Despite former USA Gymnastics and Michigan State team doctor Larry Nassar having been sentenced to three concurrent life sentences for his series of abuses perpetrated against more than 500 young female athletes, fallout from the case continues.
Now, according to the Huffington Post, former gymnast Sara Teristi is alleging that one of her coaches — John Geddert — knew that Nassar had sexually abused her as far back as the 1980s.
Despite former USA Gymnastics and Michigan State team doctor Larry Nassar having been sentenced to three concurrent life sentences for his series of abuses perpetrated against more than 500 young female athletes, fallout from the case continues.Â
Now, according to the Huffington Post, former gymnast Sara Teristi is alleging that one of her coaches — John Geddert — knew that Nassar had sexually abused her as far back as the 1980s.
The allegation was published in an excerpt of an upcoming book, titled “The Girls: An All-American Town, a Predatory Doctor, and the Untold Story of the Gymnasts Who Brought Him Down.”
Geddert, who was suspended by USA Gymnastics in January 2018 over physical abuse allegations, coached the women’s gymnastics team during the 2011 World Championships and the 2012 London Olympics. Teristi, whose last name was Faculak at the time of the alleged abuse, told the book’s author Abigail Pesta that Nassar would routinely “treat” her by icing her nipples and breasts — first over her leotard, but eventually escalating to a situation where her breasts were fully exposed. Teristi alleges that Geddert was present in the room during some of the sessions with Nassar, and even joked with the doctor regarding her body.
During Nassar’s sentencing hearings in January 2018, some of the gymnasts who testified suggested that Geddert’s coaching style — described as physically and verbally abusive — gave Nassar license to pursue his crimes.
