Law firm’s report on Larry Nassar case critical of Karolyis

A report commissioned by the U.S. Olympic Committee into the USA Gymnastics sexual abuse scandal was strongly critical of the culture created by longtime coaches Bela (left) and Martha Karolyi A report commissioned by the U.S. Olympic Committee into the USA Gymnastics sexual abuse scandal was strongly critical of the culture created by longtime coaches Bela (left) and Martha Karolyi Photo: Gregory Bull, STF / Associated Press Photo: Gregory Bull, STF / Associated Press Image 1 of / 41 Caption Close Law firm’s report on Larry Nassar case critical of Karolyis 1 / 41 Back to Gallery

A report commissioned by the U.S. Olympic Committee into the USA Gymnastics sexual abuse scandal was strongly critical of the culture created by longtime coaches Bela and Martha Karolyi, saying that the atmosphere at the couple's Walker County ranch gave disgraced sports doctor Larry Nassar "broad latitude" to abuse young gymnasts.

The 237-page report compiled by the Boston law firm Ropes & Gray, which was made public Monday, also said that two top USOC officials, former CEO Scott Blackmun and chief of sport performance Alan Ashley, failed to take prompt action to protect gymnasts and others after receiving initial reports of allegations against Nassar in 2015.

In the wake of the report's publication Monday, Ashley, who had held the sports performance job since 2010, was fired by Sarah Hirshland, the USOC's chief operating officer.

Susanne Lyons, the USOC's incoming board chair, also acknowledged the USOC's past failings in protecting its athletes from abuse and said in a statement, "We recognize that we must do more, and we will do more."

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The report is critical of what it described as USA Gymnastics' lack of oversight regarding Nassar's activities at the Karolyi Ranch between Huntsville and New Waverly, the longtime site of the USA Gymnastics women's training center.

It also said the Karolyis created "an expectation of absolute perfection and a single-minded and exacting focus on an athlete's training and performance-readiness to the exclusion of everything else." This, combined with the ranch's isolation, "gave rise to a perfect storm of circumstances that facilitated and enabled Nassar's abuse of elite gymnasts" at the ranch.

Nassar, the report said, took advantage of a culture that was "intense, severe and unrelenting ... (and) demanded obedience and deference to authority."

Even one of the signature moments in the history of the sport — Kerri Strug's vault at the 1996 Olympics, after suffering an injured ankle, to help the U.S. women win a gold medal — is cited as an example of an approach that emphasized results over athletes' safety.

Strug's vault, the report said, "has since become a source of national pride. And yet it also serves as a warning about the casual disregard for athlete safety by those entrusted with their welfare and the overwhelming pressure on athletes to persevere at any cost."

The report casts a broad net of blame regarding the ability of Nassar, who is serving the equivalent of a life prison sentence on federal and state charges, to abuse young women under the guise of medical care.

It said the USOC and USA Gymnastics did not keep pace with best practices adopted by other groups that dealt with young people, which "had the effect of allowing abuse to occur and continue without effective intervention."

The USOC also failed to provide an "effective avenue" for athletes to report complaints regarding sexual abuse, and USA Gymnastics, when confronted with accusations against abusive coaches and officials, often ignored creditable reports of abuse or implemented regulations "that operated to block or delay effective action."

Regarding the Karolyi Ranch, as well as the Karolyis' roles as national team coordinators for most of the past two decades, "no institution or individual took any meaningful steps to ensure that appropriate safety measures were in place to protect the young gymnasts. And within the isolated and secluded environment of the Karolyi Ranch ... Nassar had broad latitude to commit his crimes," the report said.

The culture faced by gymnasts during the era when the Karolyis were influential, the report said, "normalized intense physical discomfort as an integral part of the path to success." It also led to social isolation and encouraged gymnasts "not to rock the boat."

"When those pressures were coupled with the harsh and isolated conditions at the Karolyi Ranch, they together gave rise to a perfect storm of circumstances that facilitated and enabled Nassar's abuse of elite gymnasts," the report added.

While designating the ranch as an official USOC training site, the USOC did not investigate conditions at the ranch or determine whether its isolated nature in the Sam Houston National Forest was appropriate.

The USOC also "failed to conduct oversight over powerful personalities charged with important responsibilities ... most notably the Karolyis and Larry Nassar," the report added.

The report notes that Steve Penny, the longtime CEO of USA Gymnastics, shared information about allegations against Nassar in July 2015 with Blackmun and Ashley. Reports of the allegations did not surface until September 2016, when they were reported by the Indianapolis Star, and Nassar was not arrested until December 2016.

The report also includes a description of Penny's direction that a staff member should collect material related to Nassar at the Karolyi Ranch and send it to USA Gymnastics headquarters in Indianapolis.

Penny was indicted earlier this year in Walker County on felony charges of tampering with evidence. He has pleaded not guilty.

Ropes & Gray says it interviewed more than a hundred people for its report. The Karolyis declined to be interviewed, and their attorney, David Berg, had no immediate comment on the law firm's report and its observations concerning the Karolyis.

USA Gymnastics says it faces potential lawsuit settlements of between $75 million and $150 million related to the Nassar case and last week filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. It also faces an attempt by the USOC to remove its designation as a national governing body, although that effort may be stymied by the bankruptcy proceedings.

In a statement, the federation said Monday, "We are indebted to the brave women who came forward and have made our sport safer by speaking out against the horrific acts of Larry Nassar. USA Gymnastics is one of the organizations that let them down, and we are working to regain their trust and that of the entire gymnastics community."