MSU Burried Nassar Files During Title IX Investigation

Prop ourselves up because MSU had a horrible situation like Gibbons to "balance things out."

Both situations were disgusting.

Brendan Gibbons, according to the police report, was fully cooperative in the investigation of his case.  He was interviewed without a lawyer, and in the process of his interview he agreed to submit for a polygraph if asked.  His case was investigated for weeks by three Ann Arbor police detectives.  There was no hint, and no credible allegation, of any interference with the Ann Arbor police investigation on the part of the Michigan Athletic Department or anyone associated with the football program.*

Gibbons' accuser did not cooperate with Ann Arbor police.  And -- I believe -- she never initiated any sort of student disciplinary proceeding against Gibbons either.  If anyone can show that I am wrong in that regard, have at it.

The Ann Arbor police declined to refer any charges to the Washtenaw County Prosecutor's office, and the Prosecutor's office decline to pursue anything beyond that.

Only after the Obama Administration changed the standard of proof for Title IX sexual misconduct proceedings (and threatened the removal of federal funding for any institution of higher education that failed to enact compliant policies), was a Title IX-based proceeding initiated against Gibbons.  And it was not initiated by the complainant-student.  It was --I believe -- initiated by the notorious anti-football Ann Arbor gadfly and "Washtenaw Watchdog," Doug Smith.  (The 2011 Obama-era directive has been renounced by the current Secretary of Education.)

There was never, ever, any cover-up or university-involved delay in the handling of any claim against Gibbons.  The resolution of the claim against Gibons occurred when it did because of the gaming of Title IX procedures by Gibbons' ultimate accuser (who was not the female student).  They never brought a charge against Gibbons until the standard of proof had so been so publicly and so dramatically changed.

No reader of MGoBlog, and no true Michigan fan, ought to accept the common trashtalk about Gibbons' case or the handling thereof.

We do know that Brady Hoke botched the public relations aspect of the Title IX resolution of Gibbons' case in late 2012.  There is no good explanation for Hoke's incompetence or even the general Athletic Department incompetence.  FERPA compliance had something to do with it, but it is not a complete or adequate explanation.  Brian Cook has detailed the inexplicable Hoke screwup(s) in that regard.

*There was the absolutely incredible claim that Taylor Lewan had "threatened" the complainant.  He didn't.  He had no contact with her.  Lewan is alleged to have said to someone else that, "If she does [press charges] then I'm going to rape her because he didn't."  As a result, Lewan was also investigated, by Univeristy of Michigan Police, with no finding that he had any contact with the alleged victim or that he had made any personal threat(s).

Not touching the Gibbons comment, but I had never read that specific report before, just the initial one that came out shortly after the incident occurred.

But jesus what the actualy fuck?!

Indeed.  She sat through a single day of the sentencing hearing, I mean her schedule was just packed.

Pat Tillman was and still is a Hero.

These kinds of academic institutions are in a bubble, on so many levels.  The normal rules of the rest of the country don't seem to apply to them.

It ultimately leads to abuse.

Everybody knows about the sheer financial abuse.  Now we are seeing a darker side.

These institutions are very self serving, with very few real checks and balances.