Christine Blasey Ford, the Palo Alto, California, professor who testified that now-Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were teenagers, presented Sport Illustrated's "Inspiration of the Year" award on Tuesday to former gymnast Rachael Denhollander, the first woman to publicly accuse former gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar of sexual abuse.
"I am honored to speak with you from afar about a woman I admire so much, a woman who suffered abuse as a vulnerable teenage athlete, who found the courage to talk publicly to stop the abuse of others," Ford said of Denhollander. "Her courage inspired other survivors to end their silence, and we all know the result."
Nassar, who was accused of molesting 265 girls and women over two decades under the guise of medical treatment, was sentenced in February to 40 to 175 years in prison. He was previously sentenced to 40 to 175 years in for molesting seven girls and to 60 years in federal prison for possession of child pornography.
Blasey Ford, who testified before Congress in September, said that in 1982, Kavanaugh and one of his friends corralled her in a bedroom during a gathering of teenagers at a house in suburban Maryland. Kavanaugh pinned her down, groped her over her clothing before attempting to remove it and put his hand over her mouth when she tried to scream, Blasey Ford said.
