Dr. Larry Nassar (NBC News)
An NBC Nightly News report raises questions as to whether Michigan State University did enough to stop Dr. Larry Nassar from allegedly committing sexual assaults during exams. Nassar was also the longtime team physician for USA Gymnastics.
Nassar faces a flurry of sexual assault charges involving girls and young women, as well as child pornography charges. MSU declined to comment for the report, citing the ongoing criminal investigation.
NBC says:
Interviews and documents obtained by NBC News provide new details about how the university handled the allegations that Nassar digitally penetrated young patients without gloves or parental consent under the guise of invasive pelvic treatments:
- At a hastily called team meeting the day the news broke in September 2016, Athletic Department communications director Jamie Baldwin told the girls they should not speak to the media or post on their social accounts, according to three people present. (Kathie( Klages, who had been coach for 27 years, wept as she passionately defended Nassar, telling the team she would trust her own grandkids with him, the sources said.
- For nearly five months after the scandal broke in September, MSU did not directly encourage gymnasts to report suspected abuse by Nassar to police, Lemke and two others said. The lack of communication was so frustrating that the team went to the administration in February to complain.
- In fact, as recently as this month, some members of the campus community were still unsure how they could provide information about Nassar, the university said, so MSU finally sent a letter with details to all female student-athletes.
