Michigan State University interim President John Engler must step aside immediately, board members Brian Mosallam and Dianne Byrum said Friday, as more lawmakers also said Engler should resign after suggesting that a high-profile victim of former MSU doctor Larry Nassar was likely getting kickbacks from trial attorneys involved in lawsuits against the university.
"It has become abundantly clear to me that this crisis will not truly settle until John Engler steps down as interim president," MSU board Trustee Brian Mosallam, a Democrat, said in a statement emailed to the media. "Unfortunately, and with great regret, John Engler’s tenure as interim president has continued the bleeding rather than stem it.
"I no longer believe that John Engler’s presence on this campus will allow Michigan State University to move forward. We need leadership that sets a tone of empathy and compassion towards our courageous survivors, and re-embraces them as important members of our Spartan community. John Engler simply can no longer do that. And for these reasons, John Engler should step down immediately as this university's interim president."
His comments were in response to emails obtained by the media with regard to Rachael Denhollander — the first person to publicly accuse Nassar of sexual assault.
Then, a few hours after Mosallam's statement, fellow Democrat and MSU board member Dianne Byrum issued a similar statement.
"“The despicable and disparaging comments made about survivors by interim President John Engler are completely unacceptable," Byrum said.
"Yesterday, I called upon the interim president to apologize for these hurtful remarks, he failed to do so, and therefore I have concluded he is no longer the right person to lead Michigan State University during this difficult period.”
Engler, a Republican, said on Friday he was staying and looking forward to continuing his work at MSU.
“I continue to look ahead," he said in a statement. He did not directly address the calls for resignation.
Referring to a $500-million settlement recently negotiated with victims of Nassar, Engler said:
"Whatever the tensions were before, we have successfully negotiated a settlement agreement — something that is fair and equitable to both sides, and that both sides agreed to. We are now committed to continuing our efforts to strengthen sexual misconduct prevention on and off campus and to respond promptly to and appropriately if prevention fails."
But that didn't sway politicians of all stripes, who, in response to questions from the Free Press, called for Engler to leave, joining Republican state lawmakers Rick Jones and Margaret O'Brien who both called Thursday for Engler to step down.
Senate Majority Leader Arlan Meekoff, R-West Olive, said Friday that Engler should go.
"The majority leader is very disappointed and does agree that Engler should resign," according to a statement from his office.
U.S. Sens Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters, both Democrats, called for the former Michigan governor to leave. So did other lawmakers:
- U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Dearborn: "Governor Engler has lost the trust of the people of Michigan, the MSU community, and most importantly the survivors of Nassar’s despicable actions. In order for us to move forward, Engler must step down."
- U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Flint Township: “It is impossible for Michigan State to move forward from this tragedy with Governor Engler continuing to serve as interim president. His comments are inexcusable and show a complete lack of empathy for the survivors of Nassar’s horrific actions.”
- U.S Rep Sander Levin, D-Royal Oak: "Congressman Levin believes that in light of recent revelations, it is in Michigan State University’s best interest that former Governor Engler no longer continue as interim president."
- U.S. Rep. Brenda Lawrence, D-Southfield: "The statement by former Gov. Engler with regard to Rachael Denhollander is just one example of why he is not the right person for the job. The president of Michigan State should work to support and protect victims who speak out, not attack, discourage or discredit them. The Michigan State Board of Trustees needs to come together, close the door and do the right thing for the students and faculty of Michigan State.”
- U.S. Rep. Justin Amash, R-Cascade Township: "Rep. Amash believes Governor Engler is not the right fit for the job and should step down."
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gretchen Whitmer also called for Engler to step down or for the board to fire him.
"John Engler lacks the judgment, empathy and basic human decency that is needed to lead the university during this difficult time, and his continued presence on campus will only make things worse. If he won’t resign, the Board of Trustees should fire him immediately."
Her fellow Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abdul El-Sayed also said Engler should go.
"Former Governor Engler was never the right choice and now stands in the way of needed change at MSU. It's time for him to step down and for MSU to move on."
Republican gubernatorial candidate Brian Calley, the current lieutenant governor, also said Engler's time is up.
"“I have come to know many survivors over the past several months, including Rachael Denhollander,” he said in a statement given to the Free Press in response to an inquiry. “I admire her. I look up to her. Michigan will forever be indebted to her because her courage was contagious and her commitment to protect others from the horrific abuse she suffered will make a lasting impact. Gov. Engler’s comments are completely unacceptable and emblematic of a broken culture at MSU. It’s past time for MSU to truly put the survivors first, and it has become clear that doing so requires a change at the top.”
His fellow Republican gubernatorial candidate and current Attorney General Bill Schuette did not respond to a request for comment, but a spokeswoman referred the Free Press to a radio interview he did earlier in the day where he did not comment on Engler leaving, but said, "I'm just going to stand with the victims."
Gov. Rick Snyder, through a spokeswoman, declined to comment.
Mosallam, a former MSU football player, is the first board member to call for Engler to leave. Mosallam has been outspoken about MSU's failures in how it handled the Nassar case and complaints about sexual assaults on campus. He has previously issued a lengthy proposal on how to change the university.
Mosallam's call for Engler to step down came two days after the Detroit Free Press and the Chronicle of Higher Education published a series of emails that included Engler's top aide — Carol Viventi — accusing Mossallam of not doing a good enough job of protecting Engler. The Free Press obtained the emails from a source within the Engler administration. The Chronicle of Higher Education first obtained the emails under a Freedom of Information Act request.
“I figured out that Mosallum (sic) didn’t learn how to be a team player," Viventi wrote. "Instead of saying I’ll have to get the other side, or learn more, he says if it’s true, it’s disgusting. His quarterback is under attack and the instinct is not to defend, but to go along. There’s an assumption that he believes it might be true, rather than an assumption that it couldn’t be true and therefore he’ll make a temporizing statement. So now that I figured out what’s bothering me, I can go back to thinking about all the other problems we have.”
The emails also contained Engler's assertion that Denhollander was getting kickbacks from trial attorneys involved in lawsuits against MSU.
"John Engler's most recent comments questioning the motives and intentions of our courageous survivors, and specifically, Rachael Denhollander, a survivor of Larry Nassar's horrific sexual abuse, who he accused of taking 'kickbacks' were disgraceful and unfit for a university president tasked with rebuilding trust and confidence in this institution," Mosallam said in his statement. "Our courageous survivors all came forward out of their own bravery and courage rather than a manipulative game. Such a suggestion otherwise is disgusting. I fear that this most unfortunate tone has sent a chilling message across our campus to survivors of relationship violence and sexual misconduct."
Denhollander tweeted support Friday morning for Mosallam, while calling for other board members to join him.
"Standing alone is never easy, but vital to leading and protecting people and institutions," Denhollander said in her tweet. "There is no honor in everyone agreeing to support the wrong things."
The email chain that started the firestorm began with Nassar victim Kaylee Lorincz accusing Engler during a board meeting of offering her $250,000 in a private meeting to settle her lawsuit against the university.
That weekend, Viventi emailed board members, saying she wanted to set the record straight. She claimed Lorincz's statements were totally inaccurate and the meeting was set up by Lorincz in order to "set up" the school.
She then went on to say the trial lawyers were manipulating the survivors.
That seemed to strike a chord with Engler.
"Thank you for your strong defense,” Engler wrote in a 9:23 a.m. April 15 email. “It is deeply appreciated. At least we know what really happened. The survivors now are being manipulated by trial lawyers who in the end will each get millions of dollars more than any of (sic) individual survivors with the exception of Denhollander who is likely to get (sic) kickback from Manley (sic) for her role in the trial lawyer manipulation. "
The reference was to John Manley, Denhollander’s lawyer.
Engler took over as interim president after Lou Anna Simon stepped down under extreme pressure over her handling of Nassar, including being in charge when he was cleared by an MSU investigation in 2014 of any wrongdoing.
Nassar, convicted of molesting dozens of female students and athletes, has been sentenced to 60 years in federal prison on child pornography charges and is in a maximum-security federal prison in Tucson, Ariz. He also faces a 40- to 175-year sentence issued in Ingham County and a 40- to 125-year sentence from Eaton County for sexual assaults. Those sentences will not begin until he finishes the federal sentence.
Contact David Jesse: 313-222-8851 or djesse@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter: @reporterdavidj. Detroit Free Press Washington correspondent Todd Spangler contributed to this report.
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