Who Is 'Athlete A'? Netflix Film Details How USA Gymnastics Silenced Abuse Victim

Netflix’s “Athlete A” features interviews with several victims of former Michigan State University physician Larry Nassar, who abused underage girls for decades as the USA Gymnastics team doctor. The first athlete known to report Nassar’s abuse to USA Gymnastics appears throughout the documentary.

Maggie Nichols told USA Gymnastics of Nassar’s abuse in 2015, doing so after Olympian Aly Raisman confirmed that Nassar had done the same to her. Nichols was first abused when she was 15 years old.

“I was just kind of confused and wondering what it was,” Nichols said of Nassar’s abuse, which he told athletes was standard treatment. “It didn’t seem right because I grew up always going to physical therapy and stuff because I had many injuries growing up and I’d never experienced anything like that.”

In “Athlete A,” Maggie’s mother, Gina Nichols, describes her conversations with USA Gymnastics President Steve Penny, who expressed little urgency after being informed of the accusations.

“I hear you have a concern,” Penny told Gina Nichols when he was notified of the allegations.

“A concern? My daughter was molested. We need to call the authorities,” Gina claims she told Penny, who urged her not to call the police because USA Gymnastics would handle the matter.

A few weeks later, Penny asked Gina to speak with a private investigator and the authorities still hadn’t been notified. It took five weeks for USA Gymnastics to inform the FBI. The FBI took no action against Nassar.

Maggie failed to make the 2016 Olympic team, which her parents believe might have been in response to their daughter’s accusations. Shortly after the 2016 Rio Olympics, The Indianapolis Star reported on multiple allegations against Nassar.

The Nichols family had previously been told to remain silent, warned by Penny that they could disrupt the investigation against Nassar. Gina says she was “dumbfounded” when she read that Nassar was running for school board in his hometown.

“Why are they allowing him to even run for school board when he’s been molesting my daughter and others?” Gina asked. “By that time we reported Maggie’s child sexual abuse over a year ago and we’d been continuously told by Steve Penny we cannot talk about this because it would ruin their investigation of Larry Nassar.”

On Nov. 22, 2016, Nassar was charged with three counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a person under 13. He was indicted on federal pornography charges less than a month later.

Nassar was sentenced to 60 years in prison on Dec. 7, 2017 before receiving another sentence worth an additional 40 years minimum on Jan. 24, 2018.

“USA Gymnastics and the United States Olympic Committee did not provide a safe environment for me and my teammates and friends to train,” Gina, reading a statement from Maggie, said at Nassar’s sentencing hearing. “Up until now, I was identified as ‘Athlete A’ by USA Gymnastics, the United States Olympic Committee and Michigan State University. And I want everyone to know that he did not do this to ‘Athlete A.’ He did it to Maggie Nichols.”

Maggie didn’t let her time with USA Gymnastics stop her from having success at the college level. She became the NCAA National All-Around Champion for Oklahoma in 2018. Nichols won the title again at the 2019 NCAA Championships.