USA TODAY International Edition
Matt Schembechler calls for accountability: ‘ Bo knew’
The statue peers forward, his stance aggressive. His headset in one hand and game plan in the other, he could be stalking the sideline, looking for a way to beat Ohio State. It stands in front of the building named for him – Schembechler Hall, home to the football program whose foundations are rooted in the mythology surrounding Bo Schembechler, Michigan’s most storied coach.
Twenty- seven miles to the northeast, Bo’s son, Matt, stood in front of news media members Thursday to tell the world he was sexually assaulted in 1969 by a football team doctor, told his dad about it and nothing was done.
The allegation, coupled with those from several other football players – including two on Thursday who said they told Bo about being sexually assaulted by the same doctor only to be ignored – has rocked the university already shocked by more than a year of evidence about how Dr. Robert Anderson used his position to assault hundreds of students over the course of decades. It has some wondering if it’s time to mothball Bo’s statue, much like Penn State did after discovering its legendary football coach Joe Paterno didn’t do enough to stop one of his assistant coaches from sexually assaulting young boys.
Neither Matt nor two other former players or their lawyers called for the statue to come down but repeatedly said there must be accountability.
“Bo knew,” Matt’s attorney Mick Grewal said during the news conference. “If Bo listened to his son, these two gentlemen ( Daniel Kwiatkowski and Gilvanni Johnson) would not be sitting up here today” and hundreds would not have been abused.
Matt agreed. “Anderson’s abuse was the worst- kept secret at Michigan,” he said. “Anderson was able to continue this abuse for so long because he was supported by a culture that wanted to preserve the reputation.”
When asked whether there were any plans to take down the statue or rename the football building or whether any discussions had been started, the university, through spokesman Rick Fitzgerald, declined to comment.
Anderson went on to work as a doctor at the university until 2002, including being the head medical doctor for Schembechler’s teams.
Hundreds of school athletes have accused Anderson of sexually assaulting them, even when they showed up with sore elbows or sore throats. Other students have accused Anderson of giving out draft deferrals from the Vietnam War in exchange for sex acts.
Hundreds of men have sued the university for not stopping Anderson. The cases are currently in mediation in federal court. In May, an investigation conducted by the law firm WilmerHale concluded that Anderson’s misconduct was reported “several times between 1978 and 1981,” but that a “senior University administrator ... did not take appropriate action.”
During the news conference, the university issued a statement: “We condemn and apologize for the tragic misconduct of the late Dr. Robert Anderson, who left the University 17 years ago and died 13 years ago. We are committed to resolving their claims and to continuing the court- guided confidential mediation process.”