Michigan State Subject of Title IX Investigation Regarding Larry Nassar Case

After questions arose about Michigan State's handling of former employee Larry Nassar, the Department of Education has announced it will open a new Title IX investigation. 

Katie Strang of the Athletic provided the latest details:

Nassar, who was a team doctor for Michigan State as well as the USA Gymnastics team, was sentenced to 40 to 175 years in federal prison for sexually abusing more than 150 female athletes.

Michigan State had been part of a Title IX investigation since 2014 for its mishandling of various assault cases, although the Department of Education refused to close its investigation in 2017 due to Nassar, per Paula Lavigne of ESPN.

Administrators reportedly refused to tell federal officials about multiple investigations into allegations against Nassar, while also withholding documents related to the case.

Michigan State was also found to have had a pattern of burying assault and harassment cases involving athletics, per Lavigne and Nicole Noren of ESPN. School president Lou Anna Simon and athletic director Mark Hollis have since resigned.

Meanwhile, school officials were reportedly made aware of Nassar's history well before it became public during the court case. According to Kim Kozlowski of the Detroit News, eight women reported abuse over the course of two decades, with at least 14 Michigan State representatives being aware of the allegations.

U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos has now reopened the investigation in an attempt to discover any systemic issues that led to this string of events, also warning that institutions that allow sexual misconduct or discrimination "will be held accountable for violations of federal law."