes. They will be exposed for the evil they are, and they will be punished to the maximum extent of the law. Let this sentence strike fear in anyone who thinks it is okay to hurt another person. Abusers, your time is up. The survivors are here, standing tall, and we are not going anywhere," she added.
"The tables have turned Larry," she added. "We are here. We have our voices, and we are not going anywhere."
At the conclusion, the courtroom burst into applause.
Raisman had initially said speaking in person would be too painful and had planned to submit a written statement.
Last December Raisman spoke about Nassar's sexual assaults with CBS4's Gio Maselli
Earlier Friday in court, Olympic gymnast Jordyn Wieber said she, too, was sexually abused by Nassar during her time at USA Gymnastics.
"I thought that training for the Olympics would be the hardest thing that I would ever have to do, but in fact, the hardest thing I've ever had to do is process that I'm a victim of Larry Nassar," Wieber said.
Wieber's statement made her the fourth member of the 2012 women's gymnastics team, known as the "Fierce Five," to say Nassar abused them. A written statement from McKayla Maroney was read into court Thursday, and Gabby Douglas has also said publicly the former team doctor abused her.
"But even though I'm a victim, I do not and will not live my life as one," Wieber said. "I'm an Olympian. Despite being abused, I worked so hard and managed to achieve my goal."
As of Friday morning, more than 70 victims have stared down Nassar and spoken out about how he affected their lives in defiant, tear-filled statements. In all, 120 women are expected to speak about Nassar's abuse, according to prosecutors. The statements could last into Tuesday, Judge Rosemarie Aquilina said.
Many of the victims -- or survivors, as they have also been called in court -- have reserved harsh words for Nassar, who they said used his power and professional renown in the sports community for his own sexual gratification.
But they have also targeted institutions that they say enabled Nassar for more than two decades. USA Gymnastics and Michigan State have separately said they reported Nassar's abuse immediately when they learned about it, but a number of victims said they told authorities about the abuse years ago and were ignored.
"Michigan State University, the school I loved and trusted, had the audacity to tell me that I did not understand the difference between sexual assault and a medical procedure," Amanda Thomashow said at sentencing.
"That master manipulator took advantage of his title, he abused me, and when I found the strength to talk about what had happened, I was ignored and my voice was silenced."
That criticism has not gone unheard.
On Thursday, USA Gymnastics cut ties with the Karolyi Ranch, the women's gymnastics training facility where gymnasts said abuse went unchecked.
And on Friday, Michigan State's Board of Trustees asked the Michigan attorney general to review the Nassar case.
"The testimony of Nassar's victims this week made many of us, including me, listen to the survivors and the community in a different way," said university President Lou Anna K. Simon, who attended court Wednesday. "It is clear to the board and me that a review by the attorney general's office can provide the answers people need."
Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette agreed to take on a "review, report and recommendation" of what happened at the university, he said in a statement.
John Manly, an attorney representing more than 100 women in civil lawsuits, said the move was "too little, too late."
"The only reason Ms. Simon asked for (an investigation) today is because MSU's culpability has been exposed," he said.
(©2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. CNN contributed to this report.)
