ANN ARBOR (WWJ) - The University of Michigan is looking for people who were sexually abused by a now-dead doctor who was the football team's physician.
The accusations, which were first reported to the the university two years ago, are focused on Robert E. Anderson: a former director of the University Health Service who worked with athletes who played for Bo Schembechler and Lloyd Carr.
During the course of the investigation, officials say detectives interviewed dozens of people and identified several individuals who described incidents of sexual misconduct by Anderson decades earlier.
The allegations include sexual abuse along with unnecessary medical exams, according to the university. Most of the exams took place in the 1970s, with at least one reported incident as late as the 1990s.
"The allegations that were reported are disturbing and very serious," said U-M President Mark Schlissel in a statement. "We promptly began a police investigation and cooperated fully with the prosecutor's office."
This comes as Michigan State University continues to face criticism in the wake of years of abuse by incarcerated former sports doctor Larry Nassar, who sexually assaulted hundreds of women and girls under the guise of medical treatment.
In this case, however, a spokesman for the Washtenaw County Prosecutor's office says there will not be any criminal prosecution, because Anderson died in 2008.
Regardless, the university now is asking anyone who had contact with Anderson to come forward if they have additional information.
U-M says this reachout effort is part of an independent, outside review being conducted on behalf of the university by lawyers at the firm that specializes in handling decades-old misconduct allegations. "As part of our commitment to understanding what happened and inform any changes we might need to make, we now are taking the next step to reach out to determine who else might be affected or have additional information to share. Every person in our community should expect to feel safe and supported," Schlissel said.
The hotline number to call is 866-990-0111.