ANN ARBOR, Mich. – A former University of Michigan wrestler said he reported sexual abuse by a team doctor in 1975 and was kicked off the team as a result.
Tad Deluca, Tom Evashevski and Andy Hrovat, all former U of M wrestlers, shared their stories Thursday about Dr. Robert Anderson.
Deluca said he first told his wrestling coach about Anderson 45 years ago and was ignored. Two years after being ignored again, Deluca tried to hold back emotion as he was finally heard.
“I lost a lot of sleep,” Deluca said. “I was angry. Now I’m on the down slope, but the only word I can think of is vindication. Yeah, it feels pretty good.”
Evashevski was his teammate from 1972-75. Hrovat wrestled at Michigan from 1998-2002.
They all told stories about Anderson, who was known as “Dr. Drop Your Drawers.”
“Having to go into a room knowing you’re going to encounter this -- it’s horrific,” Hrovat said.
Deluca said his coach in 1975, Bill Johannesen, read part of his nine-page letter to the team before Deluca was let go from the team. He said his scholarship was removed from then-athletic director Don Canham.
“You can’t call him a coach,” Deluca said. “That’s a term of endearment.”
U of M President Mark Schlissel had already apologized for Anderson’s conduct and created a hotline for victims to call, but Deluca’s attorney asked why that wasn’t set up in 2018, when athletic director Warde Manuel got Deluca’s second letter.
“I do not believe for an instant that anyone delayed this,” U of M spokesman Rick Fitzgerald said.
Fitzgerald told Local 4 that U of M has hired an independent firm to investigate the facts and failures.
Ann Arbor and Flint schools are also investigating possible wrongdoing by Anderson.
You can watch Jason Colthorp’s full story in the video posted above.