U-M sex assault survivors share 'horror stories' of Robert Anderson abuse
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (FOX 2) - More men who say they were sexually assaulted by former university of Michigan physician Dr. Robert Anderson are talking publicly about what happened to them.
"What happened in Ann Arbor was a horror story," said Robert Stone, sexual assault survivor. "And it went on for over 25 years."
"I went to see Dr. Anderson for a sore throat and that's when the abuse started," said Michael Connelly, sexual abuse survivor.
"Things got weird when Dr. Anderson had me lay on his examination table, face up, while he removed my undershorts," said JP DesCamp, sexual abuse survivor.
Standing in solidarity and support on Thursday were women who were sexually assaulted by former Michigan State University Doctor Larry Nassar.
"We believe you, we believe every single one of you, we are so sorry you have to walk the same journey as us," said Trinea Gonczar, sexual assault survivor.
More than 100 men, the majority of them student athletes, have now come forward to say they were sexually abused by Anderson who died in 2008.
On Thursday survivors and attorneys publicly sent a message to the University of Michigan and the Board of Regents, whose pictures were displayed at the press conference.
"The best and brightest in this state were savaged by Dr. Anderson and we know that people at the university in positions of power knew - and did nothing," said attorney John Manly.
"These brave men deserve answers, the public deserves answers," said Sterlin Riethman, victims' advocate.
The university is conducting its own independent investigation into the matter, but the people at Thursday's press conference say that's not enough.
"Let's not have a repeat of failure of a university, take this moment to be the better institution," said Gonczar.
"How many people were assaulted? How was the able to happen?" said Stone.
"I feel like by the time this is over, the number of victims will be staggering," said Connelly.
"Today we are here to demand better," said Kaylee Lorincz, Michigan State sexual assault survivor. "We are urging the University of Michigan to be better, to do better."
The survivors are also demanding that Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel to investigate.
Nessel said that she would only investigate with one condition.
"I cannot and will not, consider any request to investigate the University of Michigan without a binding commitment from the university to waive all privileges including the attorney client privilege, and to fully cooperate in whatever law enforcement efforts there might be."
Nessel said Michigan State University's failure to waive attorney client privilege prevented her office from completing its investigation and denied the survivors any sense of closure while wasting thousands of taxpayer dollars.