Michigan State still 'in communication' with NCAA over Larry Nassar investigation
DETROIT – NCAA President Mark Emmert said Michigan State remains “in communication” with the governing body as part of its investigation into the university’s handling of the Larry Nassar sexual assaults, he said in an exclusive interview with Free Press.
Nassar, the disgraced sports medicine doctor who worked at MSU and for USA Gymnastics, was convicted of 10 sexual assault charges between Ingham and Eaton counties for sexually abusing dozens of girls and young women under the guise of medical treatment, including some former MSU athletes.
MSU president Lou Anna K. Simon and athletic director Mark Hollis announced their retirements in the wake of the scandal, and the NCAA launched an investigation into the athletic department's handling of claims of Nassar's abuse.
“They obviously have got administrative changes going on,” Emmert said Friday morning at Little Caesars Arena. “Because there are so many governmental organizations already working there, we’re trying to respect the boundaries of law enforcement, (the Michigan) attorney general, now the Department of Education wants to weigh in, there is potential Congressional investigations, et cetera. We don’t want to get in the way of any of those things. And we are going to work with them and communicate with them as this all unfolds.”
At least a dozen former Spartan athletes — from the gymnastics, volleyball, rowing, softball and track and field programs — were among the women and girls who gave victim-impact statements during Nassar’s sentencing hearings in mid-Michigan in late January and early February. Some are suing the university.
The NCAA sent the university a letter of inquiry to Hollis on Jan. 23, announcing its investigation into the Nassar claims. In the letter, the NCAA cited two of its bylaws, on “The Commitment to Student-Athlete Well-Being" and “Health and Safety," and said MSU had not sent the NCAA any information regarding the Nassar case since it opened in September 2016.
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Emmert said the NCAA is “absolutely” taking into consideration that athletes were among Nassar’s victims. He said listening to the victim-impact statements during Nassar’s sentencing was “gut-wrenching” and “staggering.”
“Look, this is a horrific incident. And first and foremost, everybody has got to stay focused on the victims of those crimes,” he said. “And then, you have got to untangle how did this happen, how could this have been prevented, what can be changed, not just in one venue and at one school but across the country, what role does the (United States Olympic Committee) and the (national) governing bodies have. Everybody has got to figure out their respective role.
“But the issue, after we make sure the victims are taken care of, is how do we prevent this, how do we keep this from happening every again? This was just ungodly in its breadth and implications.”
Emmert said the NCAA’s Board of Governors enacted a new policy that began March 1 to require presidents, athletic directors and Title IX officers at member institutions “to sign off — literally annually sign off” that their schools are educating staff members and students on sexual violence. The forms must be completed by May 15.
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In 2015, the Office for Civil Rights determined MSU’s handling of some Title IX cases hadcreated a “hostile environment” on campus for individuals who complained about relationship violence or sexual misconduct. The federal oversight agency also found there was confusion among MSU’s athletic department staff about who should report sexual assault claims to the university’s investigation office.
Michigan State has been highly scrutinized for its overall handling of allegations of sexual assault and violent acts against women over the past decade, including allegations involving former players on Tom Izzo's basketball teams and Mark Dantonio's football teams.
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Asked about the reports of sexual assault allegations involving MSU's football and basketball programs, Emmert said he did not “want to talk about any one case or any one campus that may have an investigation going on.”
“But anytime you see at any university those kind of issues occurring,” Emmert said, “You just have to stop and say, ‘What’s going on? How is this being handled? What are the systems in place to educate students, to educate the staff? Does everybody know what their role is?’ … The one thing you can’t have is people saying, ‘Gosh, I didn’t know what to do, I didn’t know how to handle this.’ And that is not a good excuse.”
About MSU, Emmert added: “Here is a wonderful university with so much great tradition and such a great academic institution. To be embroiled in this is really, really shocking for everybody. We are going to work with all of the officials and do everything we can to make sure we understand what is going on.”
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari.