According to the authorities, John Geddert, former United States Olympic gymnastics, who had ties to humiliated team doctor Larry Nassar and charged earlier on Thursday with sexual assault and human trafficking, has committed suicide. The legal documents filed in the court in Eaton County, Geddert charged with twenty counts of human trafficking, one count of second-degree sexual assault, one count of first-degree sexual assault, lying to the police officer, and criminal enterprise.
Former USA Olympic gymnastics coach John Geddert killed himself Thursday, hours after he was charged with two dozen crimes stemming from allegations that he physically, emotionally and sexually abused gymnasts under his care. pic.twitter.com/GbTlQmKfu2
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 25, 2021
Dana Nessel, the Michigan Attorney General, stated that his office notified that John Geddert’s body found late afternoon after committing suicide. Further, he adds that this is a sad end to a tragic story for everyone involved. Attorney’s office of Geddert confirmed to Reuters that the former Olympics coach deceased but declined more remarks when asked about the circumstances surrounding his death.
John Gerald Geddert was coach of the women’s team, Fierce Five, that won the gold medal at the 2012 Olympics. He was also the former owner of the Lansing-area Twistars United States of America Gymnastics Club for elite athletes where Nassar treated gymnasts. Court documents revealed that the two sexual assault charges stem from in 2012 from an incident.
Geddert methodology to commit serious crimes
Nessel said in an earlier statement that these allegations focus around several acts of physical, verbal, and sexual abuse committed by the defendant against several young women. He adds that he is grateful for these survivors coming onward to collaborate with their investigation and courageously share their stories. Geddert used his reputation as an Olympic-level gymnastics coach and usually promised parents to polish his students into world-class athletes.
The Attorney General’s office stated that under the semblance of coaching, Geddert allegedly subjected several young women to an environment of continuous abuse, in which he also ignored the advice of medical doctors – except that provided by Nassar, who served for almost twenty years as the physician of Geddert’s team. The United States of America Gymnastics suspended Geddert in January 2018. Moreover, the first woman, Rachael Denhollander, to make accusations of abuse against Nassar publicly in 2016, told Reuters that she got horrified that USAG didn’t act sooner.
Source: Web
Denhollander said that USA Gymnastics and their coaches, board, and administration – all of whom knew exactly what Geddert was – but constantly promoted him and put young athletes in this way for decades. That is shocking and inexcusable. USAG, who last year offered almost $215 million settlement to Nassar survivors, didn’t respond to request for comment from Reuters.
CEO of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee’s Statement
CEO of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, Sarah Hirshland, said in a written statement to Reuters that the voices of the survivors matter most at this time. They continue to show strength and courage in the toughest circumstances – including the latest events. Moreover, the court sentenced forty to 125 years of two imprisonments to former USA Gymnastics doctor Nassar and forty to 175 years for molesting young female gymnasts. Additionally, he is serving as a sixty-year federal term for child pornography convictions.
Read Also: Athletes in Japan suffered abuse, Human Rights Watch
