Michigan State has come under fire in the wake of a bombshell report about university officials covering up instances of sexual assault and violence, and one of the most prominent Spartans alumni is not exactly going to bat for his school.
On Monday morning, Magic Johnson said that any Michigan State official who had any knowledge of sexual assault and did not take the proper steps should be fired.
If anyone was aware of the sexual assault happening to women on the MSU campus from the office of the President, Board of Trustees, athletic department, faculty & campus police, and didn’t say or do anything about it, they should be fired.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) January 29, 2018
Cookie and I stand in support of the victims and their families as they embark on the road to recovery; and I support the movement to hold everyone involved accountable.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) January 29, 2018
The roles of the new President, Board of Trustees, athletic department, faculty, campus police and students will be to work together to create new policies and procedures to ensure this never happens again.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) January 29, 2018
One person who has faced a lot of criticism is basketball coach Tom Izzo. While Johnson stopped short of defending Izzo, he offered to help him and others who have influence at Michigan State.
As a Spartan, I love MSU and want to work with Coach Izzo, the administration, and the students to be a part of the solution in any way that I can.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) January 29, 2018
Izzo was grilled by a reporter over the weekend about reports that he allowed former player and graduate assistant Travis Walton to remain with the program even after Walton was accused of assault and rape in two separate incidents back in 2010.
According to a report from ESPN’s Outside the Lines, an investigation determined that Michigan State mishandled multiple sexual assault incidents, oftentimes choosing to handle them internally rather than involving law enforcement.
