There is an ESPN Report that Michigan State Suppressed Information about Athletes Involved in Assaults

PHILADELPHIA – The fallout from the Dr. Larry Nassar scandal continued to fall at Michigan State on Friday morning when AD Mark Hollis resigned from his position. Hollis was in charge of the Spartan’s athletic department since 2007, when Nassar, the team physician, was in the process of sexually assaulting 150 co-ed athletes and young underage women attending university sports camps. Nassar has since been sentenced to 175 years in prison.

The announcement of Hollis’ departure came shortly before ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” dropped a bomb shell reporting an investigation by their staffers had found a widespread pattern of denial, inaction and information suppression of such allegations ranging by officials ranging from campus police to the Spartan athletic department.

Three times in the last three years, the university has fought in court unsuccessfully to withhold names of athletes in campus police records. The school has also deleted so much information from some incident reports that they were nearly unreadable. Administrators conducting the international investigations have been selective when releasing information publicly. In one case, the University, an outside investigator claimed to not even have generated a written report at conclusion of his work.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, Michigan State’s two most recognizable coaches, football coach Mark Dantonio and basketball coach Tom Izzo, have had incidents involving their programs. ESPN reported since Dantonio’s tenure began in 2007, that at least 16 Michigan State football players have been accused of violence against women. Dantonio was involved the handling the discipline of at least one of the cases several years ago, reportedly telling the player involved to talk to his mother about what he had done. In June 2017, Dantonio said he was dealing with allegations toward his players for the first time. Last year, he dismissed three players, Donnie Corley, Josh King and Demetric Vance, from the team after they were charged with criminal sexual assault. Another player, Auston Robertson, was also kicked off the team after a charge of criminal sexual conduct in a separate incident.

“Outside the Lines” also obtained information about a never before publicized incident that involved members of Izzo’s nationally prominent program. Including one report made against former star Travis Walton who was on Izzo’s staff as an undergraduate student assistant coach who allegedly punched a woman in a bar, was allowed to travel with the team after being arrested and his assault and battery case was eventually dismissed. A few months later, after the Spartans made the Final Four, Walton, along with two freshmen players Keith Appling and Adrean Payne, was accused of sexually assaulting a different co-ed in their dorm room. Walton was fired but the two players were not reprimanded according to “Outside the Lines.”

Winning can’t be this important.

The ESPN investigation was enough to spark reports both Dantonnio and Izzo would resign. Both coaches denied they would resign with Dantonio responding to the ESPN report by saying “Any accusations of my handling of any complaints of sexual assault individually are completely false.”

The past came back to haunt Walton last night. The Los Angeles Clippers placed Walton, an assistant coach with the Clipper’s G-League affiliate, on administrative leave ‘pending further investigation.”

Michigan State students made a concerted effort to begin the healing process and show their support for victims of Dr. Larry Nassar before Friday night’s game against Wisconsin at the Breslin Center The Spartans’ student section, The Izzone, held a “teal out,” collectively wearing the specific color to raise awareness of sexual assault.