Thursday, April 18, 2024
PMT: The Cost of Not Caring
The New York Times is reporting that the Department of Justice is preparing to settle a case involving athletes who were abused by "Doctor" Larry Nasser for about $100 million. This comes after Michigan State settled for over $500 million and the US Olympic committee for about $380 million.
The Justice Department's mistakes were well documented in an Inspector General's report in 2021. In September of 2015, US Gymnastics officials met with the top officials in the Indianapolis field office to report the abuse by Nasser. They interviewed a gymnast, said they were sending the case to Michigan, but didn't do it. Then-- and this is weird-- later that year the head of US Gymnastics talks to the top Indy FBI Agent about a job with the US Olympic committee while they are at a bar!
Nothing happens with the Indy investigation, so in May of 2016 the gymnastics officials take the same info to the FBI in Los Angeles. Remember... because Michigan State (Nassar's employer) was refusing to take it seriously, Nassar was continuing to abuse athletes at this time. The LA FBI office interviews the same gymnast, and reaches back to Indy, where they falsely claim they sent the case to Michigan.
In August of 2016-- nearly a year after the Indy field office was approached, someone finally files a complaint against Nasser with the Michigan State campus police. The next month, the Indianapolis Star publishes an article about the allegations. Finally, in October of 2016, the FBI finally opens a case.
Mistakes happen-- but in this case it was costly. And I don't mean the financial penalty; I mean the continuing abuse that occurred during the delay.
