Larry Nassar, Who Was Convicted Of Abusing U.S. Olympic Gymnasts, Stabbed Multiple Times At Florida Federal Prison

Sports doctor Larry Nassar, who was convicted of sexually abusing female college and Olympic gymnasts, was stabbed multiple times during a confrontation with another inmate.

Rachael Denhollander, who was the first woman to publicly accuse Nassar of sexual assault, wrote a statement on Twitter regarding the attack.

None of the women I've spoken with are rejoicing today. We're grieving the destruction across so much.

We're grieving the reality that protecting others from him came with the near-certainty we would wake up to this someday.

— Rachael Denhollander (@R_Denhollander) July 10, 2023

The assault occurred on Sunday at United States Penitentiary Coleman II in Florida. Nassar was stabbed in the back and in the chest but was in stable condition. They also said that the federal prison was short on staff, and the two officers assigned to the area Nassar was being held were working overtime shifts.

A 2021 study showed that almost one-third of federal correctional officer positions were unfilled, making prisons use cooks, nurses and other workers to watch inmates. These shortages have slowed emergency responses in prisons, most notably when Jeffrey Epstein took his own life in a New York jail in 2019.

Nassar was sentenced to 60 years in prison in 2017 for child pornography charges. He is also serving a 40 to 175-year prison sentence after admitting he sexually assaulted athletes at Michigan State University and USA Gymnastics, a facility where Olympians train.

Multiple gymnasts testified in 2018, saying that they had informed authority figures like coaches and trainers about what was happening, but the abuse was never addressed. Over 100 women are seeking more than $1 billion from the federal government due to the FBI’s negligence. The organization was reportedly aware of the sexual assault allegations against Nassar in 2015, but he was not arrested until 2016. During this time, at least 40 more girls and women claimed they were molested.

Similarly, Michigan State University was criticized for not stopping Nassar. The school paid $500 million to more than 300 girls and women, while USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee settled for $380 million.