Larry Nassar, a disgraced former U.S.A. gymnastics team doctor, has been sentenced to about 175 years in prison for abusing female gymnasts placed in his care.
The sentence came after seven days of listening to over 160 women, girls, and parents as they illustrated the effect that his sexual abuse had on them. The humiliated gymnastics doctor on Wednesday issued an apology in the courtroom on Wednesday with the words, “There are no words that can describe the depth and breadth for how sorry I am for what has occurred.”
Nassar had, in November, acknowledged his offences about abusing seven young female gymnasts entrusted to his care. The incidents occurred under the pretext of treatment. Besides the 160 women and girls that came forward to attest that the former gymnastics physician also took advantage of them, about two dozen females also sent in private letters to the court.
Lou Anna Simon, president of Michigan State University where the disgraced physician had treated a few of the athletes, tendered her resignation on Wednesday. This was after she faced an onslaught of criticism for not doing her best to find out more about the excesses of the gymnastics doctor and take steps to halt the abuse.
A contemptuous front-page tabloid published by the independent students painted Lou Simon, her cheerleaders and appointees as “enablers.”
Lou Anna Simon stated in her resignation letter that “As tragedies are politicized, blame is inevitable. As president, it is only natural that I am the focus of this outrage.”
A letter written by Larry Nassar was read in court by Judge Rosemarie Aquilina in which the former doctor complained about the timespan of his sentencing hearing. He also insisted that his touching of the patients he attended to was appropriate and legitimate medical treatment procedures.
He stated that some of the accounts made by the alleged victims were wholly fabricated. As the Judge read the letter, some of the people in the courtroom gasped in amazement.
Excerpts from Nassar’s letter reads: “My treatment worked, and those patients that are now speaking out were the same set of people that praised me.” According to the former physician: “The media got to them and convinced them that everything I did was bad and wrong. Hell hath no fury as a woman scorned.”
But Judge Aquilina replied: “What you did had nothing to do with treatment: it was not medical.” She further added: “I wouldn’t send my dogs to you, sir.”
Judge Rosemarie Aquilina told the disgraced physician on Wednesday: “It is my honor to sentence you because you do not deserve to walk outside the walls of a prison ever again, sir. Anywhere you walk, destruction would surely occur to vulnerable people.” She then added: “I just signed your death warrant.”
The Judge’s sentence – minimum of 40 years, maximum of 175 years in Michigan State Prison – which in effect, guaranteed that the 54-year-old former gymnastics team physician would spend the rest of his life behind bars. This is beside the fact that he is also facing a long-term sentence for federal child pornography crimes. He is looking at a minimum of 60 years for the offence.
Thus, Judge Aquilina brought Nassar’s case – whose essential facts have been established for almost a year – to a close.