A plan to prevent the sexual abuse of young athletes has been introduced in Lansing. On hand for a press conference Monday for the package’s unveiling were victims of former MSU sports doctor Larry Nassar. State Representative Beth Griffin has a bill in the plan that would add coaches, assistant coaches, and athletic trainers to the list of authority figures required to report evidence of abuse. Griffin, a former teacher, told us more adults should have to look out for young athletes.
“Teachers and coaches both could be in a position where they could hear a story or a report of sexual abuse,” Griffin said.
Other bills in the package would expand the statute of limitations for second degree criminal sexual conduct, increase the penalty for failing to report abuse, allow victims of childhood sexual abuse to remain anonymous, and increase penalties for possession of child pornography. Griffin said the Larry Nassar debacle was a tragedy, but at least some good can come from it.
