Honestly alumni need to make this one hurt with pulling donations and such. Only way something changes is if money talks.
The problem being that alumni do the opposite, as shown with Penn State, where they just circle the wagons and actively make the problem worse as a backlash.
I'd agree that MSU is taking notes from Sandusky on this. They believe, possibly "rightly" (if your only interest is to protect the prestige of the university), that Penn State's biggest mistake was in acknowledging that wrongdoing occurred and trying to take corrective action, because it was too little too late for the people who were mad about it, while the people who care more about football than about giving a damn about abused children got mad at them for raising a stink in the first place. So you just do what you can to stonewall the whole thing and hope it blows over.
In this case, from what I've seen at least, most MSU alumni are in the fire Simon camp. It's just the trustees that are not.
Self-righteousness is incompatible with coalition building.
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Ninja Snarl PMy helmet is my burden.Ninja Snarl: Gone, but not forgotten.Registered Userregular
I think its a very complex mess and network of issues unfortunately. Not as an excuse but as an explanation its an intersection of lots of different attitudes, understandings, agendas, etc. The problematic nature of treating a vulnerable young group of children as a commodity which needs to be pressed into a preset mold in order to win glory for an institution would be the overarching issue that feeds into all these other problems. The most pressing issue in all these sports institutions is that money/glory/prestige are more important than all other considerations, and there is a "factory" like quality at work here too, treating the children as products on a production line rather than as vulnerable individuals. And the children are aware of this pressure too. I wouldnt be surprised if beyond the physical abuse mental abuse and problems of stress and pressure are a massive issue as well. Which likely leads to even more vulnerable individuals who feel broken down and dependent.
Combine that with human beings general "dont rock the boat" and other power structures and you've got a recipe for disaster
I say burn it all down
Don't forget just how much the average American is willing to overlook problems when it comes to the completely irrational hero worship of people in competitive sports. All that "loyalty" to teams and schools lets people rationalize ignoring some really ugly shit, because obviously anything bad is just a rumor since nothing they support could ever be bad. Adds a whole extra level to what people can get away with.
Just look at the crazy shit people get away with in pro sports, or how much the viewers are willing to completely ignore things like concussions being a massive problem for NFL players because noticing the problem would mean changing the sport. Easier to ignore all the bad stuff and say "who could have known?" when it's made too obvious to ignore, than acknowledge that maybe it's actually pretty unhealthy to obsess about people who throw a ball up and down a court or field for a living.
Honestly alumni need to make this one hurt with pulling donations and such. Only way something changes is if money talks.
The problem being that alumni do the opposite, as shown with Penn State, where they just circle the wagons and actively make the problem worse as a backlash.
I'd agree that MSU is taking notes from Sandusky on this. They believe, possibly "rightly" (if your only interest is to protect the prestige of the university), that Penn State's biggest mistake was in acknowledging that wrongdoing occurred and trying to take corrective action, because it was too little too late for the people who were mad about it, while the people who care more about football than about giving a damn about abused children got mad at them for raising a stink in the first place. So you just do what you can to stonewall the whole thing and hope it blows over.
In this case, from what I've seen at least, most MSU alumni are in the fire Simon camp. It's just the trustees that are not.
Yeah, this feels a lot different from Penn State, mainly because what drives a lot of the Penn State backlash is the way people deified Paterno and makes them refuse to acknowledge that yes, he was involved in the cover up. You're not really seeing that at MSU - it's pretty clear that the students want the leadership cleaned up.
As for USAG, someone compared them to the trainers at Westminister, and that's a sadly realistic comparison. The leadership didn't see these women as people, but as performers who were to go out, win medals, and if they disobeyed, well...there was always another girl with dreams to take her place.
I assume it's been made worse by olypmic gymnastics being turned into a sport only for teenage girls. there's such a contrast between male gymnastics(adult men) and female gymnastics(15 year old girls)
Also, YouTube finally pulled Nassar's channel of osteopathic videos - today. And only because a parent of one of the gymnasts in the videos went to Hank Green and Michael Gregory for help in having it removed.
How did YouTube not see this was a ticking time bomb?
I kinda think the Michigan GOP or Bill Schuette (current AG, likely GOP gubernatorial nominee) told him he wouldn't be getting the nomination this year. There are no primaries for regent/trustee/governor at Michigan/MSU/Wayne State, the parties just select candidates at their conventions.
enlightenedbum on
Self-righteousness is incompatible with coalition building.
Here are Izzo's actual comments, which I apparently did not read closely enough because I missed the bolded:
Izzo, on Simon: "It’s been a very difficult week for me. As a father, it’s been a difficult week. I listened to the stories of courageous women. I look at the survivors who spoke and, in all honesty, Nassar permanently damaged and changed the lives of so many of those people. I feel like it’s changed the life of all of us at Michigan State in some way, shape or form. As a father, that’s difficult to even fathom. I hope the right person was convicted.
"I have to say, though, that I have the utmost – the utmost – faith and respect for the leadership of our president, too, at Michigan State. That’s a woman who has dedicated over 40 years – and I’ve been here 33 with her, and I think I know what she stands for. So I hope and pray that those survivors continue to grow in their life. I hope we do everything we can to make sure that this will never happen ever again – not only at this institution, but any institution to be honest with you.
"But there has been a lot of sad days for me in a lot of ways. I’m gonna to try do to everything I can to help the survivors and to help us grow from this and learn from it and move forward. That’s all I have to say."
For those who have criticized the university and want a change in leadership, what do you have to say as one of the faces of the school? "You know, when I talk to you guys about basketball, it’s really easy. I really don’t give a damn if you agree with me or not. But I mean, you have to understand there is nothing I can say that is gonna be right right now, and there is nothing that’s gonna make anybody right. I’ll just stick by what I said. The survivors are the most courageous people – I can’t even imagine. I hate when I’m put in a position when I can almost start saying, ‘I know what you’re going through,’ because I have no clue what they’re going through and never will, and I hope I never find out. But I also, I just gotta say that that is a situation that I think is being dealt with and has been dealt with. And there is no way I could waver on the support for my administration or my president knowing the 35 years I have spent here on what she has done for this university, what she has stood for – not only athletics, that’s a small part. For women’s groups, for different groups, I think she’s been a champion. I hope and pray that the survivors get through this. But I also hope that we take a serious look at what we’re doing."
Is he really implying someone other than Nassar is responsible, or is that a “too clever” statement about how others who enables him should also be convicted
Is he really implying someone other than Nassar is responsible, or is that a “too clever” statement about how others who enables him should also be convicted
This is what I took it as if for no other reason than my brain can’t comprehend someone still thinking Nassar’s inncocent after more than 100 women came forward saying he did it.
Is he really implying someone other than Nassar is responsible, or is that a “too clever” statement about how others who enables him should also be convicted
This is what I took it as if for no other reason than my brain can’t comprehend someone still thinking Nassar’s inncocent after more than 100 women came forward saying he did it.
Not to mention the multiple guilty pleas. And all the child porn the FBI has on him. Some of which he reportedly filmed himself of himself.
Self-righteousness is incompatible with coalition building.
Lyons seems like the only one with some sort of conscience or at least isn't tone deaf about the optics. He should quit, and squeal on every Trustee to anyone without hearing distance.
Lyons seems like the only one with some sort of conscience or at least isn't tone deaf about the optics. He should quit, and squeal on every Trustee to anyone without hearing distance.
He did announce (well, probably was nudged by the Michigan GOP, but whatever) he was not running for re-election as well.
But he does not really have a conscience. Again, leaked the identity of a whistle blower in a previous sexual assault case (involving the football team, which is why he did it).
Self-righteousness is incompatible with coalition building.
Lyons seems like the only one with some sort of conscience or at least isn't tone deaf about the optics. He should quit, and squeal on every Trustee to anyone without hearing distance.
He did announce (well, probably was nudged by the Michigan GOP, but whatever) he was not running for re-election as well.
But he does not really have a conscience. Again, leaked the identity of a whistle blower in a previous sexual assault case (involving the football team, which is why he did it).
What's infuriating is that this scumbag is doing more then everyone else, who seem to be operating like everything's ok.
Lyons seems like the only one with some sort of conscience or at least isn't tone deaf about the optics. He should quit, and squeal on every Trustee to anyone without hearing distance.
He did announce (well, probably was nudged by the Michigan GOP, but whatever) he was not running for re-election as well.
But he does not really have a conscience. Again, leaked the identity of a whistle blower in a previous sexual assault case (involving the football team, which is why he did it).
What's infuriating is that this scumbag is doing more then everyone else, who seem to be operating like everything's ok.
Other than the students, anyway.
Self-righteousness is incompatible with coalition building.
There are at least 160 women who can guarantee that the "right person was convicted," since you can only "hope" that this is the case.
Second, until you have at least a modicum of knowledge about this situation, it would be safer to simply acknowledge that you can't be bothered to pay attention to the worst sexual assault scandal in history, right on your campus.
This type of blind loyalty without bothering to get the facts or listen to what we are saying, is exactly the same mindset that lead at least 14 MSU employees to side with Nassar instead of sexual assault victims, for 20 years.
We've been saying for 18 months that the mindset and mistakes that got us here, are still alive and well at MSU. Today, you confirmed it once again.
Self-righteousness is incompatible with coalition building.
The women's basketball coach's response is gross too, if echoing MSU's line:
Merchant, on Simon: To me, those people (like Nassar), in my opinion, are act-alone monsters. They're going to find a way to do the things they do, and it's really unfortunate. But this is a great university, it's a horrible situation and I think, when I look at it from the outside in ... I think Lou Anna is one of the best presidents in the country. And I fully have faith in her and the Board of Trustees. I get frustrated when I hear some things, because I just feel like we didn't cover anything up. If you didn't know, you didn't know. But who did know? And let's make some decision from there. But if you didn't know, it's hard to make a decision on what to do if you don't know what's going on. Number one, you want to always put the victims first, and I think this is a great institution. Lou Anna's an incredible president and has been a great role model for so many of us.
Self-righteousness is incompatible with coalition building.
Hey MSU fuck-for-brains: Not knowing is nearly as damning and if even true, shows that Simon isn’t a good president and that all of you are a bunch of dipshit chuckleboxes who also aren’t good at your jobs and should also go!
Let's take a break from the various villains of the story to talk about the heroes. Specifically Rachael Denhollander.
On her end: in 2000 she was abused by Nassar at 15, starting from the first time she saw him for a wrist injury and back pain. Because he was so practiced at it, she assumed it was a normal thing he did and that he wouldn't be allowed to practice medicine at MSU and with the Olympic team if it was not a valid treatment. He did this with her mom in the room, by positioning himself between Rachael and her mother. She thought it seemed wrong but was willing to do whatever it took to heal, because what other doctors had done did not help and he did diagnose some issues others hadn't caught (some of his diagnoses were almost definitely invalid excuses to continue to see and abuse patients, there is a medical malpractice subplot here too). So she came back, same thing. For the entire "treatment." She was uncomfortable with it, but kept going because it had to be valid right?
Once she realized that it was not and she was being abused, as far as I can tell she made it her mission to find justice. It just took a very, very long time, because she saw and felt that she would not be believed. Went to law school pretty much to figure out exactly what needed to happen. Researched other cases. Finally, in 2016, the Indy Star report by Marisa Kwiatkowski, Mark Alesia and Tim Evans on the culture of sexual abuse inside USAG and USAG's efforts to cover it up came out. One of the major pieces of information they were seeking to get via FOIA were USAG's secret dossiers of coaches who had allegations against them. Denhollander saw that and figured this was her chance. So she told them to look out for Nassar's name. And that she was willing to go on the record, with her own name and face. She knew there that given Nassar's power and influence inside MSU and USAG that there would need to be multiple accusers, at least one of whom needed to not be anonymous and decided she was willing to be the lightning rod that drew attention. Jamie Dantzler also told the Indy Star reporters she had been abused. She remained anonymous at the time, so Denhollander because the face of the survivors. The resulting article is here. It led to Nassar finally being fired by MSU, the investigation, and his arrest.
Rachael Denhollander will be the last survivor to give her victim impact statement, probably tomorrow or Tuesday.
Self-righteousness is incompatible with coalition building.
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daveNYCWhy universe hate Waspinator?Registered Userregular
Let's take a break from the various villains of the story to talk about the heroes. Specifically Rachael Denhollander.
On her end: in 2000 she was abused by Nassar at 15, starting from the first time she saw him for a wrist injury and back pain. Because he was so practiced at it, she assumed it was a normal thing he did and that he wouldn't be allowed to practice medicine at MSU and with the Olympic team if it was not a valid treatment. He did this with her mom in the room, by positioning himself between Rachael and her mother. She thought it seemed wrong but was willing to do whatever it took to heal, because what other doctors had done did not help and he did diagnose some issues others hadn't caught (some of his diagnoses were almost definitely invalid excuses to continue to see and abuse patients, there is a medical malpractice subplot here too). So she came back, same thing. For the entire "treatment." She was uncomfortable with it, but kept going because it had to be valid right?
Once she realized that it was not and she was being abused, as far as I can tell she made it her mission to find justice. It just took a very, very long time, because she saw and felt that she would not be believed. Went to law school pretty much to figure out exactly what needed to happen. Researched other cases. Finally, in 2016, the Indy Star report by Marisa Kwiatkowski, Mark Alesia and Tim Evans on the culture of sexual abuse inside USAG and USAG's efforts to cover it up came out. One of the major pieces of information they were seeking to get via FOIA were USAG's secret dossiers of coaches who had allegations against them. Denhollander saw that and figured this was her chance. So she told them to look out for Nassar's name. And that she was willing to go on the record, with her own name and face. She knew there that given Nassar's power and influence inside MSU and USAG that there would need to be multiple accusers, at least one of whom needed to not be anonymous and decided she was willing to be the lightning rod that drew attention. Jamie Dantzler also told the Indy Star reporters she had been abused. She remained anonymous at the time, so Denhollander because the face of the survivors. The resulting article is here. It led to Nassar finally being fired by MSU, the investigation, and his arrest.
Rachael Denhollander will be the last survivor to give her victim impact statement, probably tomorrow or Tuesday.
Mother fucking god among insects she is. MSU needs to set up a law scholarship in her name or something.
Shut up, Mr. Burton! You were not brought upon this world to get it!
Emma Ann Miller, who is just 15 years old, stood next to her mother and addressed the court. Speaking with remarkable poise, Miller explained that she has known Nassar her whole life and considered him to be a male role model and a friend. She also sought treatment from Nassar, who sexually abused her as he did so many others who considered him to be a friend. She said that the last “treatment” she received from Nassar was in August 2016, possibly making her the last child to be assaulted by the former physician. Rachael Denhollander filed her report with the MSU police in August 2016, which led to Nassar’s employment termination.
One of the most appalling details in Miller’s statement was when she said that MSU sports medicine clinic is still trying to charge her for her visits to Nassar. “My mom is still getting billed for appointments where I was sexually assaulted,” she said in her statement.
How the fuck do you let that happen? Once everything came out, MSU should have written those bills off.
Emma Ann Miller, who is just 15 years old, stood next to her mother and addressed the court. Speaking with remarkable poise, Miller explained that she has known Nassar her whole life and considered him to be a male role model and a friend. She also sought treatment from Nassar, who sexually abused her as he did so many others who considered him to be a friend. She said that the last “treatment” she received from Nassar was in August 2016, possibly making her the last child to be assaulted by the former physician. Rachael Denhollander filed her report with the MSU police in August 2016, which led to Nassar’s employment termination.
One of the most appalling details in Miller’s statement was when she said that MSU sports medicine clinic is still trying to charge her for her visits to Nassar. “My mom is still getting billed for appointments where I was sexually assaulted,” she said in her statement.
How the fuck do you let that happen? Once everything came out, MSU should have written those bills off.
Because clearly MSU feels the treatments were valid. It really seems to be at the forefront of their statements and support from the school. They think sexual assault is fine.
I would like some money because these are artisanal nuggets of wisdom philistine.
Emma Ann Miller, who is just 15 years old, stood next to her mother and addressed the court. Speaking with remarkable poise, Miller explained that she has known Nassar her whole life and considered him to be a male role model and a friend. She also sought treatment from Nassar, who sexually abused her as he did so many others who considered him to be a friend. She said that the last “treatment” she received from Nassar was in August 2016, possibly making her the last child to be assaulted by the former physician. Rachael Denhollander filed her report with the MSU police in August 2016, which led to Nassar’s employment termination.
One of the most appalling details in Miller’s statement was when she said that MSU sports medicine clinic is still trying to charge her for her visits to Nassar. “My mom is still getting billed for appointments where I was sexually assaulted,” she said in her statement.
How the fuck do you let that happen? Once everything came out, MSU should have written those bills off.
Because clearly MSU feels the treatments were valid. It really seems to be at the forefront of their statements and support from the school. They think sexual assault is fine.
Its a little bit more than that. MSU is trying to do everything possible to make themselves appear to be one of Nasser's victims. If MSU didn't know what was going on and thought everything was legit, then they are just another "victim" and they can use that as protection from all of the civil lawsuits that are going to be heading their way. They've chose to try to protect themselves by throwing hundreds of women under the proverbial bus, and it is absolutely disgusting.
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KalTorakOne way or another, they all end up inthe Undercity.Registered Userregular
The classic “we’re not evil, we’re hopelessly incompetent!” defense.
Presumably an automatic billing thing that no one went back and re-examined, or listened to the survivors when I'm sure they complained, which is par for the course. MSU did say they would stop seeking payment on those bills today.
USAG's chair, vice-chair, and treasurer all submitted their resignations yesterday, which were accepted today.
Self-righteousness is incompatible with coalition building.
By Matt Mencarini's (Lansing State Journal) count we are up to 123 victim statements thus far. 34 today. At the start of last week, there were 88 victim statements planned. I believe Victim 185, who chose to remain anonymous, is the highest number thus far. At least that many women have come forward. Not all are planning on giving statements. At last count from this morning, 144 women were planning on giving their statements.
They are done for today, based on the pace so far I would imagine they will try to get the last 21 and any who came forward today or come forward tonight tomorrow and then Nassar will be sentenced. By the deal, he will get 40 years. A number of the women, including the 15 year old who was being billed for her molestation, have requested the judge not accept the plea deal and push forward with a trial so he can get 125 years.
Regardless of how many come forward, Denhollander will be last.
enlightenedbum on
Self-righteousness is incompatible with coalition building.
While speaking with reporters at an NCAA conference in Indianapolis last Thursday, NCAA president Mark Emmert was asked to comment on Michigan State’s role in abetting Larry Nassar’s years of sexual abuse while he worked as a team doctor for the university’s women’s gymnastics and rowing teams. His response was both utterly useless and completely predictable.
Here’s Emmert, per ESPN:
“I don’t have enough information [on] the details of what transpired at the school right now,” Emmert said. “That’s obviously something that the university itself is looking deeply into. You hear that testimony — it just breaks your heart when you look at it, but I can’t offer an opinion at this time. It’s clearly very, very disturbing, and I know the leadership there is equally shaken by it.”
If it feels stupid and silly for the president of the NCAA to stand there and say he doesn’t have “enough information,” despite the fact that Michigan State’s sins are widely known—they did not reach out to the victims for six months; they ignored reports of Nassar’s assaults for years; they allowed Nassar to continue seeing patients alone while under investigation; they billed the family of 15-year-old gymnast for her visit while Nassar sat in a jumpsuit listening to victim testimony—that’s because it is. Hell, the majority of the initial reporting, including an interview with Rachel Denhollander, was completed by the Indianapolis Star, the hometown newspaper for Emmert and NCAA headquarters.
USAG has suspended John Geddert, the Twistars coach who worked with Nassar and was the bad cop so Nassar could win gymnasts trust. Has also long been accused of abusive (verbal and physical) behavior in his own right.
They, at least, seem to have finally gotten the message. 20 years late, but that's better than MSU so far.
enlightenedbum on
Self-righteousness is incompatible with coalition building.
USAG has suspended John Geddert, the Twistars coach who worked with Nassar and was the bad cop so Nassar could win gymnasts trust. Has also long been accused of abusive (verbal and physical) behavior in his own right.
Too little, too late. Given Geddert's own history as well as his relationship with Nassar, they should be fully breaking ties with him and Twistars (which he owns, by the way.)
The Senate has passed legislation to make government bodies for amateur sports mandatory reporters. Unanimously. The House has not yet taken it up, because of course it hasn't.
Self-righteousness is incompatible with coalition building.
One of the various people live tweeting the victim statements is Rachael Denhollander's husband (she is, perhaps unsurprisingly, not on Twitter). He posted this:
It's her testimony at the preliminary hearing last May. Long, long video. Three hours of questioning about the sexual assaults she suffered as a teenager that led her to almost never trust anyone (she testifies that the first time she held hands with her future husband was a traumatic experience), she raises her voice exactly once, when the defense attorney tries to assert that fondling her breast may have been a legitimate medical procedure she didn't recognize.
As much attention as Raisman (and Biles, Maroney, and the other Olympians) got in the national press, she's the remarkable figure here, which the survivors pretty consistently point out.
Self-righteousness is incompatible with coalition building.
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In this case, from what I've seen at least, most MSU alumni are in the fire Simon camp. It's just the trustees that are not.
Don't forget just how much the average American is willing to overlook problems when it comes to the completely irrational hero worship of people in competitive sports. All that "loyalty" to teams and schools lets people rationalize ignoring some really ugly shit, because obviously anything bad is just a rumor since nothing they support could ever be bad. Adds a whole extra level to what people can get away with.
Just look at the crazy shit people get away with in pro sports, or how much the viewers are willing to completely ignore things like concussions being a massive problem for NFL players because noticing the problem would mean changing the sport. Easier to ignore all the bad stuff and say "who could have known?" when it's made too obvious to ignore, than acknowledge that maybe it's actually pretty unhealthy to obsess about people who throw a ball up and down a court or field for a living.
Yeah, this feels a lot different from Penn State, mainly because what drives a lot of the Penn State backlash is the way people deified Paterno and makes them refuse to acknowledge that yes, he was involved in the cover up. You're not really seeing that at MSU - it's pretty clear that the students want the leadership cleaned up.
As for USAG, someone compared them to the trainers at Westminister, and that's a sadly realistic comparison. The leadership didn't see these women as people, but as performers who were to go out, win medals, and if they disobeyed, well...there was always another girl with dreams to take her place.
How did YouTube not see this was a ticking time bomb?
Someone just saw the writing on the wall.
May he be the first domino to fall.
I kinda think the Michigan GOP or Bill Schuette (current AG, likely GOP gubernatorial nominee) told him he wouldn't be getting the nomination this year. There are no primaries for regent/trustee/governor at Michigan/MSU/Wayne State, the parties just select candidates at their conventions.
Aly Raisman's mom is pretty mad about it.
This is what I took it as if for no other reason than my brain can’t comprehend someone still thinking Nassar’s inncocent after more than 100 women came forward saying he did it.
Not to mention the multiple guilty pleas. And all the child porn the FBI has on him. Some of which he reportedly filmed himself of himself.
Rest of the board is still tone deaf.
-Indiana Solo, runner of blades
The implication is that he's a political opportunist who changed his mind in the last 30 hours.
To be fair, the guy is a total asshole and an embarrassment to the university, so that's completely plausible.
What are they, some fancified city university types?
He did announce (well, probably was nudged by the Michigan GOP, but whatever) he was not running for re-election as well.
But he does not really have a conscience. Again, leaked the identity of a whistle blower in a previous sexual assault case (involving the football team, which is why he did it).
What's infuriating is that this scumbag is doing more then everyone else, who seem to be operating like everything's ok.
Other than the students, anyway.
Hey MSU fuck-for-brains:
Not knowing is nearly as damning and if even true, shows that Simon isn’t a good president and that all of you are a bunch of dipshit chuckleboxes who also aren’t good at your jobs and should also go!
On her end: in 2000 she was abused by Nassar at 15, starting from the first time she saw him for a wrist injury and back pain. Because he was so practiced at it, she assumed it was a normal thing he did and that he wouldn't be allowed to practice medicine at MSU and with the Olympic team if it was not a valid treatment. He did this with her mom in the room, by positioning himself between Rachael and her mother. She thought it seemed wrong but was willing to do whatever it took to heal, because what other doctors had done did not help and he did diagnose some issues others hadn't caught (some of his diagnoses were almost definitely invalid excuses to continue to see and abuse patients, there is a medical malpractice subplot here too). So she came back, same thing. For the entire "treatment." She was uncomfortable with it, but kept going because it had to be valid right?
Once she realized that it was not and she was being abused, as far as I can tell she made it her mission to find justice. It just took a very, very long time, because she saw and felt that she would not be believed. Went to law school pretty much to figure out exactly what needed to happen. Researched other cases. Finally, in 2016, the Indy Star report by Marisa Kwiatkowski, Mark Alesia and Tim Evans on the culture of sexual abuse inside USAG and USAG's efforts to cover it up came out. One of the major pieces of information they were seeking to get via FOIA were USAG's secret dossiers of coaches who had allegations against them. Denhollander saw that and figured this was her chance. So she told them to look out for Nassar's name. And that she was willing to go on the record, with her own name and face. She knew there that given Nassar's power and influence inside MSU and USAG that there would need to be multiple accusers, at least one of whom needed to not be anonymous and decided she was willing to be the lightning rod that drew attention. Jamie Dantzler also told the Indy Star reporters she had been abused. She remained anonymous at the time, so Denhollander because the face of the survivors. The resulting article is here. It led to Nassar finally being fired by MSU, the investigation, and his arrest.
Rachael Denhollander will be the last survivor to give her victim impact statement, probably tomorrow or Tuesday.
Mother fucking god among insects she is. MSU needs to set up a law scholarship in her name or something.
This whole thing will take decades to untangle. And MSU will only concede what the courts force them to do.
How the fuck do you let that happen? Once everything came out, MSU should have written those bills off.
Because clearly MSU feels the treatments were valid. It really seems to be at the forefront of their statements and support from the school. They think sexual assault is fine.
pleasepaypreacher.net
Its a little bit more than that. MSU is trying to do everything possible to make themselves appear to be one of Nasser's victims. If MSU didn't know what was going on and thought everything was legit, then they are just another "victim" and they can use that as protection from all of the civil lawsuits that are going to be heading their way. They've chose to try to protect themselves by throwing hundreds of women under the proverbial bus, and it is absolutely disgusting.
Which is fine, I suppose. But obviously worthy of losing your job if ever this is your go-to defense.
USAG's chair, vice-chair, and treasurer all submitted their resignations yesterday, which were accepted today.
They are done for today, based on the pace so far I would imagine they will try to get the last 21 and any who came forward today or come forward tonight tomorrow and then Nassar will be sentenced. By the deal, he will get 40 years. A number of the women, including the 15 year old who was being billed for her molestation, have requested the judge not accept the plea deal and push forward with a trial so he can get 125 years.
Regardless of how many come forward, Denhollander will be last.
Can you not chicken out for once, Mark?
They, at least, seem to have finally gotten the message. 20 years late, but that's better than MSU so far.
Too little, too late. Given Geddert's own history as well as his relationship with Nassar, they should be fully breaking ties with him and Twistars (which he owns, by the way.)
It's her testimony at the preliminary hearing last May. Long, long video. Three hours of questioning about the sexual assaults she suffered as a teenager that led her to almost never trust anyone (she testifies that the first time she held hands with her future husband was a traumatic experience), she raises her voice exactly once, when the defense attorney tries to assert that fondling her breast may have been a legitimate medical procedure she didn't recognize.
As much attention as Raisman (and Biles, Maroney, and the other Olympians) got in the national press, she's the remarkable figure here, which the survivors pretty consistently point out.