Larry Nassar Sentenced to 175 Years in Prison
Olympic trainer under fire after years of sexually abusing his patients
Larry Nassar has recently come under fire for assaulting Olympic gymnasts. What most people don’t know is that he has a long history of sexually assaulting females.
Nassar began his work as a student athletic trainer in 1978 at North Farmington High School in suburban Detroit. He graduated University of Michigan in 1985 and in 1993 Nassar received his osteopathic medical degree from Michigan State University. Then according to an Olympic medalist, he began sexually abusing her in 1994 (according to 2016 trial). Nassar’s sexual abuse victims did not only include the future Olympic medalist, they also included the six year old daughter of a family friend.
In 2016, Nassar went on trial, and in December 201 it was discovered that he had over 37,000 articles of child pornography including videos and images on his personal computer.
Now in 2017, over 265 gymnasts are testifying against Nassar for charges of sexual abuse. Nassar is currently facing his third criminal sentencing.
The reaction to these events in the Cape Henry community is as you would expect. All people were disgusted with these events. When asked what she thinks should happen in regards to the trial, Olivia Jones (18’) responded, ”I think he should be sentenced to life in prison.¨ Nassar has already been sentenced to 40-125 years in prison. Michael Xystros (18’) responded and thinks the circumstances with Michigan State University are “Suspicious and should be looked into.” MSU had pardoned Nassar of any crimes in 2014 to avoid going under fire for Nassar’s actions.
Although Nassar recently released an apology to all his victims, Olivia Jones (18’) commented saying, “This changes nothing, he is still disgusting and should be punished.” In Nassar’s apology he claimed that the words in the testimonies of his victims had “shaken him to his core” but people think that this is too little too late. The overall consensus regarding Nassar is that his actions are inexcusable and he should be sentenced to life in prison.