Michigan State president Lou Anna Simon has resigned.
"The last year and a half has been very difficult for the victims of Larry Nassar, for the university community, and for me personally," Simon wrote on the Michigan State website Wednesday. "To the survivors, I can never say enough that I am so sorry that a trusted, renowned physician was really such an evil, evil person who inflicted such harm under the guise of medical treatment. I know that we all share the same resolve to do whatever it takes to avert such tragedies here and elsewhere."
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Simon had been under immense public pressure to resign as university president as over 140 accounts of Nassar's abuse of women and young girls were revealed in court.
Simon claims to have received a report saying Nassar had been cleared of sexual assault in 2014, but did not receive the full case file. Nassar was sentenced to serve 40 to 175 years for his crimes Wednesday. That is in addition to the 60-year sentence he was already given for child pornography charges.
"The survivors’ accounts are horrific," Simon wrote. "They are tragic, heartbreaking, and personally gut-wrenching. I take solace that many victims have indicated that the opportunity to confront Nassar is a step toward healing. I am proud of the exceptional work of the Special Victims Unit led by Lieutenant Andrea Munford with the steadfast leadership of Chief Dunlap. I am proud of my support of their work even though the results have been very painful to all who watched."
Numerous people have called for Simon's resignation, but she has received both support and condemnation from those who represent the university.
Trustee Joel Ferguson praised Simon Monday in a radio interview saying she would never leave, while Mitch Lyons issued a statement calling for her to step down.
"As tragedies are politicized, blame is inevitable," Simon wrote. "As president, it is only natural that I am the focus of this anger. I understand, and that is why I have limited my personal statements. Throughout my career, I have worked very hard to put Team MSU first. Throughout my career, I have consistently and persistently spoken and worked on behalf of Team MSU. I have tried to make it not about me. I urge those who have supported my work to understand that I cannot make it about me now. Therefore, I am tendering my resignation as president according to the terms of my employment agreement."
