Attorney for Larry Nassar survivors blasts MSU over transparency regarding Mel Tucker
(CBS DETROIT) - An attorney for some of the survivors of the Larry Nassar case at Michigan State University is blasting trustees and university officials over their handling of recent sexual harassment allegations involving Mel Tucker, the Spartan's head football coach.
"Because the only reason we are sitting here today is because a news source broke the story, and they're being reactionary, they're not being proactive," said attorney Azzam Elder.
Elder said the allegations are concerning, but so is the timeline of the events surrounding this recent scandal.
"We now know in July, they concluded their report. We're now in September. Were they just going to wait until the football season ended and see if they win a championship? I mean, is that the tone that you send?" Elder said.
Elder said there is a clear lack of transparency with these allegations against Tucker, and that is very concerning given the history of cover-up with Nassar.
Nassar was charged and eventually convicted in 2019 for sexually exploiting at least 265 young girls and women over the course of 18 years.
"I believe in due process, I believe what happened with this coach and this credible person. You have to see what the facts are. There is a sense of urgency here. If you feel that this is something that happened and the evidence is strong, then you've got to move because the tone should be we're not going to tolerate leaders at the top that send the wrong message to the world," Elder said.
Based on his own legal dealings with the university, Elder said there is only one way to get meaningful change at MSU.
"The leadership doesn't get it. The trustees, every single one of them, need to be held accountable, and the athletic director needs to be held accountable. So as far as I'm concerned, leadership from the top down has got to go," he said.
On Monday, Tucker responded to the allegations, saying they are "completely false." Click here to read Tucker's full statement.