The first gymnast to speak out about Nassar's abuse was Maggie Nichols, a former USA national gymnast. In a statement read by her mother during the sentencing, Nichols said that she heard Michigan State University knew about the complaints against Nassar, but ignored them and did not report them to USA Gymnastics. "If they had, I might never have met Larry Nassar and I would never have been abused by him. I have come to the realization that my voice can have influence over the manner in which our USA athletes are treated," her statement read. USA Gymnastics later said they "never attempted to hide Nassar's misconduct."