Wieber statement on Nassar has gymnastics community rallying for support

LANSING -- Jordyn Wieber, a 2012 Olympic gold medalist, made a statement this morning about sexual assault that has the gymnastics community across the country rallying for support. 

Wieber, a 22-year-old DeWitt native, said in the statement she's a sexual assault victim of Dr. Larry Nassar. It was the first time she has spoken publicly about Nassar since the sex abuse scandal became public in 2016. 

Within minutes, key figures in gymnastics and UCLA's official gymnastics program Twitter page, responded with words of support. 

UCLA's post shows a photo of Wieber with the words "Kind Heart, Fierce Mind, Brave Spirit." Wieber is listed on the college's athletics website as a volunteer assistant coach for its women's gymnastics team. She graduated from UCLA in last June with a degree in psychology.

Below is some reaction on social media about Wieber's statement, including tweets from two accomplished gymnasts: Nastia Liukin, Samantha Peszek and Danusia Francis. 

Liukin was 2008 Olympic gold medalist. Peszek was a 2008 Olympic silver medalist and 2015 NCAA champion. Francis was a collegiate All-American in 2016. 

International Gymnast Magazine provided this morning on its Facebook page contact information for gymnasts who believe they were sexually assaulted by Nassar. The post includes numbers for the Michigan Attorney General's Office and Michigan State University Police. 

Wieber is the fourth member of the Fierce Five – the nickname given to the 2012 U.S. women’s gymnastics team – to say Nassar sexually abused her, joining Gabby Douglas, McKayla Maroney and Aly Raisman.

Kalamazoo native Rachael Denhollander, the first woman to publicly accuse Nassar of sexual assault, posted the following this morning on her Facebook page: 

Friday is the fourth day of Nassar’s sentencing hearing. He pleaded guilty in November to seven first-degree criminal sexual conduct charges in Ingham County. On Jan. 31, he’ll be sentenced on three of the same charges in Eaton County, where he also pleaded guilty in November. 

Eric Lacy is a reporter for the Lansing State Journal. Contact Eric Lacy at 517-377-1206 or elacy@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @EricLacy.