Magic Johnson wants accountability at Michigan State, where he led the men's basketball team to the 1979 national championship.
On Monday morning, the Los Angeles Lakers president of basketball operations called for the firing of anyone at Michigan State who had previous knowledge of sexual misconduct incidents on campus but failed to act.
But that directive might not include coaches. Johnson said he supports embroiled men's basketball coach Tom Izzo and wants to help him change the culture on campus.
If anyone was aware of the sexual assault happening to women on the MSU campus from the office of the President, Board of Trustees, athletic department, faculty & campus police, and didn't say or do anything about it, they should be fired.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) January 29, 2018
Cookie and I stand in support of the victims and their families as they embark on the road to recovery; and I support the movement to hold everyone involved accountable.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) January 29, 2018
The roles of the new President, Board of Trustees, athletic department, faculty, campus police and students will be to work together to create new policies and procedures to ensure this never happens again.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) January 29, 2018
As a Spartan, I love MSU and want to work with Coach Izzo, the administration, and the students to be a part of the solution in any way that I can.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) January 29, 2018
The school has been accused of covering up a series of sexual assault claims involving the athletic department. Last week, former Michigan State doctor Larry Nassar received a sentence of up to 175 years in prison after pleading guilty to seven charges of molestation. He has been accused by more than 100 girls and women of sexual abuse through his post at the school and his work with USA Gymnastics.
Michigan State is named as a co-defendant in civil lawsuits filed by more than 150 women, many of whom claim that coaches, athletic trainers and others at the school ignored complaints about Nassar for nearly two decades. University president Lou Anna Simon resigned last Wednesday amid growing calls for a change in leadership because of how the administration has handled the fallout from Nassar's crimes.
Before the release of an Outside the Lines report last week that detailed and questioned the school's handling of numerous sexual assault and domestic violence accusations against Michigan State football and basketball players, athletic director Mark Hollis resigned.
Both Izzo and Spartans football coach Mark Dantonio have said they do not intend to resign. But they have both faced a string of questions about their futures in the wake of recent reports.
