The fallout from the Larry Nassar sex abuse scandal has continued at Michigan State, as athletic director Mark Hollis is the latest university official who is stepping down in the wake of Nassar’s sentencing this week.
Hollis, an MSU alum who has been the athletic director since 2008, said in a press conference Friday that he will step down. He said the decision was his alone and that he was not pressured by the university.
Hollis: "Michigan State is a great institution. And its greatest strength is the people who call themselves Spartans." Says "my heart breaks" hearing what Nassar victims said.
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) January 26, 2018
Hollis: "Our campus and beyond have been attacked by evil."
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) January 26, 2018
Hollis says he and his wife Nancy may help process of MSU healing. Says he was not asked to retired, nor was pressured "in any way" to retire. "This is a choice Nancy and I made. And we're gonna move forward with our lives and see what's around the corner."
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) January 26, 2018
Hollis says he made a statement to FBI and MSU Police that he did not know about Larry Nassar situation until 2016 @IndyStarSports article.
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) January 26, 2018
The announcement comes just two days after Michigan State president Lou Anna K. Simon also announced her resignation.
The NCAA announced on Tuesday that it is launching an investigation into Michigan State’s handling of the Nassar allegations. The school had been presented with allegations of sexual misconduct by Nassar, a physician at the school who was treating athletes, and did not respond to them adequately.
Nassar was sentenced to 175 years in prison by a judge on Wednesday.
