Those remaining on the Usa Gymnastics Board announced their resignation after the U.S. Olympic Committee forced them to resign by Jan. 31 or be terminated. USA Gymnastics said they will comply with the requirements put forth by the USOC.
Fox News reports that the decision by USOC comes after Larry Nassar was sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison for the sexual assault of more than 100 gymnasts under his care as team doctor. The top three members of the board resigned earlier in the week and President Steve Penny resigned under pressure.
USOC forced resignation of USAG board
The committee sent out a letter that highlighted six conditions that USA Gymnastics must meet or be decertified as the sport's national governing board. USOC CEO Scott Blackmun said the committee believes that change must start with a completely new board. The USAG is working at establishing an interim board of directors by the end of February. Permanent replacements will be named within a year.
“As the board identifies its next chair and fills the vacant board positions, we remain focused on working every day to ensure that our culture, policies and actions reflect our commitment to those we serve.” - Kerry Perry, president and CEO.
— USA Gymnastics (@USAGym) January 22, 2018
A statement originally released by USA Gymnastics acknowledged the requirements they needed to meet, but they did not say whether they would resign.
The US Olympic Committee is also requiring everyone including board members and staff to complete the SafeSport training provided by the U.S. Center for Safe Sport in the next three months and ethics training in the next six months. SafeSport has teamed up with the USOC and believes that all athletes deserve to participate in sports free from abuse, bullying, and hazing.
The USOC says that USAG needs rebuilding and they need every athlete to feel safe and free to speak about threats made against their safety. During Nassar's sentencing, more than 150 people were pointing fingers at USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic Committee for failing to protect the athletes from abuse. The letter stops short of implicating the USAG board in covering up Nassar's criminal actions.
On Jan. 15, USA Gymnastics terminated its relationship with the Karolyi Ranch. USAG has said they will support an independent investigation. The Olympic Committee acknowledges the organization's improvement. As USA Gymnastics continue to sort this mess out, they could be faced with losing millions of dollars in revenue, as sponsors walk away. The Michigan Attorney General's office is conducting an investigation into Michigan State University. The USOC has launched an independent investigation to determine when complaints were first filed against Nassar and why nobody knew about his actions.
