USA Gymnastics had a longstanding policy prior to the Larry Nassar scandal of not warning member gyms or parents of potential sex abuse victims of sexual misconduct allegations against coaches or other individuals, a longtime top aide to the organization’s former CEO acknowledged in a previously undisclosed sworn deposition obtained by the Southern California News Group.
Renee Jamison, the administrative assistant to USA Gymnastics CEO Steve Penny from 2005 to 2011 and later the organization’s director of administration and Olympic relations, also revealed that employees were instructed by USA Gymnastics not to report sexual misconduct complaints to law enforcement or Child Protective Services – even though they were informed by the organization that they were mandated reporters.
Instead, USA Gymnastics employees prior to 2015 were told to forward sexual misconduct complaints to attorneys representing the organization – first Jack Swarbrick, and later Scott Himsel, Jamison said. Swarbrick is currently the Notre Dame athletic director.
The policy, Jamison said, was one of the reasons why Penny and USA Gymnastics did not notify Michigan State University officials about sexual assault allegations against former U.S. Olympic and national team physician Larry Nassar when they were first brought to Penny’s attention in June 2015. Michigan State officials said they did not become aware of allegations that Nassar had sexually assaulted Team USA members…
