Aly Raisman: FBI agent diminished Nassar abuse, pressured to take deal

Aly Raisman said Thursday the FBI agent she talked to about disgraced former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar diminished the abuse she received when she spoke up about it.

Raisman appeared on NBC’s "Today" and was asked to go into further detail about what the FBI agent in question did to make her feel that her trauma "wasn’t that bad." She said the agent, when it was "convenient" for him, flew to Boston to "pressure" her into accepting Nassar’s plea deal.

She also said Steve Penny, the former president and CEO of USA Gymnastics, was trying to stop the accusations from leaking outside of the organization.

"From the very beginning when I was reporting my abuse to Steve Penny … from the very beginning, Steve Penny kept telling my mom and I that the most important thing was to keep things confidential. The most important thing was to give McKayla Maroney breathing room. He was trying to make sure we weren’t talking about it. It seemed like his biggest concern all along was this wasn’t going to get out. It was never ‘How are you feeling, what can we do to help you?’" Raisman said.

She said when she asked Penny whether Nassar would be at a certain meet, Penny was more concerned about her signing the tour agreement.

"There was never any concern for how we were doing," Raisman said.

She said she felt pressure to be interviewed at the U.S. Olympic Committee headquarters though she felt uncomfortable doing so. She said when she did interview, she didn’t feel any support.