NCAA opens investigation into Michigan State’s handling of claims against gymnastics doctor
The NCAA has opened an investigation into whether Michigan State University mishandled sexual abuse claims against Larry Nassar, a longtime sports physician who has pleaded guilty to criminal sexual conduct.
The collegiate athletic organization sent a letter to the university saying it is investigating whether the university broke any rules in its handling of the multiple allegations against the doctor, CNN reported.
“The NCAA has sent a letter of inquiry to Michigan State University regarding potential NCAA rules violations related to the assaults Larry Nassar perpetrated against girls and young women, including some student-athletes at Michigan State,” the NCAA said in a statement.
While the school claims that no university official had reason to suspect Nassar’s behavior before the allegations came to light, faculty members have called for an emergency meeting of the faculty senate to hold a vote of no confidence against the school’s president Lou Anna Simon.
The president says she has no intention of stepping down.
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Nassar worked as a sports physician for the university from 1997 to 2016, when investigators first found tens of thousands of images of child pornography on electronic devices belonging to him. The doctor has been sentenced to 60 years in prison for possession of the images, and now faces sentencing for his abuse of the young athletes under his care.
Top Olympic gymnasts, including McKayla Maroney, Aly Raisman and Gabby Douglas, have come forward with allegations of sexual assault, saying he abused them under the guise of medical treatment.
Nassar has admitted to seven counts of criminal sexual conduct related to his treatment of young girls while serving as a doctor for the university and for USA Gymnastics, the national governing organization for the sport.
Several top members of the group’s board of directors have resigned following criticism for how the organization handled the accusations against the doctor.
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