EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) - NCAA President Mark Emmert says sexual assault cases involving Michigan State athletes referenced in a letter sent by an advocacy group in 2010 were "widely reported" and already being investigated by law enforcement and the school.
Emmert made the comments in an email sent Saturday to the NCAA Board of Governors.
Spokeswoman Stacey Osborn provided Emmert's email to The Associated Press in response to a request for comment about a report by The Athletic, citing a letter sent by the National Coalition Against Violent Athletes in 2010 to NCAA leaders.
Michigan State's handling of sex abuse allegations against former university sports doctor Larry Nassar are under increasing scrutiny and both school President Lou Anna Simon and athletic director Mark Hollis stepped down in the past week.
The coalition letter, also provided to the AP, detailed what the group described as a "growing epidemic" of sexual assaults by male athletes against women, and used "recent reports" of sexual violence involving two Michigan State players basketball players as an example.
Emmert told the NCAA board: "The MSU cases were widely reported in the press and already being investigated by law enforcement and university officials. Kathy did not imply that these were unreported cases or that she was acting as a whistleblower to report unknown information to the letter's recipients."
