You’ve all heard about Larry Nassar. It would be impossible not to have. So we’re going to assume you know who he is and what he did (if you need a refresher on the details you can find them here and here.) But someone you may not have heard about is John Geddert – a USA Gymnastics coach who has ties to Nassar, and who has been implicated in his abuse of young girls.
How are Geddert and Nassar connected?
In 2012, Geddert was the head coach of the US women’s Olympic gymnastics team, and the owner of Twistars – a training gym in Lansing for elite young gymnasts. During that time, Nassar was an MSU doctor who was also the Olympic team’s doctor, and also an on-call specialist who saw injured gymnasts at Twistars. During that time, many of Geddert’s gymnasts, both on the Olympic team and at Twistars, saw Nassar for treatment of their sports-related injuries. In some cases, both men were present for interactions with patients.
What is being said about Geddert by alleged victims?
According to numerous former gymnasts who trained under Geddert, he was abusive and predatory. Geddert has said he had no knowledge of Nassar’s crimes, but several of the young girls he trained claimed that he forced them to see Nassar when they were injured. Many who testified at Nassar’s trial called Twistars a “prison” where Geddert denied them water during the summer, and forced them to train in the heat without air conditioning. And while an investigation into Geddert has been ongoing for two years now, launched in the wake of Nassar’s sentencing, it was Sara Teristi’s claim that changed everything.
Who is Sara Teristi and what did she say about Geddert?
Teristi was a gymnast who trained under Geddert in the late 90’s. Now a 40-year-old mother of two, she claims Geddert sent her to Nassar for injury treatment and was present for some of the abuse she suffered. On one occasion she claims Nassar penetrated her analy. On another occasion, she says he and Geddert made jokes about the size of her breasts while applying an ice pack to her chest. She says she saw Nassar playing with a young gymnast’s nipples in front of Geddert while they joked about her breasts. She also says that once Geddert got into her while she was on her hands and knees, riding her like a pony and telling her she liked it.
The police recently raided his home in Grand Ledge!
Michigan State Police partnered with local Grand Ledge Police to search Geddert’s home and Twistars – his coaching facility. What were they looking for? We have no idea, but news media outlets are speculating that authorities are looking for evidence of child pornography, and interactions with others online about sexual abuse of minors. But one thing many people are hoping they find, is evidence that Geddert knew about what Nassar was doing, and chose to cover it up instead of report it.
The investigation is ongoing, and we have no details yet…
As of yet, accusations have been made against Geddert, and he has been investigated many times, but no charges have been brought. We want to take this opportunity to remind our readers that while situations may appear simple on the surface, they are rarely that straightforward in the end. Geddert has been accused of a crime, but until he is officially convicted, he is not guilty. As experienced child abuse defense attorneys, we understand how difficult it is to avoid being prosecuted by the press and the public. But U.S. law guarantees that you are innocent until proven guilty. So we will wait to see what happens next, and not speculate about anyone’s guilt or innocence, and we encourage you to do the same.