The father of two who charged at convicted sexual abuser Larry Nassar in court on Friday has spoken out about his action in the courtroom.
Randall Margraves apologized for his actions during a press conference Friday afternoon, saying he was embarrassed by his actions.
"I’m not advocating that everyone should do that, I feel very remorseful, very apologetic. I was embarrassed," Margraves said.
Margraves added that he's "no hero" and that the heroes are "Nassar's victims."
"I believe in Heaven and Hell and I can only hope that, when the day comes, that Larry Nassar has ended his days on this Earth, that he will be escorted to one of the deepest, darkest, hottest pits in Hell there is – for him and people like him," Margraves said in closing. "I hope there’s a lot of pain attached to it, because he’s certainly left a lot of pain here on this Earth."
Read Margraves full statement below:
This morning I got up with full intention to go to work. I was going to stop by the courthouse for support, I knew my daughters were going to make an impact statement, I did not know the content in the impact statement. We went to the podium, Sherry, their mother and myself, in support of the two daughters. When I had to hear what was said in those statements and I have to look over at Larry Nassar shaking his head, that’s when I lost control.
I’m not advocating that everyone should do that, I feel very remorseful, very apologetic. I was embarrassed. I thank Judge Cunningham and all the court system for their leniency on me. This is to not be a lawless society, I know that, I lost control, but I regained control later – in a holding cell.
When my children were little, they were taught to respect and obey and trust authority. That means the police, and their parents, and their, teachers and their coaches, and their doctors. They were taught to respect and obey and trust adults, because adults would teach them the proper way to live their lives. And we see what happened there.
When the girls were little, Sherry and myself worked hard to provide extra opportunities for our children, and they found these opportunities on the athletic fields. They all participated in sports camps and traveling teams and they all played basketball, softball, volleyball and they ran track, cross-country and gymnastics. And then the injuries started showing up.
Almost immediately, this family’s getting professional advice to see one of the top doctors in his field, Larry Nassar. And I should have felt privileged for getting the invoices, because, after all, he’s taking care of Michigan State University athletes, as well as Olympians.
I allowed myself to take this advice, I fell for the Michigan State hype, I was blinded to the fancy degrees hanging on an office wall and I delivered, unintentionally, my three daughters to a demon, who had his own twisted and sick agenda for his own demented desires.
Now I have to live with the fact that I failed to protect my daughters. This is a strong family, we will get through it.
Sometimes the relationships between me and my daughters have been strained, stressed, distant. I was always trying to figure that out. I was always frustrated and puzzled. I always tried to work as hard as I could to be a good father and now I know what one of the reasons were, the main reason. The reason was Larry Nassar.
Now I have to worry that my daughters can ever trust another man for the rest of their life. The survivors and the victims are most important now, and my daughters are a part of that. If it wasn’t for all the brave girls and women that have come forward before now, I don’t know if my family could’ve came forward now, so I appreciate and thank all the victims and survivors for what they’ve done.
I do not doubt for a minute all the people who have come forward, there’s was probably even more victims out there that have yet to come forward. And to them I say I wish you well and I hope you can find the inner strength to go down the path of recovery.
Like I said, the victims and survivors are the most important, but I represent the parents and the grandparents and the family members and the friends and the community members and the coaches and the teachers, all who have cared and taught and loved these kids, not just my kids, but all these kids, the right way. I thank all of those for their support.
I want to wrap this up. I will tell you that I believe in God almighty, I believe in Heaven and Hell and I can only hope that, when the day comes, that Larry Nassar has ended his days on this Earth, that he will be escorted to one of the deepest, darkest, hottest pits in Hell there is – for him and people like him. I hope there’s a lot of pain attached to it, because he’s certainly left a lot of pain here on this Earth.
