Report: MSU President Lou Anna Simon Received Complaints About Larry Nassar In 2014
Complaints against Larry Nassar for alleged sexual assault reached Michigan State University President Lou Anna Simon in 2014, according to a Detroit News investigation.
In April of that year, an MSU student reported Nassar to the university and its campus police department for allegedly massaging her breasts and attempting to digitally penetrate her. Here's more from the News' story:
In April 2014, MSU alum Amanda Thomashow told Dr. Jeff Kovan, of the MSU Sports Medicine Clinic, about possible sexual misconduct while on a March 24 visit to Nassar’s office for treatment of hip pain.
Kovan reported the incident to the Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives, then the office that investigated sexual misconduct complaints under Title IX laws that bar discrimination on the basis of sex. The accuser also reported the abuse to the MSU police department in May 2014.
...Notice of both complaints reached Simon. The MSU president declined to be interviewed for this story, although she briefly answered questions Thursday in a break during Nassar’s sentencing hearing indicating she knew very little about the investigation.
Simon told The News she was made aware of the ensuing investigation but not any specifics, including Nassar's identity.
“I was informed that a sports medicine doctor was under investigation,” Simon told The Detroit News. “I told people to play it straight up, and I did not receive a copy of the report. That’s the truth.”
Simon received no further briefing on the incident. That is typical, according to an MSU spokesperson, in cases where no wrongdoing was found: Nassar was cleared by the university's Title IX investigation into the incident and Ingham County prosecutors did not authorize charges.
After those investigations, Nassar went on to sexually assault 12 more women, according to The News' report.