Mary Bono, the former congresswoman who was chosen to become the interim president and CEO of USA Gymnastics, announced on Tuesday that she was resigning from the post in the wake of heavy criticism by Olympic gymnasts.
Bono had only been on the job for four days when she decided to step down from the position.
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Bono was meant to hold the job until USA Gymnastics could find a new president to permanently replace Kerry Perry, who resigned in September after a nine-month stint as president.
“It is with profound regret, coupled with a deep love for the sport of gymnastics and respect for those who aspire to be great gymnasts, that I today tendered my resignation as the Interim CEO of USA Gymnastics,” Bono said in a statement. “My withdrawal comes in the wake of personal attacks that, left undefended, would have made my leading USAG a liability for the organization.”
While Bono characterized the criticism of her hire as personal, the two Olympic gymnasts who were her highest-profile critics would likely disagree about their motivations.
Simone Biles, for instance, expressed dismay about Bono posting a tweet in which she blacked out the Nike logo on a golf shoe in response to the company’s new ad campaign featuring Colin Kaepernick.
“Don’t worry, it’s not like we needed a smarter usa gymnastics president or any sponsors or anything,” Biles tweeted in response.
Fellow Olympic gold-medal winner Aly Raisman raised concerns about Bono’s work with Faegre Baker Daniels, the same law firm that advised USA Gymnastics during the Larry Nassar sexual abuse scandal.
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In her statement, Bono said she was proud of her work at Faegre Baker Daniels, and said her Nike post was fueled by the fact she had lost a family member who served in the military.
“With respect to Mr. Kaepernick, he nationally exercised his first amendment right to kneel,” she wrote in her statement. “I exercised mine, to mark over my own golf shoes, the logo of the company sponsoring him ‘for believing in something even if it means sacrificing everything’ while at a tournament for families who have lost a member of the armed services (including my brother-in-law, a Navy SEAL) who literally sacrificed everything.”
Raisman responded to the statement on Twitter to clarify her opposition to Bono’s appointment.
“Please know, my objection to your hiring was not personal,” Raisman wrote. “The stakes are high in our sport right now, and it’s essential new leadership be disconnected from the influences that allowed these terrible things to happen.”
Bono served in the House of Representatives as a Republican representative from California from 1998 to 2013. She initially won the seat in a special election that was held following the death of her husband, Sonny Bono.
Bono’s appointment also drew harsh criticism from John Manly, an attorney representing more than 100 woman who are suing USA Gymnastics for their failure to prevent Nassar from abusing gymnasts.
“USA Gymnastics should be decertified immediately as the governing body for gymnastics in the US,” he wrote. “It should be replaced by a body with credible/competent leadership that includes survivors. USAG is a disgrace to our current athletes, to the survivors and our nation.”