Michigan State University’s athletic director retires following Nassar scandal

Michigan State University’s athletics director retired on Friday after a sexual abuse scandal involving a former sports doctor at the school raised questions about its handling of the case.

“When you look at the scope of everything, that’s the reason I made a choice to retire now,” the athletic director, Mark Hollis, told reporters, according to The Associated Press. “And I hope that has a little bit, a little bit, of helping that healing process.”

Hollis’s retirement came two days after the university’s president, Lou Anna Simon, resigned amid intense criticism over the school’s handling of sexual abuse allegations against sports doctor Larry Nassar. Nassar was convicted of molesting girls and young women, including Olympic athletes, while claiming to treat them for injuries.

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Nassar was sentenced this week to 40 to 175 years in prison. Many of his victims spoke at his sentencing hearing, and some placed blame on Michigan State University for ignoring complaints. 

Hollis said Friday that he had never met Nassar and that he did not know about the complaints against the former doctor until the Indianapolis Star published a report in 2016 detailing allegations from two former gymnasts. 

USA Gymnastics said on Friday that its entire board of directors would resign following Nassar’s sentencing, complying with a request to do so by the U.S. Olympic Committee.