How Could You? Hall of Shame-Matt Schembechler case

This will be an archive of heinous actions by those involved in child welfare, foster care and adoption. We forewarn you that these are deeply disturbing stories that may involve sex abuse, murder, kidnapping and other horrendous actions.

From Ann Arbor, Michigan, adoptee Matt Schemblecher “says that his father hit him after he told the legendary Michigan football coach that he was sexually abused by the team’s former doctor.

Speaking at a news conference Thursday, Matt Schembechler, 62, said when he was 10, he informed his adopted father — at his mother’s urging — that Robert E. Anderson had touched him inappropriately during a physical in 1969, the coach’s first year at Michigan.

“My effort earned me a punch in the chest,” Schembechler said. “This was the beginning of the end of my relationship with him.”

Schembechler said he informed Michigan’s then-athletic director Don Canham of Anderson’s conduct, and that he believes his father intervened to prevent Canham from firing Anderson.

Matt Schembechler was joined at Thursday’s news conference by two former Michigan football players, offensive lineman Daniel Kwiatkowski and wide receiver Gilvanni Johnson, who say they were assaulted by Anderson during physicals and reported their experiences to Bo Schembechler in the 1970s and 1980s. Both players say their complaints went unaddressed and they were assaulted multiple times by Anderson afterward.

Kwiatkowski said he went to the coach after he was assaulted in 1977, and Schembechler told him to “toughen up” and ignore the abuse.

“Bo knew,” Kwiatkowski said. “I knew. I was on my own and Bo was never going to protect us from Dr. Anderson.”

Johnson said he went to Schembechler after being assaulted by Anderson in 1982 and the coach promised to address the issue but did not. He said coaches later used threats of visiting Anderson as a motivational tactic.

“Only now do I realize how crazy it was to threaten rape as a way to make players work harder,” Johnson said.

A 240-page, university-commissioned report released last month found that Anderson sexually abused his patients on “countless instances” for 37 years despite several reports, complaints and warnings to several Michigan employees about his behavior. The report found three examples of players voicing concerns to Bo Schembechler in the 1970s and 1980s relating to Anderson’s conduct during physicals. The report included accounts from multiple former players who detailed experiences of abuse.

Schembechler died in November 2006 at age 77, and Anderson died in November 2008 at age 60, before allegations against Anderson surfaced.

Current Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh defended Bo Schembechler last week in his first public comments about the report.

“There’s nothing that ever was swept under the rug or ignored,” said Harbaugh, who played under Schembechler from 1983 to 1986. He addressed everything in a timely fashion. That’s the Bo Schembechler I knew.”

During the news conference, Matt Schembechler said his decision to speak publicly wasn’t related to Harbaugh’s recent comments.

“Don’t draw Jim Harbaugh into this,” he said. “He deserves no negative feedback from this.”

Son says Bo Schembechler hit him, covered up Michigan doctor’s sexual abuse
[The Athletic 6/10/21 by Austin Meek]

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