MSU Trustee George Perles denied that he intervened in an investigation of Larry Nassar's conduct after an MSU athlete reported in 1992 that she had been raped by Nassar, according to a report from the Lansing State Journal.
A lawsuit filed in federal court last week alleged that Nassar had drugged, raped and videotaped former MSU field hockey player Erika Davis in 1992, and that Trustee Perles intervened in the subsequent investigation — leading to the complaint being dropped.
Perles' attorney Patrick Hickey told the Journal that Perles "adamantly denies the allegations made about him in the civil complaint recently filed by Erika Davis," adding that "although he is not a party to the lawsuit, Mr. Perles looks forward to the allegations about him being disproven through the course of the civil action."
Hickey also represents former MSU gymnastics coach Kathie Klages, who allegedly convinced MSU student Larissa Boyce not to report Nassar for sexual assault in 1997.
Perles was head football coach at MSU in 1992 and served as the university's athletic director from 1990 to 1992, although he had resigned from that post before the alleged assault. He has served on the Board of Trustees since 2006 and will be up for reelection in 2022.
Perles' son told ESPN last week that the lawsuit was "a fabrication," saying that "the timeline doesn't fit."
Perles is receiving legal assistance from MSU.
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