(WWJ/AP) - A new documentary will take a look into the winding history of the Larry Nassar scandal that rocked Michigan State University and USA Gymnastics.
In "At the Heart of Gold," filmmakers interview the victims -- young women and girls involved in the two organizations while Nassar worked there. He's since been sentenced to life in prison for sexually abusing hundreds of athletes over the years.
The film will show the environment at MSU and USAG that allowed Nassar to go unchecked for so many years. HBO says the film "depicts a landscape in which women spend their youth seeking victory on a world stage, juxtaposed against a culture where abuse prevails and lives are damaged forever."
The film will premiere at next month's Tribeca Film Festival and will air on HBO sometime this year.
Nassar, 54, pleaded guilty to assaulting victims with his hands under the guise of treatment. He treated campus athletes and scores of young gymnasts at his Michigan State office. He also had an international reputation while working at the same time for USA Gymnastics, which trains Olympians. Gold medalists Jordyn Wieber, Aly Raisman, Gabby Douglas and McKayla Maroney, to name a few, are among the survivors.
More than 250 women and girls gave statements in court when Nassar was sentenced. During the sentencing hearings, many accusers described an ultra-competitive gymnastics culture in which authority figures could not be questioned and Nassar was free to abuse young patients year after year. They said they had little choice to see doctors other than Nassar, who was renowned throughout the sport.
During victim impact statements, one woman said when she reported Nassar's disturbing "treatments" to training staff, she was allegedly told that Nassar was a world-renowned doctor and that his "inter‐vaginal adjustments" were legitimate medical treatments.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is investigating MSU's handling of Nassar. Several people are facing charges, including former Michigan State President Lou Anna Simon. The school last May reached a $500 million settlement with 332 women and girls who said they were assaulted by Nassar.
USA Gymnastics filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in December in an effort to reach settlements in the dozens of sex-abuse lawsuits it faces in courts across the country from athletes who blame the group for failing to supervise Nassar.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
