The NCAA has opened an investigation into Michigan State, the university that employed Larry Nassar, to look into its handling of the sexual abuse allegations against him, according to a report by The New York Times.
The news of the investigation comes after Nassar's sentencing that began last week during which over 150 victim's testimonies have been told in the court room including those from Olympic gold medalists McKayla Maroney and Aly Raisman. Among the testimonies, some victims accused other employees of the university of not doing enough to stop Nassar's despicable behavior. One person named specifically was former women's gymnastics coach Kathie Klages. Members of Michigan State's gymnastics, cross-country, and softball teams all gave statements detailing past abuse by Nassar.
NCAA chief legal officer Donald Remy told The New York Times that the NCAA has requested information from the university about "any potential rules violations." Despite the dark cloud looming over Michigan State right now due to the case, senior member of the governing board Joel Ferguson said that the school's president Lou Anna Simon will not be forced to step down from her current position during a recent radio interview. He also said that Nassar's victims would be compensated for the acts against them and called him a "pervert."
While some of the victims said that they had complained to Michigan State years ago about Nassar's actions, a former federal prosecutor hired by the the university says that there is no evidence to prove that the institution knew of his wrongdoing.
For his actions, Nassar is facing a minimum of 25 to 40 years in prison. His official sentencing will take place Wednesday, Jan. 24. He already has been sentenced to 60 years in federal prison for child pornography crimes. According to ESPN, Nassar remained working at Michigan State while police conducted their original 19-month investigation on him until he was ultimately fired on Sept. 20, 2017. In the wake of recent testimonies, three top members of the USA Gymnastics board have also resigned.
