Michigan State University clears doctor amid Nassar fallout
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Michigan State University cleared the chairman of its radiology department of wrongdoing after he was suspended during the fallout over imprisoned former sports doctor Larry Nassar, who has admitted to molesting athletes.
The school said Wednesday that a law firm investigated Dr. Suresh Mukherji, chief medical officer of the MSU HealthTeam, and he was reinstated last month. Mukherji says in a statement that he's pleased his actions were found to be proper.
The university in February announced the paid suspension of Mukherji from his role as radiology chairman pending a review of concerns about his "leadership and departmental communications." He'd been interviewed last year as part of a joint campus police and FBI investigation into restrictions that were supposed to have been put on Nassar.
Mukherji said then that he had been in the chain of command between Nassar and William Strampel, the former dean of Michigan State's College of Osteopathic Medicine who was charged with several crimes last month. Authorities allege Strampel failed to keep Nassar in line, groped female students and stored nude student selfies on his campus computer.
Mukherji said Strampel and another doctor did most of the day-to-day supervision and decision-making related to MSU Sports Medicine.
Nassar worked for Michigan State and USA Gymnastics, which trains Olympians. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to decades in prison earlier this year.
Nassar also was permanently stripped of his medical license by a state disciplinary board on Thursday — a formality that would keep him practicing if he ever got out of prison. In addition to permanently revoking his license, the state Board of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery also fined Nassar $1 million, though it's doubtful he'd be able to pay it.