Ex-Gymnastics Doc Larry Nassar Handed Another Sentence For Sexual Assault

Larry Nassar, the ex-USA Gymnastics doctor, sentenced to up to 125 years for sexually assaulting hundreds of victims, has received an additional 40 to 125 years in federal prison. The case garnered a circus of national media attention. Nassar is already serving 60 years in federal prison for child pornography charges, and these latest charges only further cement the fact that he will spend the rest of his life there.

To date, more than 260 women accused Nassar of abuse.

The case has also proven itself to be fertile ground for intersecting political conversations about women, power, and sexual abuse. In October 2017, Meghan Twohey and Jodi Kantor at the New York Times broke the story of Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein’s decades of abuse against women.

That single event kicked off the #MeToo movement, a tsunami of women speaking more publicly about their experiences, ranging from harassment to rape.

The case highlights what those in the #MeToo movement are battling – usually white, usually male, usually heterosexual people abusing their power against women, and a culture that encourages them to.

Nassar will serve sentences concurrently, and a point of contention for the judge in the most recent sentencing was Nassar’s understanding of what he’d done.

“I am not convinced that you truly understand that what you did was wrong, and the devastating impact that you have had on the victims, their families and friends. Clearly you are in denial. You don’t get it.”

That air of denial and nonchalance also may have contributed to an incident last week, where the father of two victims attacked Nassar. After listening to his two daughters give impact statement about Nassar’s abuse, Randal Margraves attempted to get his hands on him before being put in a holding cell for the second day of trial.

Mr. Margraves has since apologized for losing control, and the judge has said she would not press charges.

The last piece of the puzzle will be the recovery of USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University, both of whom have come under fire for what some consider an insufficient response to suspicions about Nassar. As for Nassar himself, he can’t hurt anyone else anymore.


Featured Image Via YouTube Video.