![]() “I think they felt like it was time for them to tell their side of the story,” Guthrie said. Guthrie spent hours with the Karolyis at the ranch after the couple agreed to speak publicly for the first time since Martha Karolyi’s retirement following the 2016 Olympics. The toxic environment allowed Nassar to flourish in part because the athletes were afraid to challenge authority, according to witness statements in Nassar’s criminal case and one of the lawsuits. Several gymnasts and coaches previously interviewed by The Associated Press said the Karolyis institutionalized a win-at-all-costs culture that forced girls to train while injured. The ranch served as the training home for USA Gymnastics during most of Martha Karolyi’s highly successful tenure running the national team. Several victims, including two-time Olympic medalist McKayla Maroney, say they were abused at the Karolyi’s Ranch near Houston. “Honestly I just believe they did not care about us when we were not in the gym,” Larson said. Larson, a member of the 2010 World Championship team, pointed out the Karolyis allowed Nassar to treat them in his hotel room without supervision and that it wasn’t unusual for Nassar to treat athletes not on a training table, but his hotel bed. “I feel like if they really didn’t know, it’s because they set up the system to show they don’t care what’s going on.” “Who knows if they knew or not? I’m not in their heads,” Larson told the AP. The Karolyis made similar statements in a deposition in Larson’s lawsuit. Larson told The Associated Press she watched a portion of the Karolyi’s interview excerpted on Friday and shrugged. The Karolyis have been named as co-defendants in several civil lawsuits filed against Nassar and USA Gymnastics, including one by former national team member Mattie Larson. “The whole thing is just like an explosion, a bomb exploding,” Bela Karolyi said. The one-hour special, the first prime-time event hosted by Guthrie, takes a look at the fallout from revelations about years of abuse by Nassar involving hundreds of former athletes, including several members of the U.S. The Karolyis spoke as part of a Dateline NBC special entitled “Silent No More” scheduled to air Sunday. “Everybody said, ‘Larry Nassar is a good doctor. “The whole gymnastics community couldn’t recognize this,” Martha Karolyi said in an excerpt provided to The Associated Press on Friday by NBC. ![]() She tells Savannah Guthrie in “no way” did she suspect Larry Nassar was sexually abusing athletes under the guise of treatment. Martha Karolyi led the national team for 15 years before retiring after the 2016 Rio Olympics. New York – Former USA Gymnastics women’s national team coordinator Martha Karolyi and husband Bela tell NBC they were unaware of the abusive behavior by a former national team doctor now serving decades in prison.
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