FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JUNE 11, 2021
CONTACT:
Autria Lindsay (202) 322-4401
HEY UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN BOARD OF REGENTS: MICHIGAN ATTORNEY GENERAL DANA NESSEL IS WAITING FOR YOUR CALL
ANN ARBOR - On Thursday, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel was asked about opening an investigation into the heinous sexual abuse hundreds of University of Michigan athletes endured for 37 years while University officials knowingly turned a blind eye. When questioned on whether her office would pursue an investigation into the 850 claims of rape and sexual assault by Wolverine team physician Dr. Robert Anderson, Nessel essentially said the ball is in the University of Michigan's court. Citing her "lessons learned" during the Michigan State investigation of Dr. Larry Nassar, Nessel said in part:
"Why would we go into a situation knowing ahead of time that we would never be able to actually get to the root of what went wrong at the University of Michigan that would’ve allowed this to happen if we don’t upfront have a Board of Regents that will say to us, when we say full cooperation, that means full cooperation. And that means we will make available every single witness who you want to interview, we aren’t going to have our own attorneys there telling them what they should or shouldn’t say and trying to intimidate them during the course of those interviews, which is what happened at Michigan State, and we’re going to turn over every document that you want irrespective of whether it is protected by privilege or not. And until we get that kind of commitment I will tell you right now I won’t waste the resources of this office and I won’t waste the resources of this state in order to conduct what would be an incomplete and inconclusive investigation. So for those reasons I don’t know that it makes a lot of sense to go in nor have I been invited to." Nessel later said, "But again if they do want us to conduct such an investigation and they are willing to abide by our terms, the regents at the University of Michigan have my number, except for Ron Weiser, I won’t give him my number."
In response, Spotlight Michigan Spokesperson Autria Lindsay issued the following statement:
"Sounds like all it's going to take to finally see accountability and receive justice for these 850 victims of atrocious rapes, sexual assaults, and sexual abuse is a University of Michigan Board of Regents that will act as willing participants and fully cooperate with a criminal investigation examining the protection and promotion of a serial sexual predator for decades. The only way to make sure these criminal acts don't happen again is if the Univesity is held accountable. They were complicit in allowing this abuse to occur, and to this day have yet to take any responsibility for their role.
She's waiting for your call Regents, time to pick up the phone."
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Click here to watch Nessel's full remarks.
Spotlight Michigan is committed to exposing these crimes and providing a voice to the community of victims, families, friends, and University of Michigan alumni that demand accountability from the University for its failure to put students before predators. It is also imperative that protocols and procedures be updated and improved to ensure such systemic failures that allowed for both the abuse and the cover-up never happen again.
To learn more about Spotlight Michigan visit our website at www.spotlightmichigan.com
