LANSING, Mich. (AP) – A decades-long sentence for Michigan sports doctor Larry Nassar ensures he won’t be free again. But the conclusion of an extraordinary seven-day court hearing doesn’t close the book on the scandal. Nassar, 54, was sentenced Wednesday to a minimum of 40 years in state prison, a punishment that’s in addition to a 60-year term in federal prison for child pornography crimes. Michigan State University, where Nassar assaulted young gymnasts and other athletes, is under fire by victims, lawyers and lawmakers who want to know why he was able to get away with it for so long.
Here’s where things stand while Nassar sits behind bars:
___
Larry Nassar walks to the podium with attorneys Matt Newburg, left, and, Shannon Smith during his sentencing hearing Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2018, in Lansing, Mich. The former sports doctor who admitted molesting some of the nation’s top gymnasts for years was sentenced Wednesday to 40 to 175 years in prison as the judge declared: “I just signed your death warrant.” The sentence capped a remarkable seven-day hearing in which scores of Nassar’s victims were able to confront him face to face in the Michigan courtroom. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
NOT DONE YET
Nassar will appear in an Eaton County, Michigan, court on Jan. 31 for another prison sentence. He pleaded guilty to assaulting three girls at Twistars, a gymnastics club. Victims said they were regularly molested after lining up for treatment for various injuries. The club is owned by John Geddert, who was suspended this week by USA Gymnastics, the sport’s national governing body, and suddenly announced his retirement. He was U.S. women’s coach at the 2012 Olympics. Geddert said he had “zero knowledge” of Nassar’s crimes.
___
WHAT DID THEY KNOW?
One of Nassar’s victims, Kyle Stephens, said Michigan State needs to be “accountable for everything that they’ve done.” Judge Rosemarie Aquilina, too, is calling for an investigation of how years of allegations against Nassar were handled. Michigan State bowed to pressure last week and asked Attorney General Bill Schuette to conduct a review. A law firm hired by the university said no campus officials believed Nassar committed sexual assault before newspaper reports emerged in 2016. But some victims said they complained to various staff as far back as the late 1990s. Dianne Byrum, a member of the school’s governing board, says a “full accounting” is needed.
___
SIMON RESIGNS
Michigan State University President Lou Anna Simon announced her resignation Thursday night in a letter to the school’s Board of Trustees.
Two of Michigan State’s eight publicly elected trustees wanted her to resign after victims accused the university of mishandling past complaints about Nassar. The Michigan House voted 96-11 in favor of her resignation after Nassar was sentenced. A victim, Rachael Denhollander, said Michigan State was “compounding the damage” by the way it responded to the scandal.
A Simon supporter, trustee Joel Ferguson, said before her resignation that there’s more at Michigan State than “this Nassar thing.” He later apologized.
____
COMPENSATION FOR VICTIMS
More than 130 women and girls are suing Nassar. The litigation is mostly centered in federal court in western Michigan, although there are some cases in California. Michigan State and USA Gymnastics are also defendants, accused of negligence. In a recent filing, Michigan State asked a judge to dismiss the cases against the university on several technical grounds, not the merits of the allegations. The school says it has immunity under Michigan law and that the majority of victims were not MSU students at the time of the alleged assaults. “These arguments can seem disrespectful” to victims but a defense is required by Michigan State’s insurers, Simon earlier said. She added “we have the utmost respect and sympathy” for victims.
___
MORE HEAT
Ferguson laughed during a radio interview when asked if the NCAA might investigate Michigan State. “This is not Penn State,” he said Tuesday, referring to sexual abuse by football coach Jerry Sandusky. But the NCAA says it has sent a letter of inquiry regarding potential rules violations. Separately, the U.S. Olympic Committee says it will investigate why Nassar’s crimes went unchecked. Olympic gymnasts Aly Raisman, McKayla Maroney and Jordyn Wieber said they were victims when Nassar was a doctor at USA Gymnastics.
___
White reported from Detroit; AP Sports writer Larry Lage in East Lansing contributed to this report.
Victims react and hug Assistant Attorney General Angela Povilaitis after Larry Nassar was sentenced by Judge Rosemarie Aquilina to 40 to 175 years in prison, during a sentencing hearing Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2018, in Lansing, Mich. Nassar has admitted sexually assaulting athletes when he was employed by Michigan State University and USA Gymnastics, which is the sport’s national governing organization and trains Olympians. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
Michigan State University Department of Police and Public Safety Chief and Director Jim Dunlap, right, comforts Kyle Stephens after a sentencing hearing for Larry Nassar, Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2018, in Lansing, Mich. The former sports doctor who admitted molesting some of the nation’s top gymnasts for years was sentenced Wednesday to 40 to 175 years in prison as the judge declared: “I just signed your death warrant.” The sentence capped a remarkable seven-day hearing in which scores of Nassar’s victims were able to confront him face to face in the Michigan courtroom. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
With her coach at her side, gymnast Kaylee Lorincz prepares to make her victim impact statement, during Larry Nassar’s sentencing hearing Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2018 in Lansing, Mich. Nassar, the former sports doctor who admitted molesting some of the nation’s top gymnasts for years was sentenced Wednesday to 40 to 175 years in prison as the judge declared: “I just signed your death warrant.” The sentence capped a remarkable seven-day hearing in which scores of Nassar’s victims were able to confront him face to face in the Michigan courtroom. (Matthew Dae Smith/Lansing State Journal via AP)
People in the gallery react after a sentencing hearing for Larry Nassar Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2018, in Lansing, Mich. The former sports doctor who admitted molesting some of the nation’s top gymnasts for years was sentenced Wednesday to 40 to 175 years in prison as the judge declared: “I just signed your death warrant.” The sentence capped a remarkable seven-day hearing in which scores of Nassar’s victims were able to confront him face to face in the Michigan courtroom. (Matthew Dae Smith/Lansing State Journal via AP)
Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.