The interim CEO and president of USA Gymnastics, Mary Bono, has resigned just four days after she stepped into the role.

“It is with profound regret, coupled with a deep love for the sport of gymnastics and respect for those who aspire to be great gymnasts, that I today tendered my resignation as the interim CEO of USA Gymnastics,” Bono said in a statement. “My withdrawal comes in the wake of personal attacks that, left undefended, would have made my leading USAG a liability for the organization.”

Simone Biles: 'Some days I'm like, why am I here? But in the end it's all worth it' Read more

The move represents yet more turmoil for the organisation, which is still dealing with the aftermath of the Larry Nassar abuse scandal. Bono was the subject of criticism from Olympic champion Simone Biles at the weekend. “*Mouth drop* Don’t worry, it’s not like we needed a smarter USA Gymnastics president or any sponsors or anything,” wrote Biles on Twitter.

Bono had tweeted, and then deleted, a photo of herself drawing over a Nike logo, a presumed shot at the company’s advertising campaign featuring Colin Kaepernick.

In her resignation statement, Bono said she had taken issue with Nike’s use of the slogan “sacrificing everything” in the campaign as she had lost her brother-in-law, a member of the military. “It was an emotional reaction to the sponsor’s use of that phrase that caused me to tweet, and I regret that at the time I did not better clarify things,” she wrote, adding that Kaepernick “exercised his First Amendment right to kneel, I exercised mine.”

Bono later tweeted that she respects “everyone’s views & fundamental right to express them”.

Simone Biles (@Simone_Biles) *mouth drop*



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Bono had been appointed by USA Gymnastics as it searched for a new CEO to replace Kerry Perry, who stood down in the wake of the Nassar case. Nassar, a former USA Gymnastics team doctor, was accused by dozens of women and girls of sexual abuse under the guise of medical care. Biles, who is sponsored by Nike, is among those who say they were abused by Nassar. The former team doctor is serving an effective life sentence for his crimes.

Bono was also criticised by another Olympic champion, Aly Raisman. Raisman, who also says she was abused by Nassar, highlighted Bono’s role at a law firm hired by USA Gymnastics to investigate the Nassar case.

Raisman claims that lawyers at the firm knew of the abuse in 2015, 13 months before he was removed from his position. “Why hire someone associated with the firm that helped cover up our abuse,” Raisman wrote on Twitter on Monday. USA Gymnastics said Bono’s role at the firm did not involve the Nassar investigation.

Biles is part of the US team that will compete at the World Gymnastics Championships in Doha later this month. Biles was asked about Bono on Monday but would not elaborate further. “I said what I said,” Biles commented. “Maybe after Doha, I’ll be open to more questions about that.”