Another Michigan State President to Resign

Over comments he made about the victims of Dr. Larry Nassar
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jan 16, 2019 7:53 PM CST
Another Michigan State President to Resign
John Engler   (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

Former Gov. John Engler will resign as interim president of Michigan State University amid public backlash over his comments about women and girls sexually assaulted by now-imprisoned campus sports doctor Larry Nassar, a member of the school's Board of Trustees said Wednesday. Joel Ferguson told the AP that board members expected to receive a letter Wednesday from Engler spelling out the reasons he would step down and the effective date of his resignation. "Yes, John is going to resign," he said. Engler had resisted earlier pressure to resign. His sudden reversal tops off a stormy period for the university under Engler and is the second time a Michigan State president left during the Nassar scandal.

The final straw for the university's Board of Trustees came last week when Engler told The Detroit News that Nassar's victims had been in the "spotlight" and are "still enjoying that moment at times, you know, the awards and recognition." Nassar is now serving decades-long prison sentences for sexually assaulting patients and possessing child pornography. The AP left messages Wednesday seeking comment from Engler, who was hired last February following the resignation of president Lou Anna Simon over the Nassar scandal. Board Chairwoman Dianne Byrum said Engler was traveling out of state this week, in part to attend the burial of his father-in-law.

(More Larry Nassar stories.)

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