Let's see...Michigan State, Penn St., and now Meeechigan. Perhaps the Big 10 should be renamed to PEDO-10:
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/n...-of-university-of-michigan-doctor/5543444002/
Schembechler was 'visibly angry' when told of UM doctor's sex abuse, lawsuit alleges
Kim Kozlowski, The Detroit NewsPublished 10:53 a.m. ET July 30, 2020 | Updated 1:24 p.m. ET July 30, 2020
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Bo Schembechler, the legendary University of Michigan football coach, knew about the alleged sexual abuse linked to the late Dr. Robert E. Anderson, according to a federal lawsuit filed Thursday.
A former UM student told Schembechler about Anderson's alleged abuse in 1982 and 1983 after seeing the late doctor for migraines, according to the suit that was among 52 othersfiled against UM and the Board of Regents in U.S. District Court in Detroit.Schembechler allegedly sent the student to former UM Athletic Director Donald Canham.
"What Bo said to me when I first came to him was, 'Get your butt into Canham's office and tell him what happened right now,'" the former student said during a virtual press conference. "He was visibly angry. I felt from the look on his face and from his actions that this was the first time that anybody reported it to him."
The former student, however, did not blame Schembechler for not pursuing the matter further and said he would defend him "until my dying day because he was who he was. He was family."
Instead, he held Canham accountable, saying the former athletic director blew him off and did nothing.
"In effect, in my opinion, Canham perpetrated Anderson's abuse," the man said.
He also said that UM failed.
"The University of Michigan had the opportunity long before I got there because Don Canham had known," said the man, who arrived at UM in 1981. "They had the opportunity to put an end to this, and to set up guidelines and procedures to make sure this never happened to anybody ... The University of Michigan could have nipped this in the bud 20 years previous."
The former student is not named in the lawsuit and did not identify himself or appear on camera during the news conference.
Schembechler, who also served as UM athletic director during his two decades at the university, and Canham are deceased.
But the new allegations add Schembechler, one of the most beloved and nationally admired figures in sports, to the list of UM officials who allegedly were alerted to the exam room behavior of Anderson without doing anything to stop him. Schembechler is the most high-profile and well-known among five other UM officials who allegedly were alerted about Anderson, who worked at UM for more than 30 years.
UM officials did directly address the former student's allegations and spoke of the university's "paused" investigation into the alleged abuse of Anderson, who was the head of University Health Service and team physician during a tenure from the 1960s to 2003.
"At the University of Michigan, we condemn all sexual misconduct," spokesman Rick Fitzgerald said in a statement. "This type of conduct is reprehensible — and whether it takes place now or took place in the past, it is unacceptable."
Fitzgerald added that UM has "great confidence" in the investigation by WilmerHale, the outside law firm the university has hired in the Anderson case. The inquiry was put on hold by a federal judge after lawyers raised questions about its independence and the university reached out to thousands of former UM students.
"More than 50 former patients of Anderson have contacted WilmerHale and are awaiting a response," Fitzgerald said. "We believe the investigation should restart immediately."
He said UM had received 394 complaints about Anderson as of July 23.
Lawyers representing the man and the other 52 accusers who filed suit Thursday did speak about what Schembechler knew.
"The revelations involving the failure to act on the part of Bo Schembechler are troubling but should not be surprising," said Okemos-based lawyer Jamie White. "We have seen this trend play out with institutions all over the country, including but not limited to (former Penn State University Coach Joe) Paterno, leadership in the Catholic Church and Boy Scouts of America, and most recently Michigan State University."
"The Schembechler revelations are going to be disturbing to many but the university will not heal and be able to move forward from this horrific period until there is a complete accounting of what went wrong," added White, who also represented 60 accusers of serial sex abuser Larry Nassar, a former MSU sports doctor.
The former student's lawsuit and the 52 others were filed by accusers represented by the Okemos-based White Law firm, along with San Diego-based Estey and Bomberger, LLP, and Dallas-based The Simpson Tuegel Law Firm.
The other lawsuits include alleged victims who were members of UM's football, baseball, gymnastics, basketball, crew, track and field, and cross country teams, as well as UM students and staff and local high school students who say Anderson preyed upon them during his tenure from the 1960s through the early 2000s. Some of the alleged victims were minors; at least one accuser alleges he was abused by Anderson hundreds of times when he was a member of UM's track and field team.
Schembechler, who served UM from 1969 to 1989, led the university’s football teams to 17 bowl game appearances, was awarded the Big Ten Coach of the Year Award several times and is still regarded as one of the best football coaches in history.
The university has placed a 7 1/2 foot bronze statue of Schembechler at the entrance to the Stephen M. Ross Athletic Campus, a focal point of UM's football facility renovated in 2014. It includes a quote from the coach: “Those Who Stay Will Be Champions.”
Besides Schembechler, other UM officials allegedly alerted to the behavior of Anderson include former UM Assistant Athletic Director Paul W. Schmidt, the only current UM employee who allegedly knew of accusations against Anderson. He has denied that anyone ever told him about Anderson.
Anderson allegedly told another accuser that “you are much larger than average,” and compared him to a former university football player who was also attending medical school, according to one of the complaints.
The doctor allegedly told the accuser that he needed to collect a semen sample from him to “culture" to see what healthy semen looked like.
"Dr. Anderson then began masturbating himself in front of (accuser)," the lawsuit said. "Dr. Anderson told (accuser) to 'Feel free to join in' while Dr. Anderson was masturbating himself in front of (him)."
Anderson later asked the patient to lie on an exam table and masturbated him, the suit said.
Anderson's career included stints as director of the university health service and athletic team doctor. He retired from UM in 2003 and died in 2008. Sexual abuse allegations against Anderson emerged in February and since then scores of men have come forward, along with a few women.
More than 80 lawsuits have been filed against UM by former state Attorney General Mike Cox, and several other lawyers have also filed suits. At least one of the filings seeks class-action certification, and several other lawyers say they represent hundreds of victims still intending to sue.
UM has acknowledged his crimes and said it intends to settle with the victims.
Mediation in the cases is expected to begin in September.
kkozlowski@detroitnews.com
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/n...-of-university-of-michigan-doctor/5543444002/
Schembechler was 'visibly angry' when told of UM doctor's sex abuse, lawsuit alleges
Kim Kozlowski, The Detroit NewsPublished 10:53 a.m. ET July 30, 2020 | Updated 1:24 p.m. ET July 30, 2020
CONNECTTWEETLINKEDINCOMMENTEMAILMORE
Bo Schembechler, the legendary University of Michigan football coach, knew about the alleged sexual abuse linked to the late Dr. Robert E. Anderson, according to a federal lawsuit filed Thursday.
A former UM student told Schembechler about Anderson's alleged abuse in 1982 and 1983 after seeing the late doctor for migraines, according to the suit that was among 52 othersfiled against UM and the Board of Regents in U.S. District Court in Detroit.Schembechler allegedly sent the student to former UM Athletic Director Donald Canham.
"What Bo said to me when I first came to him was, 'Get your butt into Canham's office and tell him what happened right now,'" the former student said during a virtual press conference. "He was visibly angry. I felt from the look on his face and from his actions that this was the first time that anybody reported it to him."
The former student, however, did not blame Schembechler for not pursuing the matter further and said he would defend him "until my dying day because he was who he was. He was family."
Instead, he held Canham accountable, saying the former athletic director blew him off and did nothing.
"In effect, in my opinion, Canham perpetrated Anderson's abuse," the man said.
He also said that UM failed.
"The University of Michigan had the opportunity long before I got there because Don Canham had known," said the man, who arrived at UM in 1981. "They had the opportunity to put an end to this, and to set up guidelines and procedures to make sure this never happened to anybody ... The University of Michigan could have nipped this in the bud 20 years previous."
The former student is not named in the lawsuit and did not identify himself or appear on camera during the news conference.
Schembechler, who also served as UM athletic director during his two decades at the university, and Canham are deceased.
But the new allegations add Schembechler, one of the most beloved and nationally admired figures in sports, to the list of UM officials who allegedly were alerted to the exam room behavior of Anderson without doing anything to stop him. Schembechler is the most high-profile and well-known among five other UM officials who allegedly were alerted about Anderson, who worked at UM for more than 30 years.
UM officials did directly address the former student's allegations and spoke of the university's "paused" investigation into the alleged abuse of Anderson, who was the head of University Health Service and team physician during a tenure from the 1960s to 2003.
"At the University of Michigan, we condemn all sexual misconduct," spokesman Rick Fitzgerald said in a statement. "This type of conduct is reprehensible — and whether it takes place now or took place in the past, it is unacceptable."
Fitzgerald added that UM has "great confidence" in the investigation by WilmerHale, the outside law firm the university has hired in the Anderson case. The inquiry was put on hold by a federal judge after lawyers raised questions about its independence and the university reached out to thousands of former UM students.
"More than 50 former patients of Anderson have contacted WilmerHale and are awaiting a response," Fitzgerald said. "We believe the investigation should restart immediately."
He said UM had received 394 complaints about Anderson as of July 23.
Lawyers representing the man and the other 52 accusers who filed suit Thursday did speak about what Schembechler knew.
"The revelations involving the failure to act on the part of Bo Schembechler are troubling but should not be surprising," said Okemos-based lawyer Jamie White. "We have seen this trend play out with institutions all over the country, including but not limited to (former Penn State University Coach Joe) Paterno, leadership in the Catholic Church and Boy Scouts of America, and most recently Michigan State University."
"The Schembechler revelations are going to be disturbing to many but the university will not heal and be able to move forward from this horrific period until there is a complete accounting of what went wrong," added White, who also represented 60 accusers of serial sex abuser Larry Nassar, a former MSU sports doctor.
The former student's lawsuit and the 52 others were filed by accusers represented by the Okemos-based White Law firm, along with San Diego-based Estey and Bomberger, LLP, and Dallas-based The Simpson Tuegel Law Firm.
The other lawsuits include alleged victims who were members of UM's football, baseball, gymnastics, basketball, crew, track and field, and cross country teams, as well as UM students and staff and local high school students who say Anderson preyed upon them during his tenure from the 1960s through the early 2000s. Some of the alleged victims were minors; at least one accuser alleges he was abused by Anderson hundreds of times when he was a member of UM's track and field team.
Schembechler, who served UM from 1969 to 1989, led the university’s football teams to 17 bowl game appearances, was awarded the Big Ten Coach of the Year Award several times and is still regarded as one of the best football coaches in history.
The university has placed a 7 1/2 foot bronze statue of Schembechler at the entrance to the Stephen M. Ross Athletic Campus, a focal point of UM's football facility renovated in 2014. It includes a quote from the coach: “Those Who Stay Will Be Champions.”
Besides Schembechler, other UM officials allegedly alerted to the behavior of Anderson include former UM Assistant Athletic Director Paul W. Schmidt, the only current UM employee who allegedly knew of accusations against Anderson. He has denied that anyone ever told him about Anderson.
Anderson allegedly told another accuser that “you are much larger than average,” and compared him to a former university football player who was also attending medical school, according to one of the complaints.
The doctor allegedly told the accuser that he needed to collect a semen sample from him to “culture" to see what healthy semen looked like.
"Dr. Anderson then began masturbating himself in front of (accuser)," the lawsuit said. "Dr. Anderson told (accuser) to 'Feel free to join in' while Dr. Anderson was masturbating himself in front of (him)."
Anderson later asked the patient to lie on an exam table and masturbated him, the suit said.
Anderson's career included stints as director of the university health service and athletic team doctor. He retired from UM in 2003 and died in 2008. Sexual abuse allegations against Anderson emerged in February and since then scores of men have come forward, along with a few women.
More than 80 lawsuits have been filed against UM by former state Attorney General Mike Cox, and several other lawyers have also filed suits. At least one of the filings seeks class-action certification, and several other lawyers say they represent hundreds of victims still intending to sue.
UM has acknowledged his crimes and said it intends to settle with the victims.
Mediation in the cases is expected to begin in September.
kkozlowski@detroitnews.com
