Jacob Moore, the first male athlete to publicly accuse disgraced doctor Larry Nassar of sexual abuse, said he came to a grim realization about his history with the now-imprisoned doctor after other alleged victims started to come forward.
“When everything started coming out, I kind of remembered that uncomfortable feeling I had during one of my treatments,” the 18-year-old University of Michigan gymnast told Megyn Kelly TODAY Tuesday in his first live interview.
Moore was 16 when he was allegedly abused by Nassar, a longtime family friend and former doctor for USA Gymnastics and at Michigan State’s sports medicine clinic.
Moore said the physician treated him for a shoulder injury in the basement of Nassar's home. During the procedure, Nassar placed acupuncture needles near Moore's groin, he said.
Later, after allegations against Nassar started to surface, Moore said he went online to look up information about acupuncture and “chi lines,” or paths of energy through the body.
“I was looking for evidence that there was some sort of real medical treatment involving the chi line between my shoulder and my groin area, and after I found nothing, I was just shocked,” Moore said.
Moore also claimed that Nassar exposed Moore's genitals to another patient in the room, a young female gymnast.
Moore’s allegations add him to a list of more than 200 people who said they were sexually abused by Nassar, who has admitted to molesting some of his patients under the guise of medical treatment.
Among those who spoke out against Nassar was Moore's sister, Kamerin.
Hoping to encourage other male victims to speak out, Jacob Moore filed a lawsuit against Nassar, accusing him of sexual assault, battery, abuse molestation and harassment.
Nassar has been sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison, but Moore said he wants his lawsuit to ensure that such abuse “never happens again.”
“No one should have to go through this. To come out and try to do the right thing, that’s really important to me,” he said.
Since Nassar's sentencing, the board of USA Gymnastics has resigned, and the head of the U.S. Olympic Committee, Scott Blackmun, has stepped down, amid accusations that they didn't do enough to stop the abuse. Michigan State's president and athletic director have also quit.