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).
