Sports Illustrated announced this week they’d picked lawyer and former gymnast Rachael Denhollander as the publication’s Inspiration of the Year for being the first of more than 300 women to come forward with sexual misconduct allegations against former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar.
But it’s not Sports Illustrated’s honoree that’s turning heads – it’s who they picked to announce it.
Christine Blasey Ford.
In her first public video since that infamous congressional hearing, the Kavanaugh accuser who alleged the now-SCOTUS justice had tried to rape her at a high school party back in the early ‘80s (but couldn’t remember…well, pretty much any other details) was featured front-and-center in Sports Illustrated’s video announcement naming Denhollander their award recipient.
All in a clear effort to link Ford with the plight of other (verified) sexual assault survivors.
Here’s the video:
In her first public statement since September, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford presents Sports Illustrated’s Inspiration of the Year Award to Rachael Denhollander https://t.co/2lBOB9nVDk pic.twitter.com/AjRYVYfOmS
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) December 12, 2018
While Kavanaugh has moved on to secure the ninth seat on the Supreme Court, Ford’s been wracking up quite the little pile of fame and fortune herself thanks to her media-fueled battle against the otherwise well-respected judge. She’s rumored to have at least one book deal offer on the table, and has raked in over $1 million across several GoFundMe donations she says she’s been using for housing and security.