The president of the NCAA was warned in 2010 about a rash of sex assault allegations against Michigan State University student athletes but took no action, a new report claims.
National Coalition Against Violent Athletes founder Kathy Redmond told The Athletic that she warned NCAA President Mark Emmert of 37 sexual assault allegations against MSU athletes, but that nothing came of it.
It comes on the heels of MSU’s president and athletic director resigning, as public pressure mounts over disgraced doctor Larry Nassar, who was sentenced to 175 years in prison for abusing young female gymnasts at MSU and elsewhere.
Redmond’s claims, on the other hand, relate to student athlete violence and what she says is a culture that overlooks sexual assault allegations on campus.
She says she met with Emmert in person in 2010 to discuss her concerns about Michigan State’s then-president Lou Anna K. Simon and her university’s handling of the police report a woman filed accusing two basketball players of sexual assault.
NCAA President Mark Emmert (pictured) took no apparent action over allegations in 2010 that 37 MSU student athletes had committed sexual assaults, a new report claims
On Friday, students wearing teal in support of victims packed the student cheering section for a home basketball game against Wisconsin
Public pressure is mounting over how MSU handled disgraced doctor Larry Nassar, who was sentenced to 175 years in prison for abusing young female gymnasts at MSU and elsewhere
Redmond also said she penned a letter to Emmert, which read in part: ‘In the past two years alone, 37 reports of sexual assault by MSU athletes have been reported, but not one disciplinary sanction was imposed by school officials against any of the men involved.’
‘What I really got from the experience with Mark Emmert was, that governing body governs him,’ Redmond told The Athletic, referring to the NCAA board of governors, which consists of the presidents of various prestigious universities.
‘He met with me, which was great and I appreciated that. But the governing board has an awful lot of power. … It’s a strange setup. You do kind of get the fox guarding the hen house mentality.’
Emmert did not respond to The Athletic’s request for comment and was not reachable by DailyMail,com early Saturday.
The NCAA announced on Tuesday that it was opening an investigation into MSU’s handling of the Nassar case.
Meanwhile, outrage was still mounting on the MSU campus, following the resignations of President Simon on Wednesday and athletic director Mark Hollis on Friday.
Demonstrators gather at ‘The Rock’ on MSU’s East Lansing campus to support victims of disgraced former sports doctor Larry Nassar and call for more changes in leadership
Michigan State sophomore Brooke Rosin chants ‘silence is violence’ alongside dozens of MSU student protesting in support of sexual assault survivors on Friday night
Michigan State students wearing teal-colored T-shirts in the ‘Izzone,’ a vocal student cheering section named after head basketball coach Tom Izzo, cheer during the game Friday
Officials at the school have been dogged by questions over Nassar, who taught there for decades before he was fired in 2016 as former gymnasts came forward with abuse allegations.
MSU students took to the streets of East Lansing on Friday night to protest the school’s handling of the Nassar allegations.
‘Silence is violence’ the students shouted, many carrying signs reading #TimesUpMSU.
At Friday night’s home game against Wisconsin, the Breslin Center was filled with students wearing teal in honor of victims – the school’s official colors are green and white.
The teal shirts filled the ‘Izzone,’ a vocal student cheering section named after head basketball coach Tom Izzo.
Michigan State coach Tom Izzo gives instructions against Wisconsin during the first half of Friday’s game. He has said he will not resign over the Nassar case
Spartans guard Miles Bridges (22) drives the baseline against Wisconsin Badgers forward Ethan Happ (22) during the second half at Jack Breslin Student Events Center
Students showed their solidarity with victims of sexual abuse by wearing teal at the game
Izzo and football coach Mark Dantonio have no reported connection to Nassar, and have both said publicly that they will not resign over the scandal.
‘I’m not going anywhere in my mind. I’m definitely not retiring,’ Izzo said on Friday night after the Spartans’ 76-61 win over Wisconsin, MLive.com reported.
‘We will cooperate with any investigation going forward, as we have always done,’ Izzo said. ‘That’s about all I have to say about it.’
Michigan Governor Rick Snyder is considering whether to launch an inquiry into MSU, investigate the university’s publicly elected eight-member board, his spokeswoman said on Friday.
Under the Michigan Constitution, the governor can remove or suspend public officers for ‘gross neglect of duty,’ corruption or ‘other misfeasance or malfeasance.’