The group of Nassar’s survivors has been dubbed “Sister Survivors,” and though they give each other strength, I’m sure this is a club no one ever wanted to be a member of. Seeing them speak out with passion and poise in the video that preceded the Arthur Ashe Courage Award, one can only imagine that these amazing women all have backbones of absolute steel to go with their tender and hurting hearts.
Another blistering quote from Raisman listed all the years in which a victim had spoken up against Nassar and had been dismissed.
“1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2004, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016. These were the years we spoke up about Larry Nassar’s abuse,” Raisman said. “All those years we were told, ‘You are wrong. You misunderstood. He’s a doctor. It’s OK. Don’t worry, we’ve got it covered. Be careful. There are risks involved.’ The intention: to silence us in favor of money, medals and reputation.”
With this Arthur Ashe Courage Award, ESPN has drawn a line in the sand
ESPN would not exist without sports; without coaches and officials and athletic associations it would be a non-entity. The fact that ESPN allowed Raisman to so vehemently and publicly scold the people in the administration of her sport surely sends a message about where the channel’s loyalties lie: with athletes, with individuals, with the soul of a person rather than with their potential for athletic acclaim. I have to give them respect for that.
The moral of the story is this: speak up, speak OUT. If you have any inkling that something untoward may be going on between an adult and a child, no matter WHO that adult is, no matter how powerful…speak UP. If one adult had done the right thing in 1997, most of the women accepting that ESPY award would not have needed to be on that stage.
May we all have the courage to be the ONE to prevent a mass tragedy like this from happening again.
