UW examining health, safety of athletes

MADISON – The numbers are staggering and should scare anyone involved in college athletics.

Michigan State officials recently agreed to a $500 million settlement with more than 300 females who said they were sexually abused by Larry Nassar, a doctor who worked for USA Gymnastics and MSU.

Nassar’s trial and conviction on charges of sexual abuse sparked outrage from coast to coast.

University of Wisconsin officials, mindful of the Nassar case, have been studying for several months whether UW is doing all it can to adequately protect its students.

Professor Peter Miller, chairman of the UW Athletic Board and a faculty representative to the Big Ten and NCAA, is one of several individuals working to compile a report on student-athlete safety/health at UW.

“It is not a broader audit of the whole functioning of the department,” Miller informed members of the athletic board earlier this year. “It is not at all being done in response to problems that we think are here. It is not an investigation in any way.

“It is kind of a proactive search of what is going on.”

Miller plans to share several substantive items during the June 15 athletic board meeting, though the full report won’t be ready by then.

“We are going to share it widely,” he said of the full report. “We’ll share it with the athletic department. We’ll share it with our teams. We’ll share it with the chancellor. We’ll share it with the University Committee. We’ll share it with the Board of Regents.”

According to Miller, individuals aiding in the compilation of the report include Dr. Richard J. Davidson, founder and director of the Center for Healthy Minds at UW; and Kristen Roman, the UW chief of police.

Officials have received feedback from more than 500 people associated with the UW athletic department — including administrative staff, coaches and students.

One area of study is the medical care athletes receive at UW.

“What does that look like in the training room?” Miller noted. “What does it look like when you have an injury? What does the protocol communication look like?

“How do we know who is working with our students and how are they vetted?

“This is a process that we’re taking very seriously. It’s not an empirical study. It’s not something that we’re going to try to make empirical conclusions about. It is a limited process.

“We’re not claiming to find every single issue but we’re trying to make it the best we can.”