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U-M football voice Jim Brandstatter defends Bo Schembechler from cover-up claims
Jim Brandstatter’s voice can be heard every fall. The former Wolverines player calls the play-by-play for the football team. Now he's lending his voice in support of his former coach the late Bo Schembechler.
FOX 2 - The family of the late University of Michigan football coach Bo Schembechler issued a statement Tuesday rejecting claims that he knew of the sexual abuse from former school Dr. Robert Anderson.
"It is telling to us that Bo never spoke to any of us about inappropriate behavior by Dr. Anderson," the statement reads. "To the contrary, in our steadfast opinion, Bo was not aware of such conduct and assumed that any procedures were medically appropriate. As he demonstrated at many points in his career and to us as a family, Bo had a clear and compelling sense of right and wrong: he would not have tolerated misconduct, especially toward any of his players, family members, coaches, or to anyone associated with the University of Michigan’s football program."
Dr. Robert E. Anderson
Last week three former players and son Matt Schembechler made explosive claims that Bo knew of the sexual abuse from the late Dr. Anderson.
Matt, said he was molested at age 10, was hit in the chest by Bo after telling him who replied to toughen up. After telling his mother, a registered nurse, who went to then school AD Don Canham, Anderson was fired. But Matt alleged that afterward, Bo had him re-instated.
The statement, signed by Cathy Schembechler, Glenn E. "Shemy" Schembechler III, and Megan Schembechler, claims the legendary coach would have stopped the abuse, had he known about it.
"If Bo had known of inappropriate conduct, we are certain that he would have stopped it immediately, reported it, and had Dr. Anderson removed from the University. Some will argue that the absence of proof is not definitive in situations such as these, but it is noteworthy that a 240-page report done by an outside, the independent law firm retained by the University to look into Dr. Anderson’s conduct examined similar allegations, but did not substantiate those claims."
The accusations directed toward the University of Michigan have been magnified in recent months following initial complaints about the school's handling of the doctor's actions and a 240-page report that detailed who knew about the abuse and how it was swept away from the public eye.
A second letter from former players, coaches, and staff members who played and worked for Bo in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, backs up the family's statement.
In the latter, it claims that although they are sympathetic to the experiences of the survivors, they will not stand by and let Schmebechler's reputation and legacy "be destroyed."
"If Coach Schembechler was aware of any criminal or sexual abuse, as we stated above, in our opinion, he would have been outraged and taken action immediately," the statement reads. "It is reasonable to assume that Coach Schembechler, like many at the time, believed the physicals were not abusive but rather performed in accordance with standard medical practices.
"All of us received physicals to play football at Michigan. Many of us never thought at any time we had been abused during the process. And, subsequently, nothing was reported to Bo."
Read below for both statements in their entirety:
There are many ways to take the measure of a man, especially one as scrutinized as Bo Schembechler. You can judge him by his coaching record, the wins and losses give the illusion of a tidy summary. You could look at him by looking at the caliber of the people he surrounded himself with over his four decades of coaching, the teams, coaches, and staff who played for and worked with him, many of whom never fell out of touch with Bo.
You could assess him through the testimonials of many of those individuals who have in recent days spoken out in defense of his memory and legacy. Perhaps you could get a sense of Bo Schembechler by talking to the hundreds -thousands more likely -of people whose lives were enriched by his enduring presence long after their playing days were over.
We, however, measure Bo Schembechler by different standards, as a devoted husband and a father. We remember him in those intimate family moments that pass unnoticed to others but are indelibly stamped in our memories. We remember him at moments of celebration shared with the world, but also during quiet moments of advice and counsel. We remember that -even during the height of the season -Bo would come home for dinner to share stories of what had happened to him that day and to ask about our days. That Bo Schembechler was, and remains, deserving of our admiration and our love.
It is telling to us that Bo never spoke to any of us about inappropriate behavior by Dr. Anderson. To the contrary, in our steadfast opinion, Bo was not aware of such conduct and assumed that any procedures were medically appropriate. As he demonstrated at many points in his career and to us as a family, Bo had a clear and compelling sense of right and wrong: he would not have tolerated misconduct, especially toward any of his players, family members, coaches or to anyone associated with the University of Michigan’s football program.
If Bo had known of inappropriate conduct, we are certain that he would have stopped it immediately, reported it, and had Dr. Anderson removed from the University. Some will argue that the absence of proof is not definitive in situations such as these, but it is noteworthy that a 240-page report done by an outside, independant law firm retained by the University to look into Dr. Anderson’s conduct examined similar allegations but did not substantiate those claims.
As painful as the last few days have been, we are confident the facts -and the truth -will ultimately win the day. We are confident that the veracity of each accuser will be examined, and that appropriate weight will be given to the sad reality that one of our family members has been for decades estranged from us and has on numerous occasions made unfounded and false accusations against Bo and other family members including pursuing legal actions that have been repeatedly rejected.
"Bo Schembechler was father and husband. A devoted Christian. He was inspiring, demanding, loyal, a fierce defender of his extensive family, and a taskmaster who pushed everyone around him to be better, to be the best version of themselves possible. He pushed himself harder than anyone. He believed in integrity, honesty, and kindness; he despised dishonesty and cruelty.
"His accomplishments and the positive impact he had in the lives of so many people around him -are examples to study and to emulate. We are grateful to everyone who has stepped forward to defend his memory. We are proud to bear his name and to bear witness for a life well-lived."
-Cathy Schembechler Glenn E. "Shemy" Schembechler III Megan Schembechler
The second statement is below:
"To the University of Michigan Community, we are former players, coaches, and staff members who played for and worked with Bo Schembechler during the 1960s, 70s, and 80s.
"We saw Coach Schembechler in victory and in defeat, in front of crowds 100,000 strong, and in quiet moments of reflection. Many of us met him for the first time in our parents’ living rooms when we were barely old enough to vote and most of us stayed in touch with him right up until his death in 2006.
"Our experiences tell us that the Bo Schembechler we knew would never have tolerated any abuse or mistreatment of his players, his staff, or any other individual. We believe firmly, that if he were aware of such behavior, Coach Schembechler would have acted immediately to put a stop to it and would have made sure anyone responsible for it would have been removed from the University of Michigan football program.
"We want to be clear, as a group we are sympathetic to all victims of sexual abuse. Yearly physicals by family doctors or athletic physicals by a University doctor were the same physicals as performed by the United States military. There was no reason to suspect abuse in those circumstances.
"If Coach Schembechler was aware of any criminal or sexual abuse, as we stated above, in our opinion, he would have been outraged and taken action immediately. It is reasonable to assume that Coach Schembechler, like many at the time, believed the physicals were not abusive but rather performed in accordance with standard medical practices.
"All of us received physicals to play football at Michigan. Many of us never thought at any time we had been abused during the process. And, subsequently, nothing was reported to Bo. One of the strengths of Coach Schembechler was to motivate players to be better than they thought they could be. Bo always expected the best from us because he held himself to the same standard.
"The effort to destroy Coach Schembechler’s reputation and legacy will not go unchallenged by those of us who knew him. Just because he isn’t present doesn’t mean he’s not here. We are proud of our connection to Coach Schembechler, and we stand today in complete support of his wife Cathy, his son Glenn III (Shemmy), and his memory."