Lawsuit: Perles covered up Nassar rape in 1992
September 11th, 2018 at 12:53 PM ^
The best response to any comment like that coming from a State fan is "At least our university and its athletic department did not spend decades systematically covering up the actions of a serial rapist."
September 11th, 2018 at 1:13 PM ^
I believe in Michigan but I wouldn't run around saying this lest the next shoe drops on us.
September 11th, 2018 at 2:45 PM ^
GTFO. Can this guy be banned yet?
September 11th, 2018 at 8:10 PM ^
you can bet it would be handled immaculately if it were to, and justice would certainly be true, as is the Michigan difference; It will/would be backed up.
September 11th, 2018 at 1:21 PM ^
I actually think that guy was a fellow "Michigan" fan tbh. But in the sense that I am a Lions fan. If they are good I will watch and root for them, but when they are bad I tune out and make fun.
September 11th, 2018 at 12:57 PM ^
I ALWAYS wear my Michigan gear after a loss. After App State, after Oregon, after ND, whatever. We ain't going anywhere, I'm not ashamed of my school on or off the field.
“When your team is winning, be ready to be tough, because winning can make you soft. On the other hand, when your team is losing, stick by them. Keep believing”
― Bo Schembechler
September 11th, 2018 at 12:59 PM ^
You're damn right.
September 11th, 2018 at 1:06 PM ^
Beat me to it. I do the same, more so after a loss than a win. Never afraid to defend the school after a disappointment on the field of PLAY. Sheesh, that's why Sparty and bucknuts will never get it.
September 11th, 2018 at 4:28 PM ^
Talk about thin skinned and sanctimonious you are. Congrats on virtue signalling.
September 11th, 2018 at 6:21 PM ^
MSU alum and fans alike are worse than the Penn State deniers/apologists.
September 11th, 2018 at 12:38 PM ^
This one instance would be enough to bring down many other colleges. This seems like the classic "loss of institutional control" that the ncaa uses. Cant believe they got cleared by the ncaa.
September 11th, 2018 at 12:49 PM ^
It is totally believable that they got cleared by the ncaa. The ncaa is corrupt and are terrible at investigating and enforcement.
September 11th, 2018 at 12:49 PM ^
Well, it's not as if MSU did anything serious, you know, like having players practice too much or sell shoes.
September 11th, 2018 at 1:47 PM ^
Yes, but it seems like there's *too much* institutional control. This isn't neglectful. It's sinister.
September 11th, 2018 at 3:18 PM ^
This is how I've felt from the beginning. It's not leaders putting their fingers in their ears and yelling "LALALALALA". The response to these cases were clearly calculated. To systematically protect MSU, it's staff and it's money making athletes over all others.
September 11th, 2018 at 12:39 PM ^
As an MSU fan, bring it all into the light. I've wanted Perles gone as a trustee for a while now, maybe this will force a retirement out of him.
September 11th, 2018 at 12:43 PM ^
Do you think he's even felt guilty or lost any sleep while being a trustee on this committee knowing all along what he did back then?
September 11th, 2018 at 12:50 PM ^
NO!!!
September 11th, 2018 at 7:00 PM ^
Have you seen him lately? I'm not even sure he knows who he is right now.
September 11th, 2018 at 12:48 PM ^
It should force him into a prison cell.
September 11th, 2018 at 12:52 PM ^
Retirement? How about prison term.
September 11th, 2018 at 12:52 PM ^
Is there one trustee that deserves to stay on?
It was clear that members of the board were way to close to the basketball and football team for them to make any sound decision. After this they all need to go.
September 11th, 2018 at 1:12 PM ^
it should support jailtime for that asshole.
September 11th, 2018 at 2:28 PM ^
His asshole will just be the worst part of his jail time
September 11th, 2018 at 3:22 PM ^
Retirement...with a nice cushy state pension?...fuck THAT.
He and his lot at the school you cheer for should all be headed for some time behind bars.
September 11th, 2018 at 12:39 PM ^
If the courts find these claims to be true, Perles has got to be headed to jail, right?
September 11th, 2018 at 12:46 PM ^
Not based on this suit, civil suit not a criminal complaint.
I am also not entirely sure what he would be charged with, possibly accessory after the fact (a little bit of a stretch) or endangerment (it does not sound like she was a minor though). There are also statute of limitations problems. Obstruction in the AG investigation could be possible, depending on what he has said or not said thus far.
September 11th, 2018 at 12:49 PM ^
indeed she was a minor.
The plaintiff, California resident Erika Davis, alleges that she went to see Nassar and was sexually abused and raped by him in 1992 when she was 17 and had injured herself while on a scholarship at MSU.
I'd be surprised if Perleman was guilty of any crimes that haven't passed their statute of limitations though.
September 11th, 2018 at 12:56 PM ^
Age of consent is 16. Not that consent is really even an issue here if she was drugged.
September 11th, 2018 at 1:59 PM ^
The law changes when it's an authority figure (teacher, doctor, etc.)
September 11th, 2018 at 4:11 PM ^
Your thinking might explain a lot of what happens at MSU.
There isn't an "age of consent" where rape is concerned as there isn't any consent at all.
Clear?
September 11th, 2018 at 12:52 PM ^
Unlikely as up in east landfill the prosecutors find archaic laws like seduction of an unmarried woman and littering to charge sexual offenders with.
September 11th, 2018 at 1:02 PM ^
Far as I'm concerned everyone in that athletic department above the equipment guys and the ankle-tapers should be broomed. They're all tainted.
September 11th, 2018 at 12:56 PM ^
I don't know anything about the law, but since this is a discussion board, and I'm just some random dude, I'll make a smart comment about something I know nothing about:
I assume there is some sort of statute of limitations for some stupid reason. And he's a powerful figure in east lansing, so two strikes against something actually happening to him.
September 11th, 2018 at 2:09 PM ^
There actually isn't statute of limitations on rape cases in Michigan. However there is usually very little in the way of evidence beyond he said/ she said so tremendously difficult to prosecute and convict old cases like this one. / usually would take a confession.
Thats why its so amazing a video of this alleged incident may exist.
September 11th, 2018 at 2:27 PM ^
The article says the coach made and retained a copy of the tape. Unfortunately, that doesn't implicate Perles, only Nassar. That said, if more than one person can corroborate the coach's story, there's also a lot of circumstantial evidence that could exist (her termination, the NDA, etc).
September 11th, 2018 at 12:41 PM ^
One question: WHY?!
Why the hell did so many people at MSU cover up for this scumbag? Just get rid of him and move on with your life. He could not have been THAT good of a doctor. Jesus.
September 11th, 2018 at 12:47 PM ^
Ironically it was probably to avoid an embarrassing headline.
September 11th, 2018 at 12:47 PM ^
Putting my Michigan fandom aside, I always thought Perles was a thug and a piece of shit even to MSU. When he was having successful teams it seems like every offseason he jerked the university around by flirting with the NFL so he could squeeze more money out of them. How they have let him have anything to do with running that university for so long is beyond comprehension.
September 11th, 2018 at 4:25 PM ^
Perles was known to be thuggish long before the 90s.
September 11th, 2018 at 4:57 PM ^
To be fair, and I'm honestly pissed about this now, I always used to think he was just an incompetent boob. My friends who went to State hated him. So I kept voting for him.
September 11th, 2018 at 12:50 PM ^
Easy -- sexual assault was not taken seriously at that time.
I have no idea your age, but up until about the mid-2000s, sexual assault (except, perhaps of kids, though often not even then) was more treated as a "Jeez, would you stop doing that?" as opposed to a significant crime frequently enabled by the culture of an institution or group (the latter of which would take a ton of effort to change).
That's not to say rapes weren't prosecuted, but the focus was more on strangers (e.g., some "thugs" sneaking up behind a women and attacking her while jogging) rather than personal, family, workplace, academic, sports or religious settings.
Heck, it wasn't even until the #metoo movement became more prominent about a year ago that some long, long time serious scum bags got taken down.
September 11th, 2018 at 1:02 PM ^
Um, no. This guy drugged and raped a 17 year old patient ON CAMERA. Even in 1992 this would have been taken seriously by any authorities not interested in covering up the rape.
September 11th, 2018 at 1:08 PM ^
"...would have been taken seriously by any authorities not interested in covering up the rape."
Aye, there's the rub -- the whole point is that entire huge swathes of police, administrators, politicians etc *WERE* interested in covering it up. It was just another embarrassing incident to sweep away; they thought they could get away with it, and for decades, they did.
There were far less likely in 1992 to have women in positions of power (not that they can't be complicit as well -- see Kathy Klages) and, more importantly, the larger culture had not shifted towards being more sympathetic to potential victims and listening seriously to their stories -- videotaped or not, there would have been excuses ('She was asking for it' ; 'What was she wearing' ; 'Why didn't she stop it') etc.
September 11th, 2018 at 1:16 PM ^
We're just going to have to disagree. No doubt the culture has shifted away from victim blaming and the definition of sexual assault has been expanded (both positive things), but Jesus Christ. A doctor drugged a teenage girl. Then raped her. On camera.
If there was no camera involved I agree that he would have argued it was consensual and would have probably been believed.
September 11th, 2018 at 1:27 PM ^
Yes, we will have to disagree.
Something certainly could have happened in terms of job firings and arrests, but there are numerous instances of sexual assaults and discussion of sexual assaults caught on tape, where what seems to be clear & convincing evidence, is explained away.
But my larger point is even if the tape clearly & unequivocally showed a rape, Perles & co knew they could get away with it in 1992 -- once they had the tape, there was no Ronan Farrow for this young woman to go to, and no large sympathetic audience that would put public pressure on the police & the trustees to do anything. That change has been a very recent development.
September 11th, 2018 at 1:44 PM ^
Agreed. What a disgusting human being.
September 11th, 2018 at 1:49 PM ^
Consent or not, she was underaged.
September 11th, 2018 at 2:11 PM ^
age of consent in Michigan is 16. But there are other statutes that would affect relationships with someone under 18.
In 1992 those under 18 laws did not exist.
September 11th, 2018 at 12:45 PM ^
Is anyone surprised?