A former gymnast who accused former Olympic coach John Geddert of abuse says she does not feel an outcome after Geddert’s death.
In an interview with NBC News, Sarah Klein said she was relieved when Geddert was accused of dozens of charges of human trafficking and sexual assault. However, she felt devastated after he died of suicide.
“I don’t feel the closure at all,” she told the news agency.
Klein accused Geddert of abusing her “physically, verbally, emotionally and psychologically” since she was 8 years old.
She told NBC that Geddert’s suicide was “devastating and traumatizing, [but] there is no greater admission of guilt than John Geddert taking his own life. “
“It was his last act of narcissistic control with which he lived and trained his gymnasts for decades,” Klein told the media.
Klein also said that Geddert “has always been above the law and the rules never applied to him”, adding that she believes her final act “was intended to be an insult to the victims”.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel (D) announced on Thursday that his office was notified that Geddert’s body was found “after taking his own life”.
Geddert was due to surrender to be sued at 2:15 pm on Thursday.
“This is a tragic end to a story for everyone involved,” said Nessel in a statement at the time.
The suicide came hours when the attorney general filed 24 criminal charges against him, most of which related to human trafficking.
Nessel’s office claimed that Geddert subjected athletes to work in environments that caused them injuries and neglected injuries sustained by athletes.
He was also accused of lying to investigators about the criminal sexual conduct of physician Larry Nassar, who was the doctor on Geddert’s team. Nassar is serving decades in prison for criminal sexual misconduct.
Klein told NBC that USA Gymnastics and the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) must be held accountable.
The Hill contacted USA Gymnastics and the USOPC for comment.