Champion gymnast Simone Biles has opened up about the abuse she faced at the hands of USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar.
In a recent episode of her docu-series, “Simone vs. Herself,” she described the moment she opened up to her mother about her secret torment.
“I just remember breaking down and calling my mom,” Simone shared. “She told me to pull over. She was like, ‘Can you drive?’ because I was crying so hard.”
“She was just hysterical. She didn’t say anything, she just cried, and we just cried together because I knew what it was she wanted to talk about. She didn’t have to say anything,” Nellie Biles said.
Biles was one of over 150 women and girls who came forward to accuse former Nassar of sexual abuse. Nassar headed faced a judge over the allegations, and in January 2018, he was sentenced to 40 to 125 years in prison. He was also given a 60-year sentence from December 2017 in federal prison on child pornography charges.
“Talking to Simone about it, she was in denial, and she would be very angry when I would ask her anything,” Nellie continued. “So I just gave her her space until she was ready to talk about it.”
Repressing her feelings led to bouts of depression. Simone said she usually slept for most of the day.
“I remember telling my mom and my agent that I slept all the time, and it’s basically because sleeping was basically better than offing myself,” she said through tears. “It was like my way to escape reality. And sleeping was the closest thing to death for me at that point, so I just slept all the time.
“I was super depressed, and I didn’t want to leave my room and I didn’t want to go anywhere and I kind of just shut everybody out.”
Biles trained at the USA Gymnastics National Team Training Center at Karolyi Ranch in Texas. It has since been closed.
“If I had to go back to the ranch, I would probably sh-t myself. There is no way I could train for another Olympic cycle under that because I am more mature, I am older, and realizing, ‘Wow, it didn’t have to be like that,’ ” she said.
