Even many of those who raised concerns were often intimidated and ignored.<\/b>
\nLANSING, Mich. \u2014 Some parents thought they were misinterpreting the doctor\u2019s techniques. Others assumed their children were lying or mistaken.
But as more details emerged, the mothers and fathers had to face an awful truth: A renowned sports doctor had molested their daughters.
These parents, many fighting back tears, confronted Larry Nassar during his long sentencing hearing, lamenting their deep feelings of guilt and wondering how they could have missed the abuse that sometimes happened when they were in the same room.
\u201cI willingly took my most precious gift in this world to you, and you hurt her, physically, mentally and emotionally. And she was only 8,\u201d Anne Swinehart told Nassar. \u201cI will never get rid of the guilt that I have about this experience.\u201d
Many of the young athletes had come to Nassar seeking help with gymnastics injuries. He was sentenced Wednesday to up to 175 years in prison after admitting sexually assaulting patients under the guise of medical treatment while employed by Michigan State University and USA Gymnastics, the sport\u2019s governing body, which also trains Olympians.
He counted on his charm and reputation to deflect any questions. He was so brazen that he sometimes molested patients in front of their parents, shielding the young girls with his body or a sheet. His clinic on the university campus was decorated with signed photos of Olympic stars, bolstering his credentials to star-struck athletes and their families.
Parents who voiced concern say Nassar dismissed their questions. The mother of one 12-year-old victim said she questioned Nassar about not wearing gloves and he \u201canswered in a way that made me feel stupid for asking.\u201d
\u201cI told myself, \u2018He\u2019s an Olympic doctor, be quiet,\u201d\u2018 the woman said. \u201cThe guilt that I feel, and that my husband feels, that we could not protect our child, is crippling.\u201d
Some victims said they were so young that they did not understand they had been abused until they were adults, so did not tell anyone.
What\u2019s more, coaches told the parents that Nassar was the best and could help their daughters achieve their dreams.
Paul DerOhannesian, a former prosecutor in New York who has written a book on sexual assault trials, said abusers in positions of authority often hold \u201ctremendous power\u201d over both children and parents. Some parents also fear what will happen to their child if they report abuse, and children often have difficulty talking to parents about anything sexual.
\u201cIt shouldn\u2019t turn into a situation where we blame parents,\u201d DerOhannesian said.
But even when Nassar\u2019s abuse was reported to coaches and law enforcement authorities, many of them did not believe Nassar had done anything wrong, causing many parents and girls to second-guess themselves.
Donna Markham recounted how her then-12-year-old daughter Chelsey began sobbing in the car as they were headed home after a session with Nassar.
Her daughter said, \u201cMom, he put his fingers in me and they weren\u2019t gloved,\u201d then begged her mother not to confront Nassar, fearing it would derail her gymnastics career.
The next day, Donna Markham told her daughter\u2019s coach, who did not believe it. Markham said she also asked other mothers if their daughters had mentioned inappropriate touching by Nassar. \u201cThey gave me a look like, \u2018You\u2019re lying to me,\u201d\u2018 she told the judge, choking back tears.
Chelsey Markham quit gymnastics not long afterward and entered a \u201cpath of destruction\u201d and self-loathing and eventually killed herself.
\u201cIt all started with him,\u201d Markham told the judge. \u201cIt has destroyed our family. We used to be so close.\u2026 I went through four years of intense therapy trying to deal with all this, until I could finally accept the fact that this was not my fault.\u201d
Some parents did not believe their daughters at first, finding it incomprehensible that the man they trusted could have done anything wrong.
Kyle Stephens, whose family was close with Nassar\u2019s, said he repeatedly abused her from age 6 to 12 during family visits to his home near Lansing, Michigan. But her parents did not believe her when she finally told them and made her apologize to Nassar.
Years later, her father realized she was telling the truth, and she blamed his 2016 suicide partly on the guilt he felt.
\u201cPerhaps you have figured it out by now, but little girls don\u2019t stay little forever,\u201d Stephens told Nassar. \u201cThey grow into strong women that return to destroy your world.\u201d
Swinehart said that when her 15-year-old daughter, Jillian, told her she had been abused, \u201cI tried to believe that there was some medical necessity for this treatment,\u201d she said. \u201cThe alternative was just too horrific, to think that I had let this happen to my child when I was sitting right there.\u201d
Police in Michigan investigated Nassar twice. One inquiry from 2004 concluded that his actions were medically appropriate. Another investigation in 2014 and 2015 did not result in charges. Judge Rosemarie Aquilina, who sentenced Nassar, told parents not to feel guilty. \u201cThe red flags may have been there, but they were designed to be hidden,\u201d she said.
Swinehart said other people can\u2019t know how they would have reacted in the same situation.
\u201cQuit shaming and blaming the parents,\u201d she said. \u201cTrust me, you would not have known. And you would not have done anything differently.\u201d
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