Magic Johnson Calls For Firing Of Those Aware of Sexual Abuse At Michigan State

Magic Johnson has called for the firing of anyone at Michigan State who was aware of sexual abuse on campus but failed to act or report it.

Los Angeles Lakers President Magic Johnson has called for the firing of anyone at Michigan State who was aware of sexual abuse on campus but failed to act or report it.

Michigan State come under fire after reports that university employees were aware of Dr. Larry Nassar's sexual abuse of more than 140 women over two decades as a doctor for the school and USA Gymnastics. Nassar has been sentenced to up to 175 years in prison after pleading guilty to seven charges of molestation. The NCAA has launched an investigation into the university. ESPN also reported cases of institutional failure to report sexual assault cases in other sports within the athletic department including men's basketball and football.

Last week, university president Lou Anna Simon resigned and athletic director Mark Hollis announced his retirement.

Johnson, who played for the Spartans from 1977 to 1979, tweeted the following statement:

"If anyone was aware of the sexual assault happening to women on the MSU campus from the office of the President, Board of Trustees, athletic department, faculty & campus police, and didn’t say or do anything about it, they should be fired. Cookie and I stand in support of the victims and their families as they embark on the road to recovery; and I support the movement to hold everyone involved accountable. The roles of the new President, Board of Trustees, athletic department, faculty, campus police and students will be to work together to create new policies and procedures to ensure this never happens again. As a Spartan, I love MSU and want to work with Coach Izzo, the administration, and the students to be a part of the solution in any way that I can."

Men's basketball head coach Tom Izzo faced criticism after being questioned by an ESPN reporter in a postgame press conference on Sunday. Izzo was the head coach when Travis Walton served as an undergraduate student assistant despite facing criminal charges for punching a female student in the face in 2010. Walton was also accused of raping another female student. Former basketball players Keith Appling and Adreian Payne were also accused of raping a female student in 2010 but were not disciplined by the team. Izzo told reporters that he has cooperated with any investigation into his program and will continue to do so.