Simone Biles: I Slept ‘All the Time’ to Cope With Larry Nassar’s Sexual Abuse

Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles said in a new YouTube series that she became depressed and slept “all the time” after she was sexually abused by Larry Nassar, USA Today reports Wednesday. The 22-year-old Biles told the series’ host, Priyanka Chopra, that she at first tried to downplay the alleged abuse, because she was concerned that “They’re not going to see me as Simone the gymnast, they’re going to see Simone the sexual abuse survivor.” But eventually, she said, she grew depressed and slept often. “I told one of my lawyers, I said, ‘I sleep all the time because it’s the closest thing to death,’” she added, noting that she’s still in therapy. Biles is one of many prominent gymnasts and women who accused former USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University doctor Larry Nassar of sexual abuse. Nassar was sentenced three times in early 2018 for sexual assault and child pornography, and was sentenced to at least 100 years in prison.