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United States Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas revealed on Tuesday that she was sexually abuse by former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar, making her the third member of the “Fierce Five” Olympic team to accuse the doctor of sexual misconduct, Reuters reported.

“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 three-times Olympic gold medalist said on Instagram in response to being accused of shaming victims.

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Douglas’ publicist Jeff Raymond confirmed in an email that the 21-year-old gymnast is alleging that Nassar abuse her. Nassar, 54, was USA Gymnastics’ team doctor for almost 20 years and the former Michigan State University gymnastics doctor. He’s expected to plead guilty to first-degree criminal sexual misconduct charges over allegation that he assaulted girls under the guise of medical treatment, the Detroit News reported. More than 140 women have accused Nassar—who also pleaded guilty to federal child porn charges—of sexual abuse while undergoing medical treatment.

SEE ALSO:  Gabby Douglas Becomes 1st Black Female Gymnast To Win Solo Gold Medal

Earlier this month, Douglas’ Olympic teammate Aly Raisman announced that Nassar had abused her. McKayla Maroney also revealed on Instagram that Nassar began abusing her from age 13 until she left the sport. Douglas had drawn criticism on social media after saying women shouldn’t dress “in a provocative/sexual way” in response to Raisman. Douglas’ Instagram post on Tuesday clarified that she was not shaming victims and also revealed that she too was one of the doctor’s victims.

SOURCE:  Reuters, Detroit News

SEE ALSO:

Here’s Why Only A Few Women Of Color Report Sexual Assault

New Sexual Harassment Allegation Puts Spotlight On Powerful Black Men In Hollywood

Gabby Douglas Says USA Gymnastics Team Doctor Sexually Abused Her  was originally published on newsone.com