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Simone Biles, Aly Raisman testify before Senate about FBI’s failures in Larry Nassar case

Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney, Aly Raisman and Maggie Nichols testify during a Senate Judiciary hearing. (Saul Loeb/Getty Images)

On Wednesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee heard testimonies from Olympic gymnast Simone Biles and her former United States teammates Aly Raisman, McKayla Maroney and Maggie Nichols.

The four gymnasts testified to the Committee that current and former FBI agents who mishandled the bureau’s investigation into former team doctor Larry Nassar should be held accountable. Nassar is serving a de facto life sentence after being convicted of multiple counts of sexual assault and child pornography.

“It truly feels like the FBI turned a blind eye to us,” Biles said during her testimony, breaking down into tears and adding that agents should be federally prosecuted in order to be held fully accountable.

According to a recent report published by the Department of Justice’s inspector general, the FBI agents handling the case failed to respond with the “seriousness and urgency” required following the initial reports of Nassar’s abuse in the summer of 2015. The FBI’s failure to act, it says, enabled Nassar to continue treating patients at Michigan State University and in Lansing, Mich., resulting in more than 70 girls and women being assaulted under the guise of medical treatment.

Maroney, a 2012 Olympian, described Nassar’s abuse in detail on Wednesday. The FBI agent taking her testimony reportedly asked at the end of her statement, “Is that all?” Maroney said she was crushed by the lack of empathy.

“Not only did the F.B.I. not report my abuse, but when they eventually documented my report 17 months later, they made entirely false claims about what I said,” Maroney testified. “They chose to lie about what I said and protect a serial child molester rather than protect not only me but countless others.

“By not taking action from my report, they allowed a child molester to go free for more than a year. They had legal evidence of child abuse and did nothing.”

Raisman backed up Maroney’s testimony, saying that it took over 14 months for FBI agents to contact her after she initially reported Nassar’s sexual assaults to USA Gymnastics in June 2015.

“The FBI made me feel like my abuse didn’t count and that it wasn’t real,” Raisman said.

Christopher A. Wray, who took over as FBI director in 2017, apologized to the gymnasts for the FBI’s failures.

“I’m sorry that so many people let you down again and again,” Wray said Wednesday. “I am especially sorry that there were people at the F.B.I. who had their own chance to stop this monster back in 2015 and failed, and that is inexcusable. It never should have happened, and we are doing everything in our power to make sure it never happens again.”

Wray added that one of the agents initially involved in the case, Michael Langeman, was fired two weeks ago. The other, W. Jay Abbott, voluntarily retired in 2018. Several senators were surprised and disgusted by the fact that Abbott was able to leave the FBI without discipline.

According to the Justice Department’s report, Langeman failed to properly document the interview with Maroney or open an investigation. It was also found that Abbott “violated F.B.I. policy and exercised extremely poor judgment under federal ethics rules.”

Abbott reportedly had been trying to get a job with the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee and had conversations with Steve Penny, who was the president of USA Gymnastics at the time.

But Penny’s attorneys have previously told ESPN that those assertions are “absurd.”

“The only favor that Steve wanted from Agent Abbott or anyone at the FBI was for them to promptly and thoroughly investigate Nassar,” the attorneys said.

Senator Patrick Leahy and others expressed outrage that that those who mishandled the case have not been prosecuted. He said that anyone who “turned a blind eye” to Nassar’s abuse should face criminal charges.

“A whole lot of people should be in prison,” Leahy said.

Biles wants the accountability to extend to officials from USAG and the USOPC.

“To be clear, I blame Larry Nassar, but I also blame an entire system that enabled and perpetrated his abuse,” she said. “This is the largest case of sexual abuse in the history of American sport, and although there has been an independent investigation of the FBI’s handling of the case, neither USAG nor the USOPC have ever been made the subject of the same level of scrutiny.”

USC Legend Cheryl Miller Headlines AP Women’s College Basketball All-Time First Team

USC legend Cheryl Miller looks on during a 1983 NCAA basketball game.
USC legend Cheryl Miller headlines the AP All-Time First Team. (David Madison/Getty Images)

The AP Women's College Basketball Poll turns 50 next year, and the publication began celebrating its rankings run a few months early by asking 13 former players and AP sportswriters to fill an All-Time team roster with the NCAA's best.

First Team honors went to USC legend Cheryl Miller, UConn greats Breanna Stewart and Diana Taurasi, all-time leading NCAA scorer and Iowa alum Caitlin Clark, and position-defining Tennessee forward Candace Parker.

Standout Huskies Sue Bird and Maya Moore also snagged AP All-Time nods, earning Second Team spots alongside Virginia star guard Dawn Staley, Tennessee forward and three-time national champion Chamique Holdsclaw, and three-time AIAW champion and MVP Lusia Harris from Delta State.

Even the AP list's reserves are full of legends, with basketball pioneers like Kansas star Lynette Woodard and UCLA's Ann Meyers Drysdale joining Lisa Leslie (USC) and Sheryl Swoopes (Texas Tech) as well as current WNBA superstars A'ja Wilson (South Carolina) and Brittney Griner (Baylor) on the All-Time bench.

"Being named an AP All-American is one of the most storied honors in college sports," Clark said in response to her AP All-Time First Team nod. "It's fun to think about what it would have been like if we all played together."

"What an accomplishment and what an honor," said fellow First Team honoree Taurasi. "There's so many great women who paved the way."

Anonymous WNBA Insiders Reveal Leadership Concerns as CBA Deadline Looms

Commissioner Cathy Engelbert speaks to media before Game 1 of the 2025 WNBA Finals.
WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert appears to be sticking around as CBA negotiations continue. (Ian Maule/Getty Images)

With the October 31st WNBA CBA deadline looming, ESPN recently conducted an anonymous survey of team owners, executives, players, and other insiders about the simmering tensions between athletes and league leadership in the wake of Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier's viral exit interview last month.

"Once you have that kind of fighting with your best players, it's a death spiral," a team executive told ESPN after fans booed commissioner Cathy Engelbert at this year's WNBA Finals.

"Change is a must," another exec said in the anonymous WNBA survey. "Either Cathy has to change how she relates to the players, or there has to be a change in that role."

That said, not everyone agreed, with one owner saying, "If you fire her now, it's admitting weakness. It's a terrible look for the league. I can't stand what [Collier] did. That was a private conversation. It makes me not want to fire [Engelbert] — even though I think she should be."

CBA negotiations have also remained frosty this month, with Las Vegas Aces star guard Chelsea Gray telling ESPN that the talks are "not where we thought and wanted to be at this point in time. It's market share, it's salaries, it's player safety, it's everything."

With the parties still reportedly far from a deal, the threat of a work stoppage next season hangs over the stalled proceedings.

"I don't think it's going to be done by Halloween," a league source told ESPN. "[But] in the end, a work stoppage doesn't benefit anybody."

Four Clubs Clinch 2025 NWSL Playoffs in High-Stakes Weekend

Goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan raises her arm in triumph in a San Diego Wave huddle after a 2025 NWSL match.
The No. 5 San Diego Wave clinched a spot in the 2025 NWSL Playoffs with Saturday's 6-1 win over the No. 14 Chicago Stars. (Orlando Ramirez/NWSL via Getty Images)

Just one ticket to the 2025 NWSL Playoffs remains unpunched after four different clubs clinched postseason berths over the weekend.

The No. 4 Seattle Reign clinched with a 2-1 win over the No. 12 Utah Royals on Friday before the No. 5 San Diego Wave emphatically slammed the door with a 6-1 Saturday drubbing of the No. 14 Chicago Stars, while the No. 6 Portland Thorns joined the postseason party with a 2-0 Sunday win over No. 11 Angel City.

As for No. 7 Gotham FC, a tense 2-2 draw with No. 8 Louisville propelled the Bats to their third consecutive postseason appearance on Sunday, leaving Racing still poised to earn a club-first playoff spot with a post-international break win.

The newly clinched quartet will join the previously postseason-bound No. 1 Kansas City Current, No. 2 Washington Spirit, and No. 3 Orlando Pride in the 2025 NWSL Playoffs.

Only one team — No. 9 North Carolina — can challenge Louisville for the eighth and final berth, as weekend results saw both the No. 10 Houston Dash and No. 11 Angel City eliminated while the Courage took down No. 13 Bay FC 4-1 on Friday to remain in contention.

In order to snag that eighth spot, however, North Carolina will need a 2025 Decision Day win over Gotham — plus a Louisville loss or draw against Bay FC.

"The reality is, we are still in control of our destiny with one game to go," Racing captain Janine Sonis said on Sunday. "[It's] not like us to not to keep things interesting."

With one postseason spot and the majority of the 2025 Playoffs seeding still up for grabs, the NWSL is gearing up for yet another game-changing Decision Day on November 2nd.

Houston Ends Kansas City Unbeaten Streak as Temwa Chawinga Exits with Injury

Kansas City Current defender Ellie Wheeler rests her hands on the shoulders of striker Temwa Chawinga after a 2025 NWSL match.
Kansas City Current star Temwa Chawinga exited Saturday's 1-0 loss in the 29th minute. (Kyle Rivas/NWSL via Getty Images)

The No. 1 Kansas City Current hit an unexpected skid on Saturday, when the 2025 NWSL Shield-winners suffered a 1-0 upset loss to the No. 10 Houston Dash — and lost their star striker, Temwa Chawinga, to injury along the way.

Despite leading the match in shots, shots on goal, and possession, the defeat snapped the Current's 17-game unbeaten streak, leaving the club one result short of setting a new franchise record.

"Sometimes things like this will happen," Kansas City head coach Vlatko Andonovski said postgame. "You're going to dominate, you're going to do everything well, but you're not going to score a goal…. I'm glad it happened now and not two games from now."

The loss stings, but with the top postseason berth already secured, Kansas City's concern turns to their 2024 MVP after Chawinga exited the match with a non-contact injury.

A knock to the upper right leg saw the Malawi international wheeled off the pitch in the 29th minute, with Andonovski later clarifying that it was not a knee injury.

Considered a frontrunner to repeat as both NWSL MVP and Golden Boot winner, the 27-year-old leads the league in scoring this season with 15 goals over 23 appearances.

While Kansas City is still awaiting a specific diagnosis for their star striker, time could be on the Current's side, as this week's international break gives Chawinga a moment to rest before her club closes out their 2025 NWSL regular season — and, more importantly, takes aim at a championship run.

How to watch the next Kansas City Current match

The league-leading Current will be back in action on NWSL Decision Day, with Kansas City closing out their 2025 regular-season campaign by hosting the No. 5 San Diego Wave on Sunday, November 2nd.

The time and broadcast details for the 2025 season's Decision Day will drop at a later date at NWSLSoccer.com.

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