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Former US gymnastics national team doctor Larry Nassar has been stabbed multiple times in prison, during a fight with a fellow inmate.
Nassar suffered a collapsed lung after being stabbed in the neck, back and chest, but is said to be in a stable condition in hospital.
Nassar, 59, was jailed for life in 2018 for sexually abusing several young female gymnasts.
Nassar was an inmate at the Federal Correctional Complex Coleman in Florida when the attack happened yesterday.
It was confirmed today by Joe Rojas, President of Local 506, which represents employees at the male-only prison, that Nassar was stabbed twice in the neck, twice in the back and six times in the chest and suffered a collapsed lung.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons declined to identify the prisoners involved but said in a statement, as reported by NBC: "No staff or other inmates were injured and at no time was the public in danger.
"An internal investigation is ongoing."
Nassar was jailed for 40 to 175 years for first-degree sexual conduct, a further 60 years for possession of child pornography and at a later trial 40 to 125 years for molesting girls and women in his care.
Nassar is believed to have abused more than 330 women, including Olympic gymnasts, such as Olympic gold medallists Simone Biles, Aly Raisman and McKayla Maroney, who were among those to file lawsuits against him.
Sarah Klein, a lawyer who represents victims of sexual assault cases, and one of the first known victims of Nassar, tweeted that the incident brought no peace to any of the victims that she had spoken to.
"This assault on Nassar brings no peace to me personally or to the survivors I've spoken with today.
"The incident forces us to vividly relive our abuse and trauma at the hands of Nassar and the institutions that protected him and allowed him to prey on children.
"I want him to face the severe prison sentence he received because of the voices of survivors.
"I urge the Department of Justice and the Bureau of Prisons to see that Nassar is not allowed to escape his sentence and consequences of his horrible crimes."
Nassar served as the USA Gymnastics team doctor from 1996 to 2014, with the organisation cutting ties with him in 2016 after learning of athletes concerns.
He was first arrested in November 2016, inbetween working at Michigan State University (MSU) from July 2015 until September 2016, after leaving USA Gymnastics.
Last year a group of around 90 gymnasts sued the Federal Bureau of Investigation for $1 billion (£797 million/€931 million) in damages, while settlements have previously been reached for $500 million (£389 million/€463 million) from MSU and a $380 million (£296 million/€352 million) agreement with USA Gymnastics and the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee.
Following the Nassar revelations, an entirely new Board of Directors were elected at USA Gymnastics, with the organisation subsequently undergoing what it called an “ongoing cultural transformation”, which included a redesign of its website and a new name for its athlete safety department.
For nearly 15 years now, insidethegames.biz has been at the forefront of reporting fearlessly on what happens in the Olympic Movement. As the first website not to be placed behind a paywall, we have made news about the International Olympic Committee, the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Commonwealth Games and other major events more accessible than ever to everybody.
insidethegames.biz has established a global reputation for the excellence of its reporting and breadth of its coverage. For many of our readers from more than 200 countries and territories around the world the website is a vital part of their daily lives. The ping of our free daily email alert, sent every morning at 6.30am UK time 365 days a year, landing in their inbox, is as a familiar part of their day as their first cup of coffee.
Even during the worst times of the COVID-19 pandemic, insidethegames.biz maintained its high standard of reporting on all the news from around the globe on a daily basis. We were the first publication in the world to signal the threat that the Olympic Movement faced from the coronavirus and have provided unparalleled coverage of the pandemic since.
As the world begins to emerge from the COVID crisis, insidethegames.biz would like to invite you to help us on our journey by funding our independent journalism. Your vital support would mean we can continue to report so comprehensively on the Olympic Movement and the events that shape it. It would mean we can keep our website open for everyone. Last year, nearly 25 million people read insidethegames.biz, making us by far the biggest source of independent news on what is happening in world sport.
Neil Shefferd is a Desk Editor with insidethegames.biz. He has previously worked as a reporter for a host of newspapers in Buckinghamshire, and presented a show called The Sports Breakfast while at the University of Bedfordshire.
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Former US gymnastics national team doctor Nassar stabbed multiple times in prison
- By Neil Shefferd
- Monday, 10 July 2023
Nassar suffered a collapsed lung after being stabbed in the neck, back and chest, but is said to be in a stable condition in hospital.
Nassar, 59, was jailed for life in 2018 for sexually abusing several young female gymnasts.
Nassar was an inmate at the Federal Correctional Complex Coleman in Florida when the attack happened yesterday.
It was confirmed today by Joe Rojas, President of Local 506, which represents employees at the male-only prison, that Nassar was stabbed twice in the neck, twice in the back and six times in the chest and suffered a collapsed lung.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons declined to identify the prisoners involved but said in a statement, as reported by NBC: "No staff or other inmates were injured and at no time was the public in danger.
"An internal investigation is ongoing."
Nassar was jailed for 40 to 175 years for first-degree sexual conduct, a further 60 years for possession of child pornography and at a later trial 40 to 125 years for molesting girls and women in his care.
Nassar is believed to have abused more than 330 women, including Olympic gymnasts, such as Olympic gold medallists Simone Biles, Aly Raisman and McKayla Maroney, who were among those to file lawsuits against him.
Sarah Klein, a lawyer who represents victims of sexual assault cases, and one of the first known victims of Nassar, tweeted that the incident brought no peace to any of the victims that she had spoken to.
"This assault on Nassar brings no peace to me personally or to the survivors I've spoken with today.
"The incident forces us to vividly relive our abuse and trauma at the hands of Nassar and the institutions that protected him and allowed him to prey on children.
"I want him to face the severe prison sentence he received because of the voices of survivors.
"I urge the Department of Justice and the Bureau of Prisons to see that Nassar is not allowed to escape his sentence and consequences of his horrible crimes."
Nassar served as the USA Gymnastics team doctor from 1996 to 2014, with the organisation cutting ties with him in 2016 after learning of athletes concerns.
He was first arrested in November 2016, inbetween working at Michigan State University (MSU) from July 2015 until September 2016, after leaving USA Gymnastics.
Last year a group of around 90 gymnasts sued the Federal Bureau of Investigation for $1 billion (£797 million/€931 million) in damages, while settlements have previously been reached for $500 million (£389 million/€463 million) from MSU and a $380 million (£296 million/€352 million) agreement with USA Gymnastics and the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee.
Following the Nassar revelations, an entirely new Board of Directors were elected at USA Gymnastics, with the organisation subsequently undergoing what it called an “ongoing cultural transformation”, which included a redesign of its website and a new name for its athlete safety department.
For nearly 15 years now, insidethegames.biz has been at the forefront of reporting fearlessly on what happens in the Olympic Movement. As the first website not to be placed behind a paywall, we have made news about the International Olympic Committee, the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Commonwealth Games and other major events more accessible than ever to everybody.
insidethegames.biz has established a global reputation for the excellence of its reporting and breadth of its coverage. For many of our readers from more than 200 countries and territories around the world the website is a vital part of their daily lives. The ping of our free daily email alert, sent every morning at 6.30am UK time 365 days a year, landing in their inbox, is as a familiar part of their day as their first cup of coffee.
Even during the worst times of the COVID-19 pandemic, insidethegames.biz maintained its high standard of reporting on all the news from around the globe on a daily basis. We were the first publication in the world to signal the threat that the Olympic Movement faced from the coronavirus and have provided unparalleled coverage of the pandemic since.
As the world begins to emerge from the COVID crisis, insidethegames.biz would like to invite you to help us on our journey by funding our independent journalism. Your vital support would mean we can continue to report so comprehensively on the Olympic Movement and the events that shape it. It would mean we can keep our website open for everyone. Last year, nearly 25 million people read insidethegames.biz, making us by far the biggest source of independent news on what is happening in world sport.
Related stories
- April 2023: USA Gymnastics redesigns website and has new name for athlete safety department
- June 2022: Gymnasts abused by Nassar suing FBI for more than $1 billion over investigation failures
- December 2021: USA Gymnastics, USOPC reach $380 million settlement with Nassar victims
- December 2021: Majority of Nassar abuse survivors vote to accept settlement with USA Gymnastics
- October 2021: Victims of Nassar abuse to vote on USA Gymnastics settlement plan following judge's approval
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Neil Shefferd Desk Editor
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