The world may never again witness the versatile and vivacious Simone Biles perform her awe-inspiring aerial acrobatics on the international gymnastics stage. Feelings of betrayal by the United States of America Gymnastics (USAG) when she and hundreds of other teen girls were sexually assaulted continues to haunt her.
“Everything that I’ve been through with the organization of USAG just makes for a sticky situation,” Biles explained to Us Weekly.
“It just sucks. And it’s, like, I love the sport so much, but I feel like it’s just a hit to the gut every time something comes out or new information has been revealed,” she added.
Simone was one of four female gymnasts who testified on Capitol Hill about how USAG and the FBI allegedly mishandled the case revolving around the imprisoned USA Gymanstics doctor, Larry Nassar. He sexually abused over 300 women and is now spending over 100 years in prison.
“We suffered and continue to suffer, because no one at FBI, USAG, or the USOPC did what was necessary to protect us,” Simone said in court, per Us Weekly. But those past missteps have made her feel like she can no longer trust the organizations she competes for.
Biles, 24, says she has to regain the trust she lost for the USAG before she can consider returning to the sport.
“I love the sport. I love the people that I work with. I love the girls that I trained with, but those organizations, it’s just like—ugh!” Simone said. “It’s just like a huge dumpster fire that we’re trying to get rid of and that I’m trying to stay as far away from so that my mental health can be intact and if I do decide to train again that I have a clean slate.”
Flip the page to view the conditions she needs to be in place for her to continue her record-breaking career.
