Former congresswoman Mary Bono announced Tuesday that she has resigned as interim president and CEO of USA Gymnastics after a tenure of four days.
Bono's selection had been immediately criticized by several high-profile gymnasts, including Olympic gold-medal winners Simone Biles and Aly Raisman.
Raisman questioned Bono's association with law firm Faegre Baker Daniels, which advised USA Gymnastics during the Larry Nassar sexual abuse scandal.
"Why hire someone associated with the firm that helped cover up our abuse?" Raisman asked.
Biles took issue with Bono's response to Nike's advertising campaign featuring NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
Bono, who was appointed to her new roles on Friday, posted a photo of herself blacking out a Nike logo on a golf shoe. In response, Biles tweeted: "*mouth drop* ... don't worry, it's not like we needed a smarter usa gymnastics president or any sponsors or anything."
In a statement announcing her resignation, Bono said: "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. ... My withdrawal comes in the wake of personal attacks that, left undefended, would have made my leading USAG a liability for the organization."
Bono said in her statement she proudly stood behind her work at Faegre Baker Daniels.
Regarding Kaepernick, Bono said, "He nationally exercised his first amendment right to kneel [during the national anthem]. I exercised mine."
She said her response stemmed from her connection to families who lost a member of the armed services. She said she had lost her brother-in-law, a Navy SEAL, and she took issue with the "sacrificing everything" part of the Nike-Kaepernick campaign. "It was an emotional reaction to the sponsor's use of that phrase that caused me to tweet, and I regret that at the time I did not better clarify things," Bono wrote.
The USA Gymnastics Board of Directors issued a statement Tuesday saying they had accepted Bono's resignation.
"Despite her commitment to the sport of gymnastics and helping the organization move forward, we believe this is in the best interest of the organization," the statement said. "We, as a Board, are committed to taking action when we believe a change of course is necessary and to being responsive to our gymnastics community."
Bono was to be a stopgap while USA Gymnastics searched for a permanent successor to Kerry Perry, who resigned under pressure from the United States Olympic Committee in September after spending nine months on the job.
Bono's brief tenure marked another high-profile departure. USA Gymnastics had to move on from coach Mary Lee Tracy on Aug. 31 -- just three days after she was hired -- saying she "inappropriately" contacted a survivor of sexual abuse by Nassar.
CEO Sarah Hirshland said in a statement that the USOC remains committed to working with USA Gymnastics to find a permanent leader to build a world-class organizations.
"Both the USOC staff and myself will continue to work closely with USAG in both the short and long term as they search for a new leader," Hirshland said. "The well-being of Team USA athletes is our top priority as we manage this process."
Bono spent 15 years as a U.S. representative from Southern California from 1998 to 2013. She won her first term in a special election running as a Republican to fill the vacancy left by the death of her husband, former pop star and lawmaker Sonny Bono.
Mary Bono, 57, has a background in gymnastics. She trained at several clubs for a decade.
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