MSU Update: Per MSU lawyer, no MSU officials aware of Nassar's conduct before summer '16 articles
So Bill Schuette, Michigan AG, recently requested the investigative reports prepared by MSU regarding the Nassar incidents.
MSU's lawyer just responded to Schuette, and declined, basically saying there is not a report because MSU's investigation confirmed that no MSU officals knew anything prior to the breaking news articles published in the summer of '16. Therefore, there was nothing to report.
The dynamics at play could make this really ugly. Schuette is running for governor and may choose to use this as a "justice for the people" platform (no politcs). Then, you have plaintiff's counsel who want to get their hands on as much info as possible. Not to mention, the public is going to want the same info that Schuette and plaintiff's counsel want.
All the while, MSU needs to protect as much privileged information as they can (assuming there really was no criminal conduct). In doing so, they're really helping the taxpayers, since we're the ones indirectly paying for this.
Just a very sad situation.
http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/news/local/2017/12/08/msu-lawy…
December 8th, 2017 at 5:41 PM ^
December 8th, 2017 at 3:54 PM ^
One nice thing, though, is that Nassar got sentenced yesterday for 60 years for child pornography. That's a serious crime too, of course - providing a market for the rape of children.
WIth more to come from the direct assaults Nassar committed.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/07/sports/larry-nassar-sentence-gymnastics.html
December 8th, 2017 at 4:12 PM ^
Apparently 60 months is the max sentence for that offense. Seriously? 5 years for ~37,000 images of abuse seems way too lenient even if he still will be sentenced for the molestation charges in Ingham & Eaton in January.
So standalone if he just had the porn charge he could be out in 2+ years? Weak.
December 8th, 2017 at 4:22 PM ^
Am I missing something? 60 years, not 60 months. Nassar is 54 now, he's not getting out even without more convictions.
December 8th, 2017 at 5:55 PM ^
December 8th, 2017 at 7:19 PM ^
December 8th, 2017 at 3:55 PM ^
Seems like this is not being investigated vigorously enough. At what point does the FBI get called in? They already have him on massive child porn charges, and there are hundreds of accusers of criminal sexual conduct. And we are all just to take the university's word for it that nobody knew? Bullshit! They need to audit those email servers back a couple of decades. And anyway, regardless of their claim they didn't know, the fact remains it was happening. He worked for them.
Hey, if anyone can play dumb, it's MSU. But they shouldn't be able to get away with it.
December 8th, 2017 at 4:01 PM ^
I haven't read too many articles on this, but I thought the FBI was requesting some records from MSU. Maybe they've already started to look at who-knew-what-and-when.
December 9th, 2017 at 10:45 AM ^
The FBI already investigated
December 8th, 2017 at 3:56 PM ^
It was widely reported that the complaints stemmed back several years prior to 2016. Many kids were silenced and told to keep quiet, that NASSER could NEVER do these things. The Idea that NO one Knew is crazytown. Lou Anna better get her affairs in order, I believe she will end up like some of the clowns from PSU...behind Bars.
December 8th, 2017 at 4:02 PM ^
That letter is terrible. "No MSU official believed..." and "many in the community strongly disbelieved..."
And then, deliberately, nobody actually "knew" or, as I would read between the lines, had specific knowledge of actual acts, only allegations.
December 8th, 2017 at 4:06 PM ^
Simon and Hollis are going down
December 8th, 2017 at 4:10 PM ^
December 8th, 2017 at 4:12 PM ^
December 8th, 2017 at 4:14 PM ^
December 8th, 2017 at 4:16 PM ^
December 8th, 2017 at 4:23 PM ^
December 8th, 2017 at 4:31 PM ^
December 8th, 2017 at 4:36 PM ^
December 8th, 2017 at 4:32 PM ^
December 8th, 2017 at 7:47 PM ^
They didn't hold Dantonio accountable for letting the football program run into the gutter, so this is not surprising.
December 8th, 2017 at 4:27 PM ^
That may actually be the case, as incredible as it sounds.
One of the things I've learned in our corporate legal training is that if you don't want information to be discoverable in a court case, don't put it in an email or any other written form. The standard they put to it is, "Don't put anything in writing that you wouldn't want to see on the front page of the NY Times."
So, it's entirely possible, perhaps even likely, that there were no discoverable documents found, because MSU's lawyers provided school administrators with that guidance - maybe even years ago.
December 8th, 2017 at 4:48 PM ^
Nothing fills me with confidence in the thoroughness and integrity of an investigation into a massive scandal of sexual abuse like hearing that it was done entirely word-of-mouth without any notes or documentation.
December 8th, 2017 at 9:29 PM ^
If you ever get a government/university job, the number one rule, first thing your mentor teaches you, is to cover your arse.
If there's something you could get in trouble for being the fall guy for, you are going to 1) communicate it up above you and 2) cover yourself by putting it in writing somehow; i don't care if its a personal cell text or what, you are going to make sure those above you know that they have to make you off limits because in the interest of smooth governmental operations you forced them to visibly articulate that you were just doing as instructed.
This is how you also find yourself inextricably with leverage against those deans and administrators later on.
December 8th, 2017 at 4:29 PM ^
December 8th, 2017 at 4:35 PM ^
December 8th, 2017 at 7:08 PM ^
December 8th, 2017 at 5:31 PM ^
Despicable. This is what happens when on field success is valued over the well being of humans. Unfortunately the NCAA is a shit show that only care about the $$$ they rake in. I sure hope people start making better decisions.
December 8th, 2017 at 6:20 PM ^
US Olympic Committee shouldn't get scot free on this. They need to be held accountable as well.
December 9th, 2017 at 10:30 AM ^
December 9th, 2017 at 11:26 AM ^
Not really true.
"In a May 2014 email to a recruit, Michigan State gymnastics coach Kathie Klages listed reasons the young woman should pick the school. Klages touted the value of a Michigan State education and boasted the Spartans gymnastics team was one of the best in the country. Then Klages mentioned an aspect of Michigan State no other school could offer.
“We have Larry Nassar!” Klages wrote, referring to the longtime physician for USA Gymnastics’ women’s team — renowned for his ability to keep Olympic gymnasts healthy — who taught at Michigan State’s medical school and treated Spartan gymnasts.
“Enough said about that!” Klages added, closing with a smiley face emoji."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/doctor-at-center-of-usa-…
December 8th, 2017 at 6:28 PM ^
December 8th, 2017 at 7:09 PM ^
My despise and hate for MSU & Hollis could not be any stronger.
What an utter abomination.
They need to burn for their "sins".
December 9th, 2017 at 9:26 AM ^
December 8th, 2017 at 7:23 PM ^
December 8th, 2017 at 8:08 PM ^
December 8th, 2017 at 8:56 PM ^
But it's associated with Women's Gymnastics. MSU is always mentioned at the end as in "he also worked for MSU."
December 8th, 2017 at 8:15 PM ^
There have beeen stories in the NYT and Washington Post. The Post mentions MSU earlier than the Times.
December 8th, 2017 at 8:25 PM ^
I agree, but anything MSU is not sexy and not national. It's local and needs more exposure.
December 8th, 2017 at 10:21 PM ^
a bald faced lie.
December 8th, 2017 at 10:46 PM ^
December 9th, 2017 at 11:24 AM ^
This will end up more damaging to MSU than Sandusky was to PSU, because the MSU people have learned exactly the wrong things from the shitshow in Happy Valley. They think endless denial will save them.
It won't—it will just make the eventual consequences that much worse. For broader political reasons I'm no fan of Schuette at all, but in this case I support his efforts to get at the truth, wherever that may lead.
This statement in particular is just spectacular, world-class ass-covering:
“I have been told it is virtually impossible to stop a determined sexual predator and pedophile, that they will go to incomprehensible lengths to keep what they do in the shadows,” she (Lou Anna Simon) told trustees.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/doctor-at-center-of-usa-…
December 9th, 2017 at 12:36 PM ^
as are so many of the other enablers.
The tone that is emerging from all of the evidence is that MSU as an institution did not care, on any level, about the girls being sexually abused. They do care terribly about the abuse becoming known to the public, and are attempting to ride the train of denial as far as possible.
In the WaPo article it mentions Nassar's child porn convictions (staggering volume of evidence found by FBI, how did his spouse not have any suspicions??), and among the evidence, he filmed himself molesting girls in a pool. So apparently some of the child porn cases could have been turned into sexual assault cases - it just boggles the mind - with 140-150 victims identified to date, the criminal justice system has only to complete the plea bargains and hand down the sentencings.
MSU has a much bigger task ahead.