Michigan State Staff Informed Of Nassar's Actions: Report

DETROIT, MI – At least 14 people at Michigan State University heard reports of Dr. Larry Nassar's sexual misconduct before he finally was arrested, tried and convicted, reported The Detroit News. University President Lou Anna Simon, was among those people, the newspaper reported.

The details are part of a lengthy article published Thursday, which is to be the third day of what is expected to be a four-day sentencing hearing on criminal sexual assault chages. More than a 100 victims have lined up tell horrific stories of how Nassar, a sports medicine doctor at Michigan State who worked with USA Gymnastics, violated them during exams. And, in many cases, the young women and girls shared with The News that they reported the sexual assaults, but their claims fell on deaf ears.

Nassar last fall pleaded guilty to molesting females with his hands at his Michigan State University office, his home and a Lansing-area gymnastics club, often while their parents were in the room. He also worked for Indianapolis-based USA Gymnastics, which trains Olympians.

Prosecutors are seeking at least 40 years in prison for Nassar, who has already been sentenced to 60 years in federal prison for child pornography crimes.

Simon, Michigan State's president, told The News that she had been informed of a Title IX violation and that a police report had been filed against an unidentified physician at the university.

“I was informed that a sports medicine doctor was under investigation,” said Simon, who made the brief comments after appearing in court Wednesday to observe a sentencing hearing for Nassar. “I told people to play it straight up, and I did not receive a copy of the report. That’s the truth.”

Simon, though, declined to give more a specific answer to questions about the women's claims that they tried to alert the university, and cited pending lawsuits that have been filed against Nassar, the university and other parties.

The News article said women, who had ties to the university, reported their complaints to the university "when they believed Nassar’s conduct crossed from medical to sexual."

The article also details how former Michigan State gymnastics coach Kathie Klages handled the reports, including the earliest known complaint to the university, which was made by Larissa Boyce in 1997. Boyce told Klages about Nassar "fingering" her during exams, the News reported.

“She just couldn’t believe that was happening,” said Boyce, now 37. “She said I must be misunderstanding what was going on.”

Klages, The News reports, then questioned other gymnasts about the reports. One woman, who was not identified, told the newspaper that she met with Klages 21 years ago, when she was 14.

“I remember feeling — finally a female would be an advocate for me, and tell my dad and my mom and I won’t have to tell them about this awkward thing ... Finally we’re going to get help, something will change and we won’t have to go back to him. But that wasn’t the case. Instead, I felt very shamed.”

The News report goes on to detail several other exchanges gymnasts had with Michigan State representatives, including another coach, a team trainer and a psychologist, and how they responded to the complaints.

The sentencing hearing continues Thursday in the court room of Ingham County Circuit Judge Rosemarie Aquilina.

>>> Read the full article in The Detroit News

Watch the live stream of the sentencing hearing below:

File photo by the Associated Press