Ex-Michigan football players, students to demand action from school over Robert Anderson sexual abuse

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Dozens of former Michigan football players and other students who say they were sexually assaulted by Dr. Robert Anderson will hold a news conference outside Michigan Stadium on Wednesday morning to demand action from the school's leadership.

The former student-athletes and other students will be at the corner of South Main Street and Pauline Boulevard, right outside of the famed home of the Wolverines football team, to "call for immediate action ahead of this week's (Michigan) Board of Regents meeting," according to a media advisory released Tuesday morning.

Anderson has been accused of sexually assaulting hundreds of Michigan students during his tenure at the school, which spanned from the late 1960s until 2002 and included time as the head medical doctor for the football team.

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Last Thursday, two former Michigan players, Gilvanni Johnson and David Kwiatkowski, along with Matt Schembechler, the son of former coach Bo Schembechler, publicly detailed the abuse they suffered as patients of Anderson. They also said that Schembechler, the iconic figure and former athletics director, was told about the abuse but did nothing to stop it.

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."

The Detroit Free Press has reached out to each member of the Board of Regents regarding the status of the statue of Schembechler outside of Schembechler Hall on campus. None responded except chairwoman Denise Ilitch, who forwarded the statement released by the university during last week's news conference. It reads:

"Our sympathy for all of Anderson’s victims is deep and unwavering, and we thank them for their bravery in coming forward. 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."

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Ex-Michigan football players, students to demand action over sex abuse