Ex-Olympics gymnastics coach John Geddert dies by suicide after being charged with sex crimes, human trafficking
Former USA Gymnastics coach John Geddert — an associate of ex-team doctor and convicted rapist Larry Nassar — killed himself just after he was charged with sex crimes and human trafficking Thursday, Michigan authorities said.
Geddert, 63, took his own life by a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a highway rest area on Interstate 96 north of Lansing, Mich., law enforcement officials told local news outlets.
“This is a tragic end to a tragic story for everyone involved,” state Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a statement.
Geddert, who led the women’s team to a gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics, was accused of harming young athletes through years of abuse and forced labor, intimidating them, threatening them and sexually abusing at least one victim by digitally penetrating her when she was between the ages of 13 and 16.
He had been under investigation since the sentencing in 2018 of his longtime pal Nassar. Geddert and Nassar worked together for about 20 years and Geddert had long been considered one of the Nassar’s leading enablers.
Nassar, 57, who is believed to have sexually abused more than 200 victims, was the team’s doctor and also treated gymnasts at Geddert’s Lansing-area Twistars USA Gymnastics Club. He was sentenced to hundreds of years in prison — effectively a life term without parole.
During Nassar’s nationally televised sentencing hearing, several of his victims implicated Geddert in the case, saying he was aware of Nassar’s actions.
“Geddert sold his reputation as an Olympic-level coach and promised to unsuspecting parents that he could turn his students into world-class athletes, allowing them to secure college scholarships,” the Michigan Attorney General’s Office said in a statement announcing the charges Thursday.
“Under the guise of coaching, he reportedly subjected multiple young women to an environment of continued abuse, in which he also neglected advice of medical doctors — except that provided by Larry Nassar,” the statement reads.
The forced labor allegations charges say Geddert used physical force against his athletes “to get them to perform to the standard he expected,” according to prosecutors. As a result, many of his victims “carry these scars to this day,” Nessel told reporters at a news conference.
“The victims suffer from disordered eating, including bulimia and anorexia, suicide attempts and attempts at self harm, excessive physical conditioning, repeatedly being forced to perform even when injured, extreme emotional abuse and physical abuse, including sexual assault,” the attorney general said.
Geddert was due in court Thursday afternoon to hear the allegations against him.
They included 14 counts of human trafficking for forced labor, six counts of human trafficking of a minor for forced labor and one count each of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, second-degree criminal sexual conduct and criminal enterprise.
Geddert was also charged with lying to an officer during a violent crime investigation, which stems from a 2016 incident involving the state’s probe into Nassar’s crimes at Michigan State University, where the doctor also worked.
Geddert “knowingly and willfully” made statements he knew were false or misleading, said an arrest warrant. Prosecutors say Geddert falsely claimed that Nassar “had a limited role” at Twistars and that he said he had “never heard anyone complain about Nassar’s treatments.”
The attorney general praised Geddert’s accusers for coming forward.
“These allegations focus around multiple acts of verbal, physical and sexual abuse perpetrated by the defendant against multiple young women,” she said in a statement. “I am grateful for these survivors coming forward to cooperate with our investigation and for bravely sharing their stories.”
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, you can call the National Suicide Prevention lifeline 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 800-273-8255.
