Son, players: Schembechler knew of abuse

NOVI, Mich. — One of legendary University of Michigan football coach Bo Schembechler’s sons and two of his former players described in detail Thursday how they were molested by the team’s longtime doctor and how Schembechler turned a blind eye when they told him about the abuse, telling one to “toughen up” and punching his son in anger.

Matt Schembechler, 62, and former Wolverines players Daniel Kwiatkowski and Gilvanni Johnson told similar stories about how Dr. Robert E. Anderson, who died in 2008, molested and digitally penetrated them during physical exams decades ago. They also talked about how Bo Schembechler, a Michigan icon whose statue stands outside a university building that bears his name, refused to protect them and allowed Anderson to continue abusing players and other patients for years.

Anderson “was supported by a culture that placed the reputation of the university above the health and safety of the students,” Matt Schembechler said during a news conference in the Detroit suburb of Novi. “That is the culture that made my father a legend and placed his statue in front of Schembechler Hall.

“Dr. Anderson was part of the University of Michigan team. He was part of Bo’s team, therefore, he was more important than any man. It’s very clear that Bo and the university always put themselves before any student-athlete or son, just to support the brand.”

The three are among hundreds of men who were allegedly abused by Anderson during his nearly four decades working for the university — a period in which he also treated staffers, their families and other patients. And their assertion that Bo Schembechler, who died in 2006, knew about the abuse and allowed it to continue calls into question his legacy.

Kwiatkowski and Johnson said it was common knowledge among their teammates that Anderson abused players during the physicals.

Kwiatkowski, an offensive lineman from 1977-79, said Anderson abused him on four occasions. He said that during his first mandatory physical his freshman year, Anderson groped his genitals and inserted fingers in his rectum. The former player said he approached Schembechler after one practice and told him about the physical.

“Bo looked at me and said ‘Toughen up,’ ” Kwiatkowski said.

Matt Schembechler, 62, said Anderson abused him during a 1969 physical that he needed to get in order to play youth football. He said when he told his father, who was then in his first year of his iconic run with the Wolverines, his father punched him hard in the chest.

He told ESPN on Wednesday that his mother invited the athletic director at the time, Don Canham, to their home so he could describe the abuse. And he told The Detroit News that Canham fired Anderson “nearly immediately.”

“Bo went to him and said, ‘I need him, he is our team doctor, reinstate him,’ and he did,” Matt Schembechler told the News. Canham died in 2005, one year after Bo Schembechler.

A report commissioned by the university and released last month found that Bo Schembechler and other officials were aware of complaints about Anderson but he was allowed to remain at the school for decades.

The university said in a statement Thursday that it’s committed to resolving claims made by Anderson’s victims and is continuing confidential mediation ordered by a judge.

Bo Schembechler led the Wolverines from 1969-89 and had 194 wins at college football’s winningest school.