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Two U.S. Senators Call For USOC CEO Scott Blackmun To Resign

USOC defended Blackmun, saying that he has been a forceful advocate for safe sportGETTY IMAGES

Two U.S. lawmakers on Friday called for USOC CEO Scott Blackmun to "resign," citing the governing body's response to the Larry Nassar sexual-abuse scandal in gymnastics that has "shaken the sport at its highest levels," according to Radnofsky & O'Brien of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. The call from Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) came a day after a report that the USOC "didn’t intervene in USA Gymnastics’ handling of sexual-abuse allegations" against Nassar in '15. Ernst and Shaheen in a joint statement said, "If these reports are true, this goes far beyond negligence and raises serious questions of culpability at USOC, in which the most appropriate action would be for Scott Blackmun to resign." The USOC on Friday defended Blackmun in a statement from Chair Larry Probst, who said, "Scott has served the USOC with distinction, and has been a forceful advocate for safe sport. We understand the Senators’ concerns and respect their views, but given the ongoing investigation the board believes that it is inappropriate and unfair to judge Scott before board members understand all of the facts." Shaheen and Ernst are among several lawmakers "seeking congressional investigations" of the USOC and USAG (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 2/3). Meanwhile, the USOC has hired Ropes & Gray partners Joan McPhee and James Dowden to lead an investigation into its own and USAG’s response to allegations against Nassar. Dowden, based in Boston, and McPhee, based in N.Y., are both former U.S. attorneys. Ropes & Gray partners charge between $895-$1,450 per hour, according to the Wall Street Journal. The investigators will prepare a written report, the USOC said, which will be published in its entirety when complete. No timeline for the investigation was given. USOC BOD member Susanne Lyons said the committee “pledges its full support to Ropes & Gray and will provide access to relevant documents and witnesses. USAG has confirmed that it will do the same. Once the investigation is complete and the report has been published, we will work diligently to ensure that appropriate action is taken based on the facts that emerge.” Lyons said it would take “as long as necessary to get to the truth.” Dowden and McPhee specialize in advising companies and individuals who are targets of government agency investigations and prosecutions (Ben Fischer, Staff Writer).

WHAT TOOK SO LONG? In N.Y., Barry, Kovaleski & Macur in a front-page piece note for more than a year, an FBI inquiry into allegations that Nassar had "molested three elite teenage gymnasts followed a plodding pace as it moved back and forth among agents in three cities." As the inquiry moved with "little evident urgency, a cost was being paid." There are now "at least 40 girls and women who say that Dr. Nassar molested them between July 2015, when he first fell under FBI scrutiny, and September 2016, when he was exposed by an Indianapolis Star investigation" (N.Y. TIMES, 2/4). In Indianapolis, Alesia, Kwiatkowski & Evans note one of the "key people involved in advising USA Gymnastics on policies related to sexual abuse" is Notre Dame AD Jack Swarbrick. Former USA Gymnastics CEO Mike Jacki, who served in the role from '83 to '94, said that Swarbrick "discouraged the organization from distributing a booklet on child abuse to its members." And former CEO Steve Penny, who served from '05 to '17, cited Swarbrick as the organization's legal counsel in a '15 deposition and said that "sexual abuse issues were 'managed by our attorney.'" Ultimately, however, USA Gymnastics' board is "responsible for setting policy" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 2/5).

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