Larissa Boyce, who is believed to be one of the first victims to report Nassar's behavior, said she spoke with Kathie Klages in 1997. The gymnastics trainer allegedly told Boyce that he did not understand the medical procedure. Now 37, Boyce said Nassar abused her from 1997 to 2001, beginning when she was 16.
"They are denying any responsibility, saying they did not know that a predator was among them," Boyce told HuffPost earlier this month. "That's like a slap in the face to … girls who in the last 20 years told several MSU employees and [they] did nothing about it, how come that does not show their total negligence?"
] Christie Achenbach said he reported on Nassar's behavior to assistant coach Kelli Bert in 1999, but nothing like that ever came out. Bert told the Detroit News that she did not remember the interaction.
"If I had done something sexual, I think I would have reported it immediately," said Bert.
Tiffany Thomas Lopez said she told Lianna Hadden, then a softball instructor at MSU, in 2000 that Nassar had sexually abused her during a medical examination. According to reports, Hadden told another coach, Destiny Teachnor-Hauk, that he assured Thomas Lopez that the test was "real medical treatment".
During this week's sentencing hearing, Jennifer Rood Bedford, a former MSU volleyball player, said she also reported Nassar's behavior to Hadden, who allegedly discouraged her from filing a complaint.
"Everyone trusted him, so I told myself that I also had to trust him," said Rood Bedford in his victim impact statement. Now she said: "I constantly ask myself: do I have the power to stop it?"
Since the abuse of Nassar was made public in 2016, many victims have alleged that employees of MSU and USA Gymnastics do not they complied with the mandatory reporting regulations when they were informed of their behavior.
Nassar's Olympic gymnast and survivor of abuse, Aly Raisman, called USA Gymnastics earlier this month in a series of tweets. "You are 100% responsible, it was mandatory to obtain 'treatment' by Nassar," he wrote, adding: "The system has to change so that the athletes are safe." The enablers must be accountable. "
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