In an Instagram post Tuesday, Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas alluded to sexual abuse by ex-MSU and USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar, which her publicist later confirmed in an email response to The New York Times.
Also in the post, Douglas reiterated an apology for writing on Twitter that women should "dress modestly and be classy" to avoid sexual misconduct.
Douglas is the third member of the 'Fierce Five,' the American gymnastics team that won gold in the 2012 Olympics, to accuse Nassar of sexual abuse — McKayla Maroney first came forward with allegations on Oct. 18 and Aly Raisman came forward Nov. 10.
Nassar is accused of sexually abusing over 140 women and girls, ranging from local gymnasts to Olympic athletes, under the guise of medical treatment. He was arrested in December 2016 on charges of possessing “at least 37,000” images of child pornography to which he has pleaded guilty. His sentencing for these charges is set for Dec. 7.
Nassar is expected to plead guilty to 22 counts of criminal sexual conduct in Ingham and Eaton counties and he is also a defendant in a number of lawsuits, all alongside MSU.
"I didn't view my comments as victim shaming because I know that no matter what you wear, it NEVER gives anyone the right to harass or abuse you," Douglas wrote. "It would be like saying that because of the leotards we wore, it was our fault that we were abused by Larry Nassar. I didn't publicly share my experiences as well as many other things because for years we were conditioned to stay silent and honestly some things were extremely painful."
The controversy started Friday when Douglas responded to a tweet from Raisman about how men do not have the right not sexually abuse women who dress provocatively.
Douglas responded, saying, "However, it is our responsibility as women to dress modestly and be classy. Dressing in a provocative/sexual way entices the wrong crowd."
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