Ex-gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar 'horribly sorry' for sex assaults

(WJBK) - A guilty plea from a former doctor admitted to molesting young athletes while working for Michigan State University and USA Gymnastics. 

Larry Nassar has been accused by more than 100 women, the guilty plea in this case applied to seven girls. Some of those accusers were in court Wednesday where they heard Nassar apologize and ask for forgiveness.

Once doctor for Olympic gold medalists, Nassar, 54, is now a convicted sex felon after pleading guilty to sex crimes.

Some parts of the plea were sickening.

"You sexually penetrated her by putting your finger into her vagina?" said Shannon Smith, Nassar's attorney.

"Yes," Nassar said in court.

"Do you agree that victim "ZA" was under the age of 13?"

"Yes," Nassar said.

Nassar pled guilty to seven sexual assaults and most of the victims were under 15.  One victim, Madeleine Jones, was in court was just 11 years old when she was victimized by Larry Nassar, speaking about her daily struggle ever since.

 "I still suffer with nightmares, I still have panic attacks," said Jones. "I still have a lot of difficulty living a normal life after this happened."

Nassar is the former Michigan State University and USA gymnastics doctor. Many of these assault took place while Nasser was performing "treatment" on these young women athletes on campus. 

But Nassar offered an apology.

"I'm so horribly sorry, that this was like a match that turned into a forest fire out of control," he said. "I Pray the rosary every day for forgiveness. I want them to heal."

"I also didn't like that he threw the rosary in there," Jones said. "Because while he was assaulting me, he was talking about Catholicism with my mother, and Catholicism is something that's very important to me."

Under the plea deal, the judge will be able to set the minimum amount of years Nassar will serve in prison - from 25 to 40 years. And the judge could rule that the sentences be served consecutively. 

Also, the Attorney General agreed to not bring any more criminal cases for which she said there were 125 more victims out there.

Nassar faces criminal charges similar to these in Eaton County for molestation of young girls. He will also be in court for child porn charges regarding thousands of videos and pictures. FOX 2 understands he will plead guilty to both.

He is also being sued civilly by more than 140 women as well as MSU and USA Gymnastics.