X

CFB

NEWSSCORESTEAMSRECRUITINGHIGHLIGHTS

    University of Michigan Reaches $490M Settlement With 1,050 Robert Anderson Survivors

    Mike Chiari@@mikechiariFeatured Columnist IVJanuary 19, 2022

    Schembechler Hall on the University of Michigan Campus in Ann Arbor, Mich., is shown May 14, 2021. The building is named after legendary football coach Bo Shembechler. A report released Tuesday, May 11, 2021, about the stunning lack of action at the University of Michigan while a rogue doctor, Robert Anderson, was sexually assaulting hundreds of young men has pointed an unflattering light at one of the school's giants, the late football coach Bo Schembechler, whose bronze statue stands on campus. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
    AP Photo/Paul Sancya

    The University of Michigan reached a settlement Wednesday with 1,050 survivors of sexual abuse by former school doctor Robert Anderson.

    According to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN), those with knowledge of the settlement said the survivors will split $490 million.

    Attorney Parker Stinar, who represented the survivors, released the following statement after the University of Michigan publicly confirmed the settlement:

    "I am proud to announce that a settlement was reached with the 1,050 survivors of Robert Anderson and the University of Michigan. It has been a long and challenging journey, and I believe this settlement will provide justice and healing for the many brave men and women who refused to be silenced."

    Anderson, who died in 2008, worked as a physician at the University of Michigan for 37 years from 1966 to 2003.

    Per the AP, Anderson served as a physician for multiple athletic teams during his tenure at Michigan, including football. Former Michigan football players were among the survivors who filed the lawsuit.

    Matthew Schembechler, the son of late Michigan football coach Bo Schembechler, said in June that Anderson molested him in 1969 during a physical examination for youth football when he was just 10 years old.

    University of Michigan Reaches $490M Settlement With 1,050 Robert Anderson Survivors
    Video Play Button
    ✨ Watch more top videos, highlights, and B/R original content Right Arrow Icon

    Schembechler added that he told his father about the abuse, only for the elder Schembechler to intervene and save Anderson's job.

    In May, law firm WilmerHale released a report in which it was determined that members of the Michigan athletic department and health service department "missed warning signs and failed to stop the serial sexual misconduct" of Anderson during his time at the school.

    Multiple football players were found to have told Schembechler they were uncomfortable with Anderson's treatment, only for Schembechler to take no action.