snarling wolverine

January 24th, 2018 at 10:57 PM ^

If you're implying that the school covered for Gibbons, that's a bit off the mark.  

The changes in the school's sexual misconduct policy were due to a reinterpretation of Title IX by the Obama administration.  Previously, the university would not have expelled a student (athlete or not) under Gibbons's circumstances.  

I don't think it's fair to criticize Hoke for playing him in the meantime.  The case had been resolved, only to be reopened at the end of Gibbons's senior year.   I don't know why Hoke gave the "family issues" cover story as to why Gibbons left the team, though.  

Joined: 12/14/2011

MGoPoints: 98417

Bubba

January 24th, 2018 at 11:07 PM ^

I'm drawing a line of comparison to enabling athletes. I would argue the MSU treatment of Payment/Appling was on par with Gibbons before Title IX. My original post was attempting to say what MSU is doing is worse than enabling athletes. I think the post I replied to should understand this is deeper than enabling athletes.

Joined: 12/18/2013

MGoPoints: -357

ESNY

January 24th, 2018 at 9:19 PM ^

And in case you were wondering if they finally got it, her resignation letter makes it’s crystal clear that MSU still does not get it. Tone deaf beyond belief.

Joined: 11/06/2008

MGoPoints: 12310

Gameboy

January 24th, 2018 at 10:18 PM ^

What is funny is that MSU folks are still defending LAKS. And when people bring up parallels to PSU, they defend themselves by saying "at least we didn't defend Nassar". Well, PSU folks didn't defend Sandusky either. But PSU did defend enablers like Paterno and MSU is doing the same by defending enablers like LAKS and Hollis. Why is this happening to our conference? We really need to shed some pedo dead-weights.

Joined: 11/28/2010

MGoPoints: 9656

Rico

January 24th, 2018 at 8:34 PM ^

that there were hundreds of victims, but she was informed he was being investigated in 2014, and it seems she didn't bother to look into it herself, not even simply checking with the volleyball coach and other athletic department personnel to see if they had EVER heard of ANY type of complaints about him. If she had done that and realized there was a nearly 20 year history of complaints against him, he wouldn't have been brought back - at least you would hope. Instead he was ultimately allowed to victimize more patients after a brief suspension. There was a sickening lack of due diligence by Simon.

Joined: 03/06/2017

MGoPoints: 4466

The Harbaughnger

January 24th, 2018 at 11:58 PM ^

I don't understand why people think it matters if she knew at all- when the scale of harm is undeniably catastrophic and lasts for 20 years, that is a DIRECT result of the very culture a leader instills.

If a leader does not actively create and facilitate a culture of protection for those who cannot protect themselves, knowingly or not, that leader has instead created a culture of enablement and is completely responsible for everything consequence that just needed the cracked-door opportunity to exist.

The "but I didn't know" card is not in her deck- the only one a leader gets to play is "I made sure I knew what I could and eliminated opportunity for what I couldn't know".  Compare this to finding childcare (which it actually is in many cases)...  Which babysitter or daycare are you taking your kid to?

Joined: 08/27/2010

MGoPoints: 7324

Arb lover

January 24th, 2018 at 8:39 PM ^

Not a classy move when you are tone deaf for months while everyone else is telling you it needs to happen, and when you are, it looks like, a large part of the problem. 

This isn't a case of the person in charge who probably had nothing to do with it, deciding to step down, so everyone can move on and get on with it. She's part of the problem and has been fighting hard for the university to not admit anything, etc. 

Joined: 11/26/2017

MGoPoints: 6915

ToledoWolverine

January 24th, 2018 at 8:55 PM ^

The one where she was either too incompetent to see what was happening or her turning a blind eye to the largest serial rape EVER. Classy would have been the day she caught wind of what was happening and throwing a spotlight on the atrocities shortly before throwing herself on the sword.

Talk about lack of institutional control. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought another institution to knock Penn State off the mountain top of heinous and delusional..... congrats Michigan State you have managed to outrape Jerry fucking Sandusky. How the parents of the victims have managed to not tear everyone from Simon on down, limb from limb, is beyond me, they are better people than I ever will be.

Fuck Michigan State, Nassar, Simon and anyone else involved.

You see how that works Lou Ann? You are now forever linked with Larry Nassar, have a nice life.....

Joined: 10/02/2008

MGoPoints: 11953

Mr Miggle

January 24th, 2018 at 10:30 PM ^

but there was not a single word of regret in her resignation letter about anything she or anyone else had done other than the evil Nassar. Instead she patted herself on the back and took pains to point out she had already planned to resign at the end of 2016. She claimed politics as the reason she needs to step down now.

She got off on the wrong foot with her first line.

"The last year and a half has been very difficult for the victims of Larry Nassar, for the university community, and for me personally." 

Every time she makes a statement, my opinion of her sinks even lower. 

Joined: 10/07/2010

MGoPoints: 47712

JC06Z33

January 25th, 2018 at 12:44 PM ^

Did you read her resignation letter?  Her first paragraph is absolutely embarassing to read. 

She first shrinks the entire situation down to only the last couple of years "The last year and a half has been very difficult..."

And then heavily implies that MSU and herself are both victims "...for the victims of Larry Nassar, for the university community, and for me personally..."

before finally giving the ultimate non-apology: "I am so sorry that a trusted, renowned physician was really such an evil, evil person..."

She then goes on to say in effect that "well, I was going to resign anyway", and "I'm just doing it to not be in the spotlight anymore", reinforcing that this is not her taking responsibility for anything, it's just what she was going to do anyway and was sick of the heat. 

She's a reprehensible person and CLASSY is the absolute last adjective I would use to describe her or anyone else involved on the MSU side.

Joined: 12/06/2014

MGoPoints: 211

enlightenedbum

January 24th, 2018 at 9:07 PM ^

I would assume the statute on limitrations has run out?  Failure to report was 20 years ago.

EDIT: Maybe obstruction of justice?  Federal law has no statute of limitations if it's linked to a violent crime such as this.  Not sure about Michigan law.

Joined: 06/06/2009

MGoPoints: 64438

gruden

January 25th, 2018 at 10:04 AM ^

Title IX has no statute of limitations.  Looks like Michigan law is 10 years for criminal sexual allegations.  Maybe a lawyer could comment on this but  I presume the '97 victim could take it to federal court if she chose. 

Interesting though, in contrast with MSU's intransience in this whole affair, they forced Klages to retire immediately.  She's the point of the sword on this whole thing and she's probably toast when all is said and done.

Joined: 04/29/2016

MGoPoints: 6063

turtleboy

January 24th, 2018 at 8:00 PM ^

Finally. She was gone whether she knew it or not, but fuck I literally can't believe it took them this long to come back to reality and figure it out. Least graceful bow out ever, and she'll probably still give herself a pat on the back for "doing the right thing."

Joined: 04/22/2011

MGoPoints: 35130