Michigan State fires coach Mel Tucker for bringing ridicule to school, breaching his contract
Michigan State has fired Mel Tucker, saying the suspended football coach failed to present adequate reasons why he should not be fired for cause after having what he described as consensual phone sex with an activist and rape survivor.
Mel Tucker's attorney: Michigan State doesn't have cause to fire suspended coach over phone sex
Mel Tuckerโs attorney says Michigan State does not have cause to fire its suspended football coach after Tucker acknowledged having phone sex with an activist and rape survivor because he did not โengage in unprofessional or unethical behaviorโ or violate his contract.
SafeSport Center 'in potential crisis' according to panel's survey of Olympic system
A wide-ranging survey into the state of the U_S_ Olympic system leveled criticism at the U_S_ Center for SafeSport, with a draft analysis concluding that feedback collected about the 6-year-old agency โpaints a picture of a center in potential crisis.โ.
Larry Nassar survivors sue Michigan State over alleged 'secret decisions' on releasing documents
Women who were sexually assaulted by former Michigan State University sports doctor Larry Nassar have filed a lawsuit claiming school officials made โsecret decisionsโ about releasing documents in the case.
Suspect in Larry Nassar stabbing said ex-doctor made lewd remark watching Wimbledon, AP source says
A prisoner suspected of stabbing Larry Nassar at a federal penitentiary in Florida said the disgraced former sports doctor provoked the attack by making a lewd comment while they were watching a Wimbledon tennis match.
FBI open to settling claims by gymnasts abused by Nassar
The FBI has reached out to attorneys representing Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles and other women who say they were sexually assaulted by Larry Nassar to begin settlement talks in the $1 billion claim they brought against the federal government.
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Justice Dept. bolsters monitoring of federal inmate accounts
The Justice Department is directing the federal prison system implement new procedures to monitor government-run prison deposit accounts that have at times been used by inmates to shield themselves from paying debts and for suspicious or illegal activity.
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Texans QBโs sex assault cases highlight concerns amid #MeToo
Lawyers fighting sexual assault allegations against Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson face a predicament: Defending their client means working to discredit the claims of 22 women who are more likely to be believed four years into the #MeToo movement.
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Michigan attorney general ends campus probe tied to Nassar
(AP Photo/David Eggert, File)LANSING, Mich. โ The investigation of Michigan State University's handling of disgraced sports doctor Larry Nassar is over because the university has refused to provide thousands of documents related to the scandal, Michiganโs attorney general said Friday. Dana Nessel's announcement came after the university said it would not change its position that the documents are protected by attorney-client privilege. โThe universityโs refusal to voluntarily provide them closes the last door available to finish our investigation,โ Nessel, a Democrat, said. Nassar was a campus doctor who is now serving decades in prison for sexual assault and child pornography crimes. Former gymnastics coach Kathie Klages was convicted of lying to investigators when she said she didn't get complaints about Nassar.
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USC agrees to $852 million payout in sex abuse lawsuit
The University of Southern California has agreed to an $852 million settlement with more than 700 women who have accused Tyndall, the college's longtime campus gynecologist, of sexual abuse, officials announced Thursday, March 25, 2021. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File)LOS ANGELES โ The University of Southern California has agreed to an $852 million settlement with more than 700 women who have accused the collegeโs longtime campus gynecologist of sexual abuse, the victimsโ lawyers and USC announced Thursday. AdโI am deeply sorry for the pain experienced by these valued members of the USC community," USC President Carol L. Folt said in a statement. Separately, USC earlier agreed to pay $215 million to settle a class-action lawsuit that applies to about 18,000 women who were patients of Tyndallโs. The individual payouts to those victims range from $2,500 to $250,000, and were given regardless of whether the women formally accused Tyndall of harassment or assault.
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Olympics gymnastics coach kills himself after being charged
FILE - In this March 3, 2012, file photo, gymnastics coach John Geddert is seen at the American Cup gymnastics meet at Madison Square Garden in New York. Prosecutors in Michigan filed charges Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021, against Geddert, a former U.S. Olympics gymnastics coach with ties to disgraced sports doctor Larry Nassar. "This is a tragic end to a tragic story for everyone involved," Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said. Nessel earlier announced that Geddert was charged with a bushel of crimes, including sexual assault, human trafficking and running a criminal enterprise. On his LinkedIn page, Geddert described himself as the โmost decorated womenโs gymnastics coach in Michigan gymnastics history.โ He said his Twistars teams won 130 club championships.
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Viral and vital, college gymnasts finding their voice
The social justice movement in college athletics has popped up in most unusual place: gymnastics. From UCLA to Pittsburgh, Black gymnasts and the programs they represent are using their platform to empower and uplift. Her experience at Arkansas was simply reflective of the culture at large in the sport at the time. From Pittsburgh to California, female gymnasts are using their platform to empower, educate and bring light to causes they believe in. โPersonally I would say (gymnastics) is a predominantly white sport,โ Ward said.
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Pilots say they, too, were molested by Univ. of Michigan doc
Some pilots have emerged as victims of Anderson, a deceased doctor who worked for decades at the University of Michigan. (Robert Kalmbach/Bentley Historical Library University of Michigan via AP, File)DETROIT โ A cargo pilot who regularly needed health checkups to keep his license contacted a University of Michigan doctor in 2000. He said Anderson told him to undress, put on a medical gown and get on a table, instead of simply checking the man's vision, hearing and heart. AdSince then, another category of victims has emerged: pilots in southeastern Michigan who needed physicals to get or maintain a license. There was no reason to cover this up.โIn 2003, five years before his death, Anderson told the government that he was retiring because a stroke had greatly affected his right hand.
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New this week: 'Clemency,' BET Awards, HAIM, 'Doctor Sleep'
(Neon via AP)Hereโs a collection curated by The Associated Pressโ entertainment journalists of whatโs arriving on TV, streaming services and music platforms this week. Written and directed by Chinonye Chukwu, โClemencyโ was well-reviewed but got unjustly overshadowed by some of the higher profile awards contenders when it was released in December. โDoctor Sleep: The Directorโs Cutโ: This Danny Torrance-focused sequel to โThe Shiningโ was a little divisive upon release, which wasnโt all that surprising. โ Film Writer Lindsey BahrMUSICGrey Daze: Fans of the late Grammy-winning screeching rock singer Chester Bennington will get a chance to hear him one more time. HAIM: Itโs been three years since sister trio HAIM have released a new album.
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11 podcasts you should be listening to
โSpace Curiousโ was created to inspire everyone -- from those with a mild interest in space exploration to the space fanatics. In season two, youโll learn about Curtis Flowers, a man who has been tried six times for the same crime. Youโll learn about all of that. Podcasts, by the way, are really easy to access -- even if youโre not very tech-savvy. You can typically go to the podcastโs website (which are all linked above), hit โplayโ on the episode of your choosing, and itโs as simple as that.
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Simone Soars: Biles named 2019 AP Female Athlete of the Year
Biles is the 2019 AP Female Athlete of the Year. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, File)Theyโre called โSimone Things,โ a catchall phrase for the casual ease with which Simone Biles seems to soar through her sport and her life. The greatest gymnast of all time and 2019 Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year only makes it seem that way. She is the first gymnast to be named AP Female Athlete of the Year twice and the first to do it in a non-Olympic year. Biles edged U.S. women's soccer star Megan Rapinoe in a vote by AP member sports editors and AP beat writers.

McKayla Maroney Says She's Ready to Talk About Recent Tragedies as She Returns to Instagram
McKayla Maroney is ready to talk. "Missed u guys last few years a lots happened w the #MeToo movement, and losing my dad very unexpectedly," she wrote. In 2017, Maroney revealed she was sexually abused by former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar, who was accused of abusing dozens of other women. Then, in January 2019, Maroney revealed on Twitter that her father, Mike Maroney, had died. RELATED CONTENT:Olympian McKayla Maroney Mourns Death of Father Mike at Age 59Chrissy Teigen Offers to Pay $100K Fine if McKayla Maroney Breaks Her NDA Against Larry NassarOlympic Gymnast McKayla Maroney Alleges Sexual Abuse by Former Gymnastics Doctor Larry Nassar

First Woman to Accuse Larry Nassar Reveals How He Hid Abuse From Her Mother
Rachael Denhollander, the woman who first sounded the alarm on Dr. Larry Nassar sexually abusing child gymnasts, is sharing more details about her terrible experiences with the doctor in a new book. : My Story of Breaking the Silence and Exposing the Truth about Larry Nassar and USA Gymnastics," Denhollander speaks candidly about how Nassar deftly hid his abuse of her from her own mother, who was in the room with Denhollander while the doctor examined her. Speaking to Inside Edition, Dehollander, a mother herself, recalled watching girl after girl, woman after woman, testify against Nassar at one of his trials, 156 in total. While Nassar apologized to his victims at his sentencing, Denhollander doesn't think he experiences any remorse for his actions. RELATED STORIESLarry Nassar Moved From Federal Prison After Being Attacked by Other Inmates: ReportThousands Raised for Dad Who Lunged at Larry Nassar Will Go to CharityFather of Larry Nassar Victims Lunges at Disgraced Doctor in Court

Michigan State University fined record $4.5M in Nassar scandal
(CNN) - Michigan State University has been fined a record $4.5 million in connection to the Larry Nassar sexual abuse scandal, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said. "What transpired at Michigan State was abhorrent, inexcusable, and a total and complete failure to follow the law and protect students," DeVos said in a statement on Thursday. "Michigan State will now pay for its failures and will be required to make meaningful changes to how it handles Title IX cases moving forward. The fine stems from Michigan State University's "systemic failure to protect students from sexual abuse," the Department of Education said in a release. The record fine came as part of a federal investigation into Michigan State's failure to stop Nassar's decades of child sexual abuse.

'I felt alone,' says gymnast after her perfect 10 went viral
(CNN) - Earlier this year Katelyn Ohashi shot to fame when a video of her perfect 10 floor routine for UCLA gymnastics went viral, amassing over 118 million views online. The Seattle native is regularly stopped in the street by people wanting pictures, but the "perfect 10 girl's" sudden fame has had it downsides. "I feel like, a lot of times, I've felt alone when I was going through all this stuff," Ohashi told CNN Sport's Patrick Snell. After her surgery there was no guarantee Ohashi would be able to participate in gymnastics at all, let alone competitively. Due to the strenuous demands placed on them by gymnastics, Ohashi and some of her fellow gymnasts were driven to eating disorders.

Biles to USA Gymnastics: 'You had one job and you couldn't protect us'
- Four-time Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles spoke to reporters Wednesday about her struggle to continue practicing her sport for an organization that did not protect her -- and many others -- from Larry Nassar's abuse. You literally had one job and you couldn't protect us," she said of USA Gymnastics. Biles spoke to reporters after a training session in Kansas City, Missouri, ahead of the United States Gymnastics Championships. In January, Biles announced on Twitter that she was one of the many athletes sexually abused by the disgraced former USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University doctor. "We at USA Gymnastics have made a lot of progress in strengthening our athlete safety measures and putting our athletes first, but we know we have more to do," Li Li Leung, the president and chief executive of USA Gymnastics, told CNN.

Larry Nassar's former boss at MSU gets jail time
(CNN) - A former Michigan State University dean has been sentenced to a year in jail over accusations he harassed female students and failed to properly oversee Larry Nassar, the disgraced associate professor and physician. The sentences, handed down by Ingham County Circuit Court Judge Joyce Draganchuk, are to be served concurrently. The charges against Strampel stemmed from his own actions as dean from 2002 to 2017, as well as his failure to properly oversee Nassar, according to court documents. While he was convicted of some charges in June, he was acquitted of a felony second-degree criminal sexual conduct charge. In Nassar's court cases, scores of his accusers told heart-wrenching stories of his abuse, and several blamed MSU for dismissing their complaints and failing to stop him.