Bo Knew About Anderson

[thewolverines24]

https://twitter.com/DanMurphyESPN/status/1288853042100502528

If the allegations are true, Bo had the chance to get rid of Anderson when he became the AD, but he did nothing once he had the power to remove him. It's unreal to me how so many in Bo's generation could so easily turn a blind eye to sexual abuse. There's no reason for him to not circle back to investigating Anderson after his players' complaints. No excuse at all. Bo's statue can get thrown in the rubbish next to Paterno's. Schembechler Hall should be renamed as well.

 

[Michchamp]

https://twitter.com/DanMurphyESPN/status/1288853042100502528

Bo had the chance to get rid of Anderson when he became the AD, but he did nothing once he had the power to remove him. It's unreal to me how so many in Bo's generation could so easily turn a blind eye to sexual abuse. There's no reason for him to not circle back to investigating Anderson after his players' complaints. No excuse at all. Bo's statue can get thrown in the rubbish next to Paterno's. Schembechler Hall should be renamed as well.

I wouldn't go as far as to lower Bo to JoePa's level.



The key players here (Canham, Bo, and Anderson) are all dead, and these events happened 30+ years ago.



I never thought Bo was perfect; he was a pretty lousy AD, and not exactly progressive-minded or thoughtful on issues that came up while he was AD or GM of the Tigers.



I think he had personal integrity, and was a more or less decent human being. I don't think JoePa was.


I'm still collecting my thoughts on all this though...


We probably should rename Schembechler Hall... and move the statue.

 

[Michchamp]

No football coaches should ever be lionized. Few men and women should.

We should build monuments to victims and oppressed people only... the nameless. Tombs of the Unknown Soldiers. :cheers:

Was thinking the only statue Michigan football should build is maybe to unheralded practice squad members, but then I remember I occasionally hung out with a bunch of guys like that in college, and most of them were total pricks. Fuck honoring them for anything...

sports are way WAY over-appreciated and honored by our society. In the end, none of them have really done anything notable. They play games to entertain the rest of us for a few hours a week.

 

[thewolverines24]

I'm going to let this develop a bit further as well and collect my thoughts, but it does not look good.

One thing is for certain, Paul Schmidt should not still be employed by UM.

 

[byco42]

Read three accounts: News, Freep and WaPo.

This from WaPo:

The former student said he placed more blame on the former athletics (sic) director, who died in 2005, than he did Schembechler, a man he considered a friend. He called Schembechler “powerless” in the situation.

“When it came to these kinds of issues, there was absolutely nothing he could do except to direct the students and student-athletes over to the boss, who was Don Canham,” the former student said.​

Dr. "Drop Your Drawers" was a phrase I heard more than once echo through the hallowed halls of Rumsey House in 1975-76. The guy was fired in 1979 from Student Health Services by the Associate Director of Students, Thomas Easthope, who knew he was fingering and fondling boys. Yet, he was aghast that Anderson "transitioned" to the Athletic Department. What is not clear to me is when he found out about this. It appears it was rather recently. Easthope held this position until 1988. The U of M is big, but not that big. How could he not have known that Anderson was the Top Doc for U of M athletics until 2003?

Link

 

[tinselwolverine]

I started at Michigan in the fall of 1979.

I don’t remember Chuck Christian from my following the team, I guess he played in the Rick Leach era.

That’s when I was sitting in the library of Pioneer catty corner across the street from Michigan Stadium, having my “hot for teacher” fantasies about Don Canham’s daughter.

I never heard of any of this before.

I looked up a few links; some claims these events were discussed amongst the players.

No big jock didn’t just turn around and clock the SOB?

Seems very bizarre.

 

[thewolverines24]

Read three accounts: News, Freep and WaPo.

This from WaPo:

The former student said he placed more blame on the former athletics (sic) director, who died in 2005, than he did Schembechler, a man he considered a friend. He called Schembechler “powerless” in the situation.

“When it came to these kinds of issues, there was absolutely nothing he could do except to direct the students and student-athletes over to the boss, who was Don Canham,” the former student said.​

Dr. "Drop Your Drawers" was a phrase I heard more than once echo through the hallowed halls of Rumsey House in 1975-76. The guy was fired in 1979 from Student Health Services by the Associate Director of Students, Thomas Easthope, who knew he was fingering and fondling boys. Yet, he was aghast that Anderson "transitioned" to the Athletic Department. What is not clear to me is when he found out about this. It appears it was rather recently. Easthope held this position until 1988. The U of M is big, but not that big. How could he not have known that Anderson was the Top Doc for U of M athletics until 2003?

Link

To believe Bo was powerless is naive. If Bo wanted a new doc in place for UM athletics, he could easily get that done. He definitely could have removed Anderson when he was the AD for three years.

 

[byco42]

I started at Michigan in the fall of 1979.

I don’t remember Chuck Christian from my following the team, I guess he played in the Rick Leach era.

That’s when I was sitting in the library of Pioneer catty corner across the street from Michigan Stadium, having my “hot for teacher” fantasies about Don Canham’s daughter.

I never heard of any of this before.

I looked up a few links; some claims these events were discussed amongst the players.

No big jock didn’t just turn around and clock the SOB?

Seems very bizarre.

When I heard the "Drop" moniker, mocking laughter and tone was usually applied. My RA was the starting TE my freshman year, until he quit the team mysteriously. He ended up being a very successful doctor and businessman. Really good guy, too.

 

[byco42]

To believe Bo was powerless is naive. If Bo wanted a new doc in place for UM athletics, he could easily get that done. He definitely could have removed Anderson when he was the AD for three years.

The quote was from the plaintiff and was in reference to when Bo was the coach. He impelled the kid to get his "ass to Canham's office." (maybe not the best phrase under the circumstances)

Bo was the AD for less than two years. Yes, he could and should have bounced Anderson down State Street all the way to S. Eisenhower Parkway.

 

[tinselwolverine]

Read three accounts: News, Freep and WaPo.

This from WaPo:

The former student said he placed more blame on the former athletics (sic) director, who died in 2005, than he did Schembechler, a man he considered a friend. He called Schembechler ?powerless? in the situation.

?When it came to these kinds of issues, there was absolutely nothing he could do except to direct the students and student-athletes over to the boss, who was Don Canham,? the former student said.​

Dr. "Drop Your Drawers" was a phrase I heard more than once echo through the hallowed halls of Rumsey House in 1975-76. The guy was fired in 1979 from Student Health Services by the Associate Director of Students, Thomas Easthope, who knew he was fingering and fondling boys. Yet, he was aghast that Anderson "transitioned" to the Athletic Department. What is not clear to me is when he found out about this. It appears it was rather recently. Easthope held this position until 1988. The U of M is big, but not that big. How could he not have known that Anderson was the Top Doc for U of M athletics until 2003?

Link

Yeah, I read all that just now too.

Ya know, you would make a really good investigative journalist - has anyone ever told you that?

Here is a report about Paul Schmidt.

The attorney for the plaintiff?s name is Cox.

 

[byco42]

Yeah, I read all that just now too.

Ya know, you would make a really good investigative journalist - has anyone ever told you that?

Here is a report about Paul Schmidt.

The attorney for the plaintiff?s name is Cox.

Mike Cox. You can't make this stuff up. And I've done some of that in a very specialized role. (investigative journalism). Maybe I should go back to that.

 

[Michchamp]

To believe Bo was powerless is naive. If Bo wanted a new doc in place for UM athletics, he could easily get that done. He definitely could have removed Anderson when he was the AD for three years.

"Powerless" is probably not the right word. But remember, back in the "ancient history" of the 1980's, there wasn't the huge divide in income we have these days. Football coaches weren't multi-millionaire demigods on campus. Bo lived in a regular looking house in Ann Arbor, and though he was well-paid for the time, was not paid 10-20 times what a typical Ann Arbor-area doctor or lawyer made, like RichRod or Harbaugh.

I read Canham's book a couple years back. It comes through pretty clear that he was the boss in Ann Arbor. As legendary as Bo has become, he was still just a guy who worked for Don Canham. That's not to give Bo a pass; based on what we're reading about this, Bo probably could've (and in hindsight should have) raised enough of a stink about Anderson to get him fired, and kept his job.

I wanted to say... in the context of 1980's America, it would've been exceptional for a coach and/or AD to push for a team doctor to get fired over predatory behavior that was - at the time - usually brushed off and joked about, but then I remember that SOMEONE ELSE AT MICHIGAN forced Anderson out of his prior position at the University and the AD re-hired him.

This just plain sucks.


I think the blame primarily lies with Canham here; Bo certainly bears some share of the blame, but this isn't like a situation where the powerful football coach ruled the University and hired and fired ADs at will. Canham blew it, probably because he was able to hire Anderson for cheap. But Bo should've pushed to protect his players.

 

[Michchamp]

I remember when Mike Cox was Michigan AG... I seem to recall something else notable about him, but I can't recall what it was.

 

[Gulo Blue]

I'm not expecting any new news to make this look any better in time. Guess I'll start purging Bo memorabilia now. Probably not a ton of stuff, but Michigan likes to stamp 'Those who stay' and 'The Team' on everything.

 

[tinselwolverine]

Mike Cox. You can't make this stuff up. And I've done some of that in a very specialized role. (investigative journalism). Maybe I should go back to that.

Oh, right, Mike Cox - even better.

I guess he was kind of a big deal in Michigan Republican politics.

Mike Cox doesn?t apply that well to the first person possessive pronoun, unless one were referring to the collective Cox of say a football team - then Mike Cox fits just fine.

The same could be said the half Chinese half German Mai Butolz.

I know you have been an investigative journalist ? you have told stories of investigative videography from back in the day.

 

[Michchamp]

I'm not expecting any new news to make this look any better in time. Guess I'll start purging Bo memorabilia now. Probably not a ton of stuff, but Michigan likes to stamp 'Those who stay' and 'The Team' on everything.

I hope the University doesn't sandbag the investigation and drag its feet on this. Get his name off buildings and get on the right side of history.

There have been three other troubling issues at UM I read about in the last year or two: 1) a leader of the School of Public Health faced allegations of sexual abuse and misconduct, 2) there was some "smoke" in the Detroit papers about improprieties by the banksters who oversaw the University endowment, and 3) the University had developed formal ties with a CS professor that founded some sleazy startup and was using the CS dept. to recruit and use students as unpaid interns. All three of those have apparently been swept under the rug... haven't heard anything further about them.

I really don't want to see us become Michigan State or Ohio State...

I feel like the University resisted the "corporatization" and "crapification" of America longer than most institutions, but from some dealings I've had more recently with the alumni organization, and interactions with other alumni, I think we're heading to the same place as everything else (HELL).

 

[byco42]

I remember when Mike Cox was Michigan AG... I seem to recall something else notable about him, but I can't recall what it was.

He was very accommodating to all "parties", as I recall.

 

[Michchamp]

He was very accommodating to all "parties", as I recall.

The current AG comes off as very progressive and ready to fight, but I read her first action as AG was to call off the investigation into the Flint Water Scandal that her predecessor (a Republican!) had started. FUCK!!!!

You simply cannot do the right thing, or even try to actually govern in America these days. The Evildoers have complete control, and they roll deep. Stick your neck out, and there are dozens of people ready to slice at it, knowing they'll be well-rewarded for "taking care" of you.

what to do about it?

 

[Gulo Blue]

Is anybody asking what Harbaugh knew, and when? Not that he would have had power to do anything, but he was there, his dad was there. If it was an open secret, they would know.

 

[tinselwolverine]

"Powerless" is probably not the right word. But remember, back in the "ancient history" of the 1980's, there wasn't the huge divide in income we have these days. Football coaches weren't multi-millionaire demigods on campus. Bo lived in a regular looking house in Ann Arbor, and though he was well-paid for the time, was not paid 10-20 times what a typical Ann Arbor-area doctor or lawyer made, like RichRod or Harbaugh.

I read Canham's book a couple years back. It comes through pretty clear that he was the boss in Ann Arbor. As legendary as Bo has become, he was still just a guy who worked for Don Canham. That's not to give Bo a pass; based on what we're reading about this, Bo probably could've (and in hindsight should have) raised enough of a stink about Anderson to get him fired, and kept his job.

I wanted to say... in the context of 1980's America, it would've been exceptional for a coach and/or AD to push for a team doctor to get fired over predatory behavior that was - at the time - usually brushed off and joked about, but then I remember that SOMEONE ELSE AT MICHIGAN forced Anderson out of his prior position at the University and the AD re-hired him.

This just plain sucks.


I think the blame primarily lies with Canham here; Bo certainly bears some share of the blame, but this isn't like a situation where the powerful football coach ruled the University and hired and fired ADs at will. Canham blew it, probably because he was able to hire Anderson for cheap. But Bo should've pushed to protect his players.

In the early 80s Bo was offered a reported 2 1/2 million dollars to go coach at Texas A&M.

Tom Monahan gave him a Dominos franchise or two to incentivize him to stay at Michigan.