Mich. sex abuse claims mirror those in Ohio St. doctor case
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — When the University of Michigan announced last week that allegations of decades-old sexual misconduct by a sports doctor were under investigation, former wrestler Mike DiSabato was stunned by the parallels to an abuse scandal at his alma mater, Ohio State.
The accusations by several people against Dr. Robert E. Anderson at Michigan immediately called to mind claims Mr. DiSabato and hundreds of other men made about Dr. Richard Strauss at Ohio State. The two cases had striking similarities. Two physicians, both dead for years, are now accused of using their positions to abuse male athletes and students.
Both men worked in athletics and student health care, were well-regarded during long tenures and at some point focused on researching or treating genital ailments.
“It’s unbelievable, yet totally believable,” Mr. DiSabato said in an interview with The Associated Press.
Former athletes have alleged that both doctors performed inappropriate or unnecessary exams. They said some athletes joked and warned each other about the behavior but did not challenge it because they were embarrassed, unsure of the medical necessity or unwilling to risk jeopardizing their spot on a team. They recalled nicknames for the physicians such as “Dr. Jelly Paws” and “Dr. Drop Your Drawers.”
Former patients said they made coaches or other officials aware of concerns decades ago and got nowhere. Investigators said both men came under scrutiny by state regulators in the mid1990s, but the cases were closed.
The accusations against Strauss and Anderson were brought to the attention of university officials by former wrestlers just a few months apart in 2018, but the resulting investigations and responses have followed different timelines.
Ohio State launched a school-funded investigation by a law firm in April 2018. Those investigators concluded last year that Strauss sexually abused young men for nearly two decades, starting in the late 1970s, and that school officials failed to stop him. The university has apologized and promised a “monetary resolution,” though the federal lawsuits against the school remain unsettled after months of mediation.
University of Michigan officials said campus police began investigating Anderson after a former wrestler notified the athletic director in July 2018 that he was fondled during medical exams in the 1970s and had told his coach back then. After local prosecutors reviewed the investigation and determined no criminal charges could be authorized, the school announced Wednesday that an outside investigation by a law firm was underway.
Those investigators are likely to encounter similar hurdles as in the Ohio State investigation. Many years have passed. Memories have faded. Records may have been purged, and some employees or others with relevant knowledge may be dead.
The president of the University of Michigan apologized Thursday to “anyone who was harmed” by Anderson.
While no one has publicly defended Strauss, The Detroit News quoted Anderson’s children rebuffing the allegations against their father. In a police report, former Michigan football coach Lloyd Carr was among those interviewed who said they did not see or hear about any inappropriate behavior by Anderson.