After coming under fire for victim-shaming one of her fellow gymnasts, Olympic gold medalist Gabby Douglas revealed on Tuesday that she, too, was abused by disgraced U.S. gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar.
In a lengthy statement posted to Instagram, Douglas apologized to her teammate Aly Raisman for suggesting last week that she perhaps wouldn't have been abused by Nassar if she didn't dress in a "provocative" way.
Then, Douglas said she also endured Nassar's abuse.
"I didn't publicly share my experiences as well as many other things because for years we were conditioned to stay silent and honestly some things were extremely painful," Douglas, 21, wrote.
Douglas said no one has the right to "harass or abuse" women, no matter what they're wearing.
"It would be like saying that because of the leotards we wore, it was our fault that we were abused by Larry Nassar," she added.
Douglas didn't go into detail about the abuse Nassar allegedly subjected her to and asked for compassion from her fans.
"I understand that many of you didn't know what I was dealing with, but it is important to me that you at least know this," she wrote.
Douglas is the third member of the 2012 Olympic gold medal team to accuse 53-year-old Nassar of abuse.
Raisman, 23, revealed last week that Nassar touched her inappropriately during a number of treatment sessions, starting when she was in her teens. Her teammate McKayla Maroney said last month that Nassar molested her for several years, beginning when she was just 13.
Nassar is currently in a Michigan jail awaiting sentencing for pleading guilty to three counts of child pornography. He's also preparing for a trial next month over charges that he sexually assaulted nine girls.
In addition to those disturbing claims, Nassar is being sued by more than 130 women and girls who filed a class-action civil suit alleging that the disgraced doctor abused them under the guise of medical treatment.
