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Michigan State suspends coach linked to abuse complaints

Posted at 6:29 PM, Feb 13, 2017
and last updated 2017-02-13 18:29:36-05

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan State has suspended its women’s gymnastics coach, two weeks after she was accused in a lawsuit of downplaying complaints about sexual abuse by a sports doctor.

University spokesman Jason Cody says Kathie Klages was suspended Monday. He offered no details and didn’t say whether the suspension was related to Dr. Larry Nassar.

Nassar is a former Michigan State doctor who is being sued by more than two dozen women and girls who allege he molested them during treatments.

In a Jan. 31 court filing, one woman says Klages diminished her concerns in the late 1990s. The woman says Klages was her coach when she was a teenager in a Michigan State youth program.

Nassar has denied abuse allegations. He’s criminally charged with assaulting a girl at his home and possessing child pornography.