In these four high-profile cases, adults covered up sexual crimes. The Catholic Church moved priests. The Boy Scouts kept their Perversion Papers secret. Penn State preferred profits over boys. As the gymnastics’ story has already unfolded at Molestation State University against female gymnasts, there will be an expansion to female co-eds, making the travesty more widespread than Pedophilia State University.
According to the Detroit News (at this early juncture), at least 14 MSU officials knew of reports that Dr. Larry Nassar sexually molested athletes over a long period. In 2016, the Indianapolis Star published its investigation into sexual abuse within USA Gymnastics. Former gymnast Rachel Denhollander became the first gymnast to file a criminal complaint against Nassar who had responsibilities with USA Gymnastics, MSU, and at the Karolyi gymnastics training facility that he and his wife operated in rural Texas. I think it was in the Wall Street Journal that I read Nassar had an office at the Karolyi Ranch though the office was not connected to the training facility; instead, it was in the woods. That ensured Nassar would be alone with his victim…just like the priests, the troop leaders, and Sandusky.
Nassar, born in 1963, has already been convicted at the federal level for possessing child pornography, and received a 60 year jail sentence as a consequence. He very recently pled guilty to sexually molesting over 100 girls, which Judge Rosemarie Aquilina warranted a jail sentence of a minimum of 150 years. In the wake of his second guilty plea, MSU’s President and Athletic Director have resigned. I believe these two administrators, at a minimum, will ultimately go to jail just like the administrators at PSU. Highly successful football coach Joe “Pa” Paterno died before his inaction at PSU landed him in court.
At MSU, former (the timing of which is highly suspicious) women’s gymnastics coach Kathy Klages, men’s football coach Mike Dantonio (currently 100-45 in eleven seasons), and men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo who currently ranks second to Bobby Knight on the all-time Big Ten victory list will all face future scrutiny for prioritizing their respective programs above women. Things will get really, really ugly on the East Lansing campus and, as we already know, beyond the state of Michigan.
