Ever since I was a young child and heard the term, “Michigan man,” the first thing I thought of was former Michigan football coach, Bo Schembechler.
For years, Bo was regarded by most as the greatest Wolverines head coach of all time and a big part of the history of the football program.
Now, I am here to say that as a Michigan fan who bleeds blue, Bo Schembechler should never again be mentioned as a “Michigan Man” and his statue on campus, along with anything at all that involves him in any way should be taken down and destroyed.
On Thursday, three survivors of Dr. Robert Anderson’s sexual abuse, including Bo’s stepson, Matt Schembechler, spoke about how they were abused by Dr. Anderson and that Bo knew about it and did nothing. In fact, Matt said that when he told Bo, his father, about Dr. Anderson’s sexual abuse, he earned a punch in the chest.
Here are some of the comments from today’s press conference.
What you are about to read is absolutely disgusting and Bo had a chance to stop it.
Matt Schembechler says he was touched inappropriately by Anderson during a physical at the age of ten. At his mother's urging, he reported Anderson's conduct to Bo. "My effort earned me a punch in the chest. This was the beginning of the end of my relationship with him."
— Austin Meek (@byAustinMeek) June 10, 2021
Matt says he reported Anderson's conduct to athletic director Don Canham and believes Bo intervened to prevent Canham from firing Anderson.
— Austin Meek (@byAustinMeek) June 10, 2021
Former U-M player Daniel Kwiatkowski identifies himself as the unnamed player in the WilmerHale report who was told by Schembechler to "toughen up" after reporting Anderson's conduct. "Bo knew. I knew. I was on my own and Bo was never going to protect us from Dr. Anderson."
— Austin Meek (@byAustinMeek) June 10, 2021
Former U-M player Gilvanni Johnson says he reported Anderson's conduct to Bo, but nothing came of it. Later, coaches 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."
— Austin Meek (@byAustinMeek) June 10, 2021
