Incoming USOC CEO completely snubs Aly Raisman after Senate hearing
Following Tuesday's two-hour Senate hearing regarding the Larry Nassar sexual assault scandal, two-time Olympic gymnast and three-time Olympic gold medalist Aly Raisman approached incoming United States Olympic Committee (USOC) CEO Sarah Hirshland.
Hirshland was named CEO of the USOC on Thursday, July 12 and is scheduled to officially take over as the CEO of the organization on Monday, August 20. She was named the CEO of the organization after former USOC CEO Scott Blackmun resigned in February in the wake of the fallout from the Nassar scandal, citing ongoing health issues resulting from his prostate cancer as his reasoning for doing so.
Raisman, 24, is one of more than 300 people who accused Nassar, the 54-year-old disgraced former USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University physician, of sexual assault. He sexually assaulted hundreds of his patients under the guise of medical treatment for more than two decades and has been sentenced to many years in prison for it.
In December of 2016, Nassar was finally arrested. This past December, he was issued a 60-year federal prison on three child pornography charges by U.S. District Judge Janet Neff.
Nassar is currently serving this sentence at United States Penitentiary, Tucson in Tucson, Arizona, where he was reportedly physically assaulted just hours after being released to the general population of the prison for the first time since he arrived there ovemonths ago.
A state prison sentence for between 40 and 175 years and another one for between 40 and 125 years were issued to Nassar in January and February, respectively. These two state prison sentences were issued to him by Judge Rosemarie Aquilina and Judge Janice Cunningham on seven and three sexual assault charges.
A seven-day sentencing hearing took place in an Ingham County, Michigan courtroom before Nassar was issued the state prison sentence for between 40 and 175 years, and a three-day sentencing hearing took place in an Eaton County, Michigan courtroom before he was issued the state prison sentence for between 40 and 125 years.
But when Raisman approached Hirshland after the Senate hearing on the scandal, Hirshland completely snubbed her and did not want to talk whatsoever.
Here is what Raisman had to say about the matter, according to Sports Illustrated.
"I said, ‘Excuse me, excuse me, excuse me,' and she kind of ignored me, but I was like, 'excuse me'. So she looked at me because I wasn’t going to let her leave. I said, 'I’d really like to introduce myself to you.' She’s like, 'I’ve been instructed I can’t talk to you.' So I said, 'You can’t just say hi to me?' She said no and then rushed out."
Earlier this week, the USOC filed to remove themselves as defendants from a lawsuit that Raisman filed against them for their role in the Nassar scandal, which may be a reason why Hirshland totally blew off the Needham, Massachusetts native after the Senate hearing about the scandal.
However, by the same logic, Raisman could also be upset with the USOC for filing to remove themselves as defendants from the lawsuit she filed against them. Yet she wasn't the one snubbing anyone after the hearing and actually made it appoint to approach Hirshland and try to introduce herself.