The entire USA Gymnastics board has agreed to resign in the wake of a pervasive sexual abuse scandal involving disgraced team doctor Larry Nassar.
The decision is one of six demands the U.S. Olympic Committee laid out in a letter to the organization Thursday, seeking to reform the organization and prevent similar conduct from happening in the future.
Had USA Gymnastics not conceded to the requirements, the USOC would have terminated its status as a national governing body.
“USA Gymnastics completely embraces the requirements outlined in the Jan. 25, 2017 letter from the United States Olympic Committee and appreciates the opportunity to work with the USOC to accomplish change for the betterment of our organization, our athletes and our clubs,” the organization said in a statement Friday.
“We understand that the requirements imposed by the letter will help us enhance our ability to build a culture of empowerment throughout the organization, with an increased focus on athlete safety and well-being,” the statement continued. “Our commitment is uncompromising, and we hope everything we do makes this very clear.”
Three board members already resigned earlier this week, a move John Manly, an attorney who represents more than 100 Nassar victims, dismissed in a statement to HuffPost as “a public relations ploy to save a sinking ship of an organization.”
As a part of the USOC demands, USA Gymnastics must also seat a new board within 12 months, cooperate with an independent investigation into why it failed to escalate athletes’ reports of abuse by Nassar, and complete various organization-wide trainings.
That investigation is in addition to a separate independent inquiry, concluded last June, which resulted in 70 recommended organizational changes, including a prohibition on adult members being alone with minor gymnasts; a prohibition on unrelated adults sharing or being alone in a sleeping room with gymnasts; and prohibiting adult members from having out-of-program contact with gymnasts via email, text and social media.