Menu
Olympics

Former USAG CEO Penny Pleads 5th In Hearing On Nassar Case

Penny was making his first public appearance since he resigned under pressure from the USOC in March '17GETTY IMAGES

Former USA Gymnastics CEO Steve Penny yesterday during Senate hearing "declined to answer questions about his or the organization’s handling of the Larry Nassar scandal," according to Rachel Axon of USA TODAY. Testifying before the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, Insurance & Data Security, Penny "declined to give a statement and invoked his Fifth Amendment right not to answer questions so as not to incriminate himself." After Penny "declined to answer around five questions," U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), the Chair of the committee, asked Penny if he would "decline to answer all questions." Penny "said yes, and Moran excused him from the hearing." Axon notes the Senate Commerce Committee "subpoenaed Penny, who was making his first public appearance since he resigned under pressure" from the USOC in March '17. Former USAG Senior VP and Women's Program Dir Rhonda Faehn also "appeared before the committee." Former USOC CEO Scott Blackmun, who is "being treated for prostate cancer," and former national team coordinator Martha Karolyi, "cited medical reasons for why they could not appear before the committee." Both "provided written statements" (USA TODAY, 6/6).

A CLOSER LOOK: In Indianapolis, Kwiatkowski & Evans note Faehn during the hearing "provided an in-depth look at how USA Gymnastics officials handled the allegations against Nassar" during the summer of '15 -- and the "emphasis Penny placed on keeping things quiet." Faehn "defended her actions and revealed she relied on her boss, Penny, to notify authorities." Faehn said that she had been "employed by USA Gymnastics for only 37 days when coach Sarah Jantzi contacted her June 17, 2015, with concerns about Nassar's medical treatment and his interaction with a gymnast on social media." According to testimony, neither Jantzi, Faehn nor Penny "reported the allegations to authorities at that time." Both Faehn and Jantzi said that Penny "assured them he would handle it." In her testimony, Faehn said that Penny "repeatedly reminded her not to discuss the allegations" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 6/6). Faehn, who was "fired last month, says she was left feeling 'surprised, hurt, confused, and I feel I am being falsely blamed for the alleged deficiencies of USAG (DETROIT NEWS, 6/6). 

SPEAKING OUT: The AP's Ben Nuckols noted as Penny "slowly limped out of the hearing room, former gymnast Amy Moran shouted 'Shame!' in his direction." Moran alleges that she was abused by Nassar and "reported it to Penny, and she was unsatisfied with Penny's response to the allegations, which she now sees as a precursor to how he handled" the case (AP, 6/5). USA TODAY's Christine Brennan notes Moran's "strong, sure voice, uttering that one simple word, stopped" Jerry Moran "in his tracks, mid-sentence." He "fell silent for several seconds." Despite the "disruption in his hearing room, he did not reprimand" her, as might have been "custom on any other day" (USA TODAY, 6/6).

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 25, 2024

NFL meeting preview; MLB's opening week ad effort and remembering Peter Angelos.

Big Get Jay Wright, March Madness is upon us and ESPN locks up CFP

On this week’s pod, our Big Get is CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jay Wright. The NCAA Championship-winning coach shares his insight with SBJ’s Austin Karp on key hoops issues and why being well dressed is an important part of his success. Also on the show, Poynter Institute senior writer Tom Jones shares who he has up and who is down in sports media. Later, SBJ’s Ben Portnoy talks the latest on ESPN’s CFP extension and who CBS, TNT Sports and ESPN need to make deep runs in the men’s and women's NCAA basketball tournaments.

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2018/06/06/Olympics/USA-Gymnastics.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2018/06/06/Olympics/USA-Gymnastics.aspx

CLOSE