(WHDH) – Needham native Aly Raisman was featured on the cover of ESPN The Magazine’s “Heroes Issue” ahead of Wednesday’s ESPY Awards. The Olympic gold medalist is being honored for standing strong against former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar.
In the magazine article, Raisman offered a powerful message: “There are so many people out there that are survivors, but there are few that have a voice … I know that I’m one of the few that are being heard, so I just want to do right by people.”
Raisman and the hundreds of other women who were abused by Nassar will receive the Arthur Ashe Courage Award. ESPN says the women have shown what it means to be brave and demand change — their strength shown during Nassar’s trial.
Raisman was one of the hundreds of survivors who came forward to detail Nassar’s abuse in court, saying in January, “Larry, you do realize that now that we, this group of women you so heartlessly abused for such a long period of time, are a force. And you are nothing.”
Nassar has been sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison.
Former recipients of the Arthur Ashe Courage Award include Muhammad Ali and Nelson Mandela.
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