2 former UM football players, ex-NHL player among alleged sexual abuse victims of Dr. Anderson

Late University of Michigan physician accused of sexual abuse

FILE - This undated file photo provided by the Bentley Historical Library at the University of Michigan shows Dr. Robert E. Anderson. A University of Michigan hotline has received more than 100 unique complaints about Dr. Anderson, a late physician accused of sexual abuse by former patients, including athletes who encountered him as a team doctor, the school announced Friday, Feb. 28, 2020. He died in 2008. (Robert Kalmbach/Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan via AP) (Robert Kalmbach)

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Two former University of Michigan football players and a former NHL hockey player are among the alleged sexual misconduct victims of former university physician Dr. Robert E. Anderson.

Doctor Robert E. Anderson died in 2008, but between 1963 and 2003 he saw countless athletes and many of them are continuing to contact the university with complaints of abuse. There are also new allegations that accuse Anderson of helping young men avoid the Vietnam War in exchange for sexual favors.

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The number of abuse cases against Anderson reported to the University of Michigan hotline has surpassed 100. A law firm representing 40 of the alleged victims said it is now representing two former University of Michigan football players, one who played on the University’s 1997 national championship team, and a former NHL hockey player.

The law firm -- Wahlberg, Woodruff, Nimmo & Sloane, LLP, based in Denver -- plans to hold a news conference Wednesday evening at the Sheraton Detroit Hotel in Novi “to update and inform the general public about the firm’s meetings with the university and its independent investigators about the alleged victims” of Anderson.

The news conference is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday.


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Meanwhile, three former wrestlers spoke at a press conference last week, including whistleblower Tad Deluca, Thomas Evashevski and Andy Hrovat. Hrovat, an Olympian, was the first victim to share his story about Anderson publicly.

Deluca said he was inspired in early 2018 by the women who came forward against former Michigan State doctor Larry Nassar. Deluca said he was inspired in early 2018 by the women who came forward against former Michigan State doctor Larry Nassar. He said he wrote two letters alerting the university but was ignored. He said he wrote one in 2018 to Athletic Director Warde Manuel and one back in 1975 to his wrestling coach, Bill Johannesen.

He said he was kicked off the team, had his scholarship revoked and the coach read embarrassing excerpts from the letter to the rest of the team. Johannesen has denied these claims and said Deluca was dismissed for missing practices.

Three seperate men have reached out to the Detroit Free Press to allege that Anderson was widely known in the late 60s and would offer letters to men saying they were gay to get them out of the Vietnam War. In return, those men were allegedly expected to watch or perform sex acts.

Two school districts were looking into the possibility that Anderson had performed physicals for students. The Ann Arbor School District Superintendent said there is no evidence Anderson was employed by or volunteered. The Flint School District is still investigating.