Olympics gymnastics coach John Geddert takes life after abuse charges

John Geddert was charged with human trafficking and abuse of athletes in his care.

John Geddert celebrates with the rest of the team after the US won gold in the women's team artistic gymnastics at the 2012 London Olympics. Picture: AFP

Former US Olympics women’s gymnastics coach John Geddert died by suicide on Friday, his body found hours after he was charged with human trafficking and abuse of athletes in his care.

“My office has been notified that the body of John Geddert was found late this afternoon after taking his own life,” Michigan Attorney-General Dana Nessel said. “This is a tragic end to a tragic story for everyone involved.”

Ms Nessel had announced a 24-count complaint against Geddert, who owned a training facility near Lansing, Michigan, where convicted sex offender Larry Nassar served as the gym doctor.

The complaint included sexual assault charges involving an unnamed athlete between the ages of 13 and 16, and alleged that Geddert’s treatment of young gymnasts constituted human trafficking “as he reportedly subjected his athletes to forced labour or services under extreme conditions that contributed to them suffering injuries and harm.

“Geddert then neglected those injuries that were reported to him by the victims and used coercion, intimidation, threats and physical force to get them to perform to the standard he expected,” prosecutors said.

Mr Nessel had said that Geddert was expected to surrender to authorities to be arraigned on the charges. Michigan State Police, however, said that his body was found at a highway rest area outside Lansing.

The ex-coach came under scrutiny because of his close personal and professional relationship with Nassar, the former US national team doctor sentenced to life in prison over the sexual abuse of multiple young female gymnasts under the guise of medical treatment.

A personal coach to US gymnast Jordyn Wieber and owner of the Twistars training facility, Geddert was accused by many Nassar victims of requiring them to be treated by Nassar.

USA Gymnastics suspended Geddert in 2018. He immediately announced his retirement and said he had “zero knowledge” of Nassar’s crimes. However, in three weeks of sentencing hearings during which some 200 women, girls and victims’ family members confronted Nassar by reading victim impact statements, Twistars gymnasts said they had endured physical and verbal abuse by Geddert.

Amy Preston, mother of an unidentified Nassar victim who was trained at Twistars, said in court that her daughter suffered under Geddert’s emotional abuse, which she said Nassar exploited to build trust with the young gymnast.

“John Geddert behaved as brutally as they say, and Larry was as kind as they speak. A very toxic and lethal combination as it turns out,” Ms Preston said.

Prosecutors stressed on Thursday that the only charge against Geddert specifically linked to Nassar was that of lying to authorities when asked whether he knew the doctor was sexually abusing athletes.

Otherwise, they said, “the crimes alleged against Mr Geddert are his own.”

He was also charged with racketeering, with prosecutors alleging he trafficked 15 athletes for financial gain.

AFP