Michigan State University interim president John Engler will appear before a U-S Senate subcommittee tomorrow. The subcommittee has held muliple meetings in response to former M-S-U sports doctor Larry Nassar, who sexually assaulted many of his patients. The hearing is focused on changes made by M-S-U and others to protect amateur athletes from sexual predators.
Engler, a former Michigan governor, says he’s excited to have an opportunity to share the progress and changes Michigan State has made.
“We’ve now put in place what I think is a rather broad safety net that looks out for young people,” he said.
But Nassar assault survivor Morgan McCaul called Engler’s plans to testify “ironic.” McCaul says Engler has held the school back by criticizing Nassar assault survivors.
“They have made some changes on the campus, but I don’t know how much I credit that to John Engler himself and rather the community rallying around and the faculty who have really enacted that policy,” she said.
Representatives from the United States Olympic Committee, USA Gymnastics and the Athletes Advisory Council are also expected to testify. Engler says he wants the US Olympic Committee – which gets its charter from Congress – to improve protection for ahtletes. He says the Olympic Committee knew Nassar was abusing young women, but it didn’t tell anyone, including MSU.