Nassar Fallout: Michigan State President Simon Resigns

LANSING, MI – Michigan State University President Lou Anna Simon announced her resignation in a letter addressed to the university's board of trustees Wednesday. Her move comes amid calls for her to resign in the wake of the Larry Nassar sex abuse scandal.

"The last year and a half has been very difficult for the victims of Larry Nassar, for the university community, and for me personally," Simon wrote in the letter posted to the Michigan State web site. "To the survivors, I can never say enough that I am so sorry that a trusted, renowned physician was really such an evil, evil person who inflicted such harm under the guise of medical treatment. I know that we all share the same resolve to do whatever it takes to avert such tragedies here and elsewhere."

Earlier Wednesday, Nassar, who had been a team physician for USA Gymnastics and a sports medicine doctor at Michigan State, was sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison for molesting young women and girls during routine medical examinations. During victim impact statements given by more than 150 young women and girls during Nassar's sentencing hearing, many complained that Simon and other university officials did not act on their claims of abuse.

>>> Judge Sentences Nassar To Prison: "I just signed your death warrant"

"As tragedies are politicized, blame is inevitable," wrote Simon. "As president, it is only natural that I am the focus of this anger. I understand, and that is why I have limited my personal statements.

"Throughout my career, I have worked very hard to put Team MSU first," she continued. "Throughout my career, I have consistently and persistently spoken and worked on behalf of Team MSU. I have tried to make it not about me. I urge those who have supported my work to understand that I cannot make it about me now. Therefore, I am tendering my resignation as president according to the terms of my employment agreement."

Along with two university trustees, Michigan's two U.S. senators and a majority in the state's House of Representatives called for her resignation.

"Changes are needed to move the university forward," said university trustee Dianne Byrum. "I support the resignation of President Simon, effective immediately."

Byrum also said she supports an investigation by Michigan State Attorney Bill Schuette's office into the university's handling of sexual abuse claims made against Nassar.

"A full public accounting, top to bottom, is long overdue and I support it," she said in the statement. "We owe it to the victims, the public and ourselves to do the right thing and let the healing begin."

Late last week, after four days of tearful testimony during victim impact statements at Nassar's sentencing hearing, trustee Mitch Lyon broke from other board members and said Simon should resign or be fired.

After Lyon's statement came out, another trustee, Joel Ferguson, went on the radio and voiced his support of Simon, saying that Nassar's crimes would not bring her down — calling Simon "the best president we've ever had."

That comment also drew Byrum's criticism on Wednesday: "I am disgusted by the abhorrent comments made earlier this week by Trustee Joel Ferguson, who does not speak for other members of the MSU Board in any way."

Many of the women and girls, in their testimony, put blame on Simon as well as coaches, trainers and others associated with the university for ignoring their claims and reports of Nassar's abuse.

Confronted by media outside the Nassar sentencing hearing last week, Simon said she had been informed of a Title IX violation and that a police report had been filed against an unidentified physician at the university. However, she declined to get into specifics about who knew and how much they knew about the case.

The university has been named as party in lawsuits filed in the wake of the Nassar case — and the fallout is far from over.

By Wednesday evening, both of Michigan's U.S. senators, Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters, also called for Simon's resignation.

Earlier in the day, Michigan state lawmakers voted 96-11 for a House resolution seeking the ouster of Simon, saying the university missed chances to stop Nassar.

USA Gymnastics is also feeling grave reactions from the Nassar case.

The chief executive of U.S. Olympic Committee on Wednesday said an independent investigation would be done to determine how Nassar's abuse could have gone on as long as it did. OSOC executive Scott Blackmun called on the entire Gymnastics governing body's board to resign in the wake of the scandal, saying it failed the Olympic family.

While the first criminal proceedings against Nassar began in 2016, complaints against his inappropriate touching and fondling of girls and young women during medical examinations date back to 1997.

More than 150 women and girls testified during the seven-day sentencing hearing. Many of the women and girls gave similarly frightening testimony about how their participation in sports led them to be referred to Nassar as an expert in treating pain. He molested them, sometimes when parents of the girls were in exam rooms.

File photo by Carlos Osorio/Associated Press

Some information for this story came from the Associated Press