Report: The University of Michigan Has Extended An Offer To The Survivors Of Dr. Anderson's Abuse
In what has become a tragic and disturbing story of institutional failure and neglect, the University of Michigan has reportedly made an offer to the survivors of Dr. Anderson's sexual abuse.
In an article posted on June 22, John U. Bacon - a longtime Michigan insider - indicated that his sources have told him that the University of Michigan has made an offer to the attorneys of the survivors.
"My sources tell me the University has offered about $100,000 per survivor, or about $90 million total, to the plaintiffs’ attorneys, who have so far rejected the offer," Bacon wrote.
The reported offer comes after an independent investigation conducted by the law firm WilmerHale uncovered decades of sexual abuse by former University of Michigan employee and school doctor Robert Anderson. In a 240-page report released by the law firm last month, nearly 600 former patients of Anderson came forward to share their experiences - often describing inappropriate and disturbing conduct by the former university doctor.
Employed by the University of Michigan from 1966 to 2003, Anderson's habit of sexually assaulting his patients was reportedly common knowledge among Michigan's student athletes and even some officials. According to the report released by WilmerHale, Anderson would often perform unnecessary examinations of students who were seeking treatment for unrelated issues.
"Over the course of his thirty-seven years as a University employee, Dr. Anderson engaged in sexual misconduct with patients on countless occasions. Dr. Anderson’s misconduct ranged from performing medically unnecessary hernia and rectal examinations on patients seeking treatment for wholly unrelated issues, to manually stimulating male patients and causing them to ejaculate, to quid pro quo arrangements in which he provided medical services in exchange for sexual contact."
"Dr. Anderson’s misconduct prompted some student athletes to quit their teams; it caused some students to question their sexuality; it caused some students to seek counseling; it affected some students’ academics, including some who left the University; and it undoubtedly affected other students in myriad ways. The trauma that Dr. Anderson’s misconduct caused persists to this day.
The report went on to highlight that Robert Anderson assaulted students of all genders, races and backgrounds.
"Dr. Anderson abused men and women, students from different racial backgrounds, undergraduate and graduate students, student athletes, and members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (“LGBTQ”) community. "
Beyond the disturbing conduct carried about by Anderson during his time at the University of Michigan, the investigation also examined the University's handling of the allegations - including former Michigan head football coach Bo Schembechler.
"The University received contemporaneous information about Dr. Anderson’s misconduct from multiple sources. A senior University administrator was told about Dr. Anderson’s misconduct several times between 1978 or 1979 and 1981 but did not take appropriate action. Concerning information was also shared with other University personnel. Although the information these individuals received varied in directness and specificity, Dr. Anderson’s misconduct may have been detected earlier and brought to an end if they had considered, understood, investigated, or elevated what they heard."
Much has occurred since the report was released, including multiple press conferences held by survivors who detailed their experience with Dr. Anderson during their time at the University of Michigan.
In a press conference held on June 10th, Matt Schembechler, son of former Michigan head football coach Bo Schembechler, was joined by two former players who detailed their abuse at the hands of Dr. Anderson. Not only did all three men share disturbing details of Dr. Anderson's abuse, they also claim that they approached Bo Schembecher directly about the abuse.
Matt Schembechler
"My father sent me to Dr. Robert Anderson for my first physical exam around 1969. I was in the fourth grade and had to get a physical before starting tackle football with the junior Wolverines. Dr. Anderson was the team doctor, so that's where Bo sent me for my exam. As a 10 year old, I didn't really know what to expect. But what Dr. Anderson did made me uncomfortable. He fondled my genitals and conducted an invasive rectal exam with his finger. I told my mom as soon as I got home because I was uncomfortable and shaken. She was a registered nurse, and after she had heard what Anderson did, she knew something was wrong. She wanted me to tell my dad in her presence."
"When Bo got home, I told him what happened. It did not go well. Bo's temper was legendary and he lost it. He screamed, 'I don't want to hear this, I'm not hearing this.'"
"I tried to tell him repeatedly but my effort earned me a punch in the chest. This was the beginning of the end of the relationship with him. I hoped my father would protect me but he didn't."
Daniel Kwiatkowski
"We talked about it in the locker rooms. We talked about it at the bar, we talked about it. If you had a cold, let's say and you had to go see Dr. Anderson, you had to decide whether or not you wanted to get molested to get the cold medicine."
"I was raped, as far as I was concerned my freshman year. I was anally penetrated several times - I would say at least four or five - before I grabbed his wrist and pulled it out of my rectum. You know, I was shocked. When I was walking home from the medical center, I didn't know what to think. I mean, I thought I was raped."
"Bo didn't keep me safe. He broke his promise to me and my family in the fall of 1977. My freshman year, I attended my first mandatory physical with Dr. Anderson. During that physical, Dr. Anderson molested and violated me. He inappropriately caressed my testicals while asking me detailed questions about my sex life. After I tried to answer his questions, he bent over and put his head near my penis and began blowing on it - telling me it's 'ok' to get an erection."
"After practice one day, I approached Bo and reported to him that Dr. Anderson had digitally raped my rectum. Bo looked at me and said, 'toughen up.'"
Gilvanni Johnson
"Before my preseason physical my freshman year, you would hear the upperclassmen joking about seeing 'Dr. Anal.' I really didn't know what 'Dr. Anal' meant. I was told to see Dr. Anderson for my physical. When I had my exam, Dr. Anderson commented on my genitals, played with my genitals, tried to arouse me and put his finger in my anus. The exam was very painful. I felt humiliated and confused."
"I had to go back to Dr. Anderson again, for either a cold or an injury. The same thing took place. I had a rectal exam and he played with my penis. After that occasion, I told Bo that Dr. Anderson played with my genitals and put his finger in my anus. Bo said that he would check on that with the medical staff. I never heard back from Bo and he never discussed it with me again. Other players told me not to bring it up with Bo again for fear that Bo might pull my scholarship. I was told not to rock the boat."
The next press conference came on June 16th, where three former students also detailed their abuse at the hands of Dr. Anderson. Former football player Jon Vaughn, former student broadcaster Richard Goldman and former wrestler Tad DeLuca also spoke at the news conference.
Richard Goldman
“I immediately went back to Bo after walking out of his [Anderson’s] office - I did not get a referral - because I just felt something was wrong. I went into Bo and I said, ‘this just happened’. The employee that Bo was said to go to Don Canham, who was his employer as the athletics director. I went into Don Canham’s office and said, ‘something’s wrong’. He sat there, stared at me and said nothing.”
“Let’s fast forward to 1982, the migraines were still there. Schembechler again - and foolish me - said that you’ve got to get to Anderson because he has to give you the referrals. This time he [Anderson] tried to do a physical exam and started pulling my pants down. I pushed him away and walked away. I went back to Bo’s office and he said the same thing, ‘go to Don Canham.’ I went to Canhams office, I told him the same thing. He sat there as silent as the media is looking at me today”
“1983 is where it all comes to a head. In 1983, I went into Anderson’s office to meet with his secretary. I said, ‘look, the migraines are bad. I’ve had a referral, I’ve been on a particular medication ,that medication was just yanked from the market because they found a cocaine derivative in it, we’ve got a problem.’ Well, he calls me into his office and the first thing he does - before he says a word - he says to lay down on the table, I’m going to do a physical. The answer is, ‘go to hell’.”
“This time, I march back into the sports information area, march past it, went to the athletics office, bypass Bo’s office, went into Canhams office...slammed the door and said to him, ‘what in the hell? It’s been two years and obviously you’ve done nothing. He just tried to do this to me.’ The first time in three years he spoke to me and told me to go 'F' myself. At that point, I walked out of his office, slammed my hand literally on the wall where Schembechler’s office was near, he [Schembechler] came out. He said ‘what just happened?’ I told him. He proceeded to go into Chanhams office, slam the door and he read them the riot act.”
“Now I could hear Bo clearly and what he was saying. He was telling Canham, ‘what in the hell are you doing? Why hasn't this man been fired? This is the third time that this has happened. Why have you done nothing?’"
Jon Vaughn
"We will no longer be anonymous. We will no longer be faceless. We will no longer be silenced. What the University of Michigan did, did not kill me. It was a hellish experience, but I am alive."
“Like many others before and after me, I was ruthlessly, repeatedly and regularly raped by Dr. Robert Anderson at least 45 times. But I'm not here to speak about that today, about Anderson's abuse hundreds - or even thousands - of students and athletes. I'm here to demand a call to immediate and specific actions of transparency, accountability, and a full investigation by the University of Michigan, its leadership, the board of regents, the Big Ten conference and the NCAA. I speak today to University of Michigan students, parents, athletic sponsors, boosters, investigative journalists, and most importantly my Michigan Man brothers and other survivors of the largest most insidious conspiracy to cover up rape, sexual abuse, grooming and gaslighting of the truth in the history of sports.
"Today we go from victims who suffered abuse to survivors who take action."
Tad DeLuca
"We are not just victims of Robert Anderson, but perhaps more importantly, we are victims of an institution that failed us for more than four decades, an institution that continues to intentionally fail to accept accountability for its decades of failures and cover-ups."
"Michigan has not changed its culture. Their actions show they don't want change. The university doesn't want transparency about Anderson and his enablers."
Those who have come forward to share their painful experiences, particularly those who have implicated Bo Schembechler as someone who knew, have received considerable pushback from some within the Michigan community.
Bo Schembechler's widow, Cathy, his son Shemy and Shemy's wife Megan recently released a statement defending the former U-M coach.
"It is telling to us that Bo never spoke to any of us about inappropriate behavior by Dr. Anderson" the statement reads. "To the contrary, in our steadfast opinion, Bo was not aware of such conduct and assumed that any procedures were medically appropriate."
"As he demonstrated at many points in his career and to us as a family, Bo had a clear and compelling sense of right and wrong: he would not have tolerated misconduct, especially toward any of his players, family members, coaches or to anyone associated with the University of Michigan’s football program," the letter continued. "If Bo had known of inappropriate conduct, we are certain that he would have stopped it immediately, reported it, and had Dr. Anderson removed from the University."
A group of more than 100 former University of Michigan football players, coaches, and staff members also recently released an open letter defending Schembechler.
“Our experiences tell us that the Bo Schembechler we knew would never have tolerated any abuse or mistreatment of his players, his staff, or any other individual," the letter read. "We believe firmly, that if he were aware of such behavior, Coach Schembechler would have acted immediately to put a stop to it and would have made sure anyone responsible for it would have been removed from the University of Michigan football program."
“We want to be clear: as a group, we are sympathetic to all victims of sexual abuse. Yearly physicals by family doctors, or athletic physicals by a university doctor were the same physicals as performed by the United States military. There was no reason to suspect abuse in those circumstances. If Coach Schembechler was aware of any criminal or sexual abuse, as we stated above, in our opinion, he would have been outraged and acted immediately. It is reasonable to assume that Coach Schembechler, like many at the time, believed the physicals were not abusive but rather performed in accordance with standard medical practices."
