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John Geddert, head coach of the 2012 U.S. Olympic gymnastics team, died by suicide on Thursday, hours after being charged with 24 felony counts related to abusing gymnasts at his Michigan gym.
The charges filed Thursday morning by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel included 20 counts of human trafficking, two counts of criminal sexual assault, one count of lying to police officers, and one count of continuing criminal enterprise. Nessel’s office confirmed Geddert’s death on Thursday, stating, “this is a tragic end to a tragic story for everyone involved.” According to ESPN, Michigan police stated that Geddert’s body was found at a highway rest stop.
The charges against Geddert, who was 63, allege physical abuse of athletes, as well as using “coercion, intimidation, threats and physical force” to pressure them to perform. Court documents allege that Geddert regularly neglected injuries and medical advice during his coaching career, and that he sexually assaulted a teenage girl in 2012. According to a statement from the attorney general, his treatment of athletes constitutes human trafficking because it amounted to “forced labor or services under extreme conditions.” The office also alleges that Geddert lied to police about his knowledge of Larry Nassar’s abuse during a 2016 investigation.
Geddert’s lawyer did not respond to a request for comment.
Geddert’s gymnastics coaching career spanned four decades. He gained renown in the early 2000s after owning and being head coach at the Michigan gym Twistars, and got even more attention after he coached 2011 world champion Jordyn Wieber and acted as head coach of the gold medal-winning 2012 U.S. Olympic team.
However, during the Nassar sentencing in January 2018, former Twistars athletes painted a dark picture of Geddert, claiming that his coaching practices were unhealthy and abusive. Their allegations against Geddert ranged from physical abuse to emotional abuse. One gymnast said during the hearing that Geddert told her to kill herself “many times,” according to USA Today. Another said he forced her to continue training after she had broken a bone in her back. Nassar, who abused gymnasts at Twistars, was able to take advantage of the abusive environment at Twistars, the survivors said.
Survivors also alleged that Geddert knew what Nassar was doing to athletes in the back room at Twistars. In a 2018 Dateline interview, 2012 Olympic team member McKayla Maroney stated that she talked openly about Nassar’s abuse in front of Geddert at the 2011 Tokyo world championships, but that he didn't react.
Geddert retired from the sport in January 2018, hours after being suspended by USA Gymnastics.
News of Geddert’s suicide sent a shockwave through the gymnastics community. Sarah Klein, a survivor of Nassar’s abuse, called Geddert’s suicide “an escape from justice.” “He tortured and abused little girls, myself included, for more than 30 years and was able to cheat justice,” she wrote on Twitter. “The bravery of Geddert’s many victims will stand for all time in stark contrast to his cowardice.”
USA Gymnastics president Li Li Leung responded to Geddert’s death in a press call Friday morning, stating, “It goes without saying that this news brings up a lot of complex emotions for many in the community, particularly those he hurt, and our thoughts are with them.”
Rachael Denhollander, the first woman to come forward as a survivor of Nassar’s abuse, responded to the news Thursday night, tweeting, “So much pain and grief for everyone. To the survivors, you have been heard and believed, and we stand with you. Thank you for telling the truth. What you have done matters.”
If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255. If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can seek help by calling the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-HOPE (4673). For more resources on sexual assault, visit RAINN, End Rape on Campus, Know Your IX, and the National Sexual Violence Resource Center.
