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Simone Biles Fires Back at USA Gymnastics' Happy Birthday Tweet By Asking for An ‘Independent Investigation’

Simone Biles, one of the greatest athletes of all time, turned 23 years old this Saturday, March 14. On Instagram, Biles shared a sweet snap with fans saying she was excited and “ready for my Jordan year!”

To honor the Olympian, USA Gymnastics also sent a tweet to the star (though they tagged the wrong account) saying, “HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the most decorated gymnast of all time, @simonebiles! We know you will only continue to amaze us and make history!”

However, Biles wasn’t amused by the tribute from the organization that recently offered a settlement to athletes who have sued the organization over sexual abuse suffered at the hands of sports doctor Larry Nassar. In response to the tweet, Biles fired back with a birthday request. “How about you amaze me and do the right thing…have an independent investigation,” she tweeted.

This isn’t the first time Biles has requested the organization take further action. In February, following USA Gymnastics’ announcement that it will give $215 million to sexual assault survivors in an effort to settle lawsuits over its failure to protect them from Nassar, Biles tweeted that more needed to be done.

“Ugh at the airport,” she tweeted. “Heading to team camp. Still want answers from USAG and USOPC. Wish they BOTH wanted an independent investigation as much as the survivors & I do. Anxiety high. Hard not to think about everything that I DON’T WANT TO THINK ABOUT!!! “

As of Sunday, her tweet had more than 428,000 likes and fellow gymnastics Olympian Aly Raisman took to Instagram to praise her teammate. “This. Is. AWESOME. @simonebiles I love you!!!!” Raisman wrote in the caption of a screenshot of Biles’ tweet.

Biles, who shared that she was also abused by Nassar, isn’t alone in calling out the need for an independent investigation. In 2019, a bipartisan Senate committee announced at the conclusion of its own 18-month investigation that both USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee “knowingly concealed abuse by Larry Nassar, leading to the abuse of dozens of additional amateur athletes from summer 2015 to September 2016.” The report added, the organizations and Michigan State had a chance to stop Nassar and “failed to do so.”

Following the investigation’s rulings, and just prior to competing in the 2019 U.S. Gymnastics Championships, Biles told reporters, “They couldn’t do one damn job. You had one job. You literally had one job, and you couldn’t protect us. And it’s just really sad because every time I go to the doctor or training, I get worked on and I don’t want to get worked on, but my body hurts. I’m 22. At the end of the day, that’s my fifth rotation, and I have to go do therapy, but it’s just hard, and we try to work through it, but it’ll take some time.

She added, “I’m strong, I’ll get through it, but it’s hard.”

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USA Gymnastics' Entire Board Has Resigned Following the Larry Nassar Sexual Abuse Scandal

Following the sentencing on Wednesday of former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar, USA Gymnastics’ entire board of directors is resigning, according to an ESPN story published Saturday. Nassar was sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison after pleading guilty to seven counts of criminal sexual conduct and admitting he abused his position as a trusted doctor. More than 150 people, including former Olympians McKayla Maroney and Aly Raisman, gave powerful impact statements in court leading up to the sentencing.

After the sentencing, the United States Olympic Committee put pressure on USA Gymnastics to remove their existing board with the threat of decertification—essentially stripping them of their position as gymnastics’ “governing body,” according to ABC—if the board didn’t resign in full by January 31.

The executive board, made up of four members, resigned on Monday. At the time of the sentencing, there were 16 other members in place (all of whom are unpaid volunteers), according to ABC. Then on Friday, USA Gymnastics issued a statement implying that they intended to comply with the USOC’s ultimatum: “USA Gymnastics supports the United States Olympic Committee’s letter and accepts the absolute need of the Olympic family to promote a safe environment for all of our athletes. We agree with the USOC’s statement that the interests of our athletes and clubs, and their sport, may be better served by moving forward with meaningful change within our organization, rather than decertification.” A spokesperson for USA Gymnastics confirmed the mass resignation with ABC.

The USOC also is asking USA Gymnastics to create an interim board by the end of the month; to install a permanent one in the next year; to accept more oversight from USOC; and to undergo ethics and SafeSport training (the USOC partner organization addresses sexual misconduct, assault, and bullying, among other topics).

The USOC’s letter does not imply that any board members were complicit in covering up the abuse of gymnasts by Nassar: “We do not base these requirements on any knowledge that any individual USAG staff or board members had a role in fostering or obscuring Nassar’s actions,” the letter reads, according to ABC. “Our position comes from a clear sense that USAG culture needs fundamental rebuilding.”

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