Officials at Butler University are in the spotlight after court documents related to an abuse scandal at the school revealed that associate athletic director Ralph Reiff worked "elbow to elbow" with disgraced USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar.
The documents are part of a lawsuit filed against Butler by four female soccer players who alleged that former Butler athletic trainer Michael Howell sexually abused them during hours-long massages in the training room, and during road trips. They also allege that he took photos and videos of the athletes and tried to silence them by threatening to reveal potentially damaging information.
The women have accused Reiff of not having put into place policies on the conduct of athletic trainers and failing to properly supervise Howell.
According to the Indy Star, Butler and Reiff have argued in court filing that their actions were not "the proximate cause" of Howell's misconduct and they could not have reasonably foreseen the alleged abuse.
Records reveal that Butler's chief of Public Safety John Conley sent a message to university officials shortly after the women came forward, saying, "I think we could be answering the question, 'did we not learn something from the Sandusky or Olympic doctor cases?'"
"It is clear that Defendant Reiff ... refused to learn anything from his professional involvement with the most notorious serial sex abuser of female athletes," the complaints say.
A statement sent to the Indy Star from Butler relayed the following: "Ralph Reiff’s work with USA Gymnastics occurred when he was an employee of St. Vincent’s and, as such, St. Vincent’s is in a better position to comment on the relationship between St. Vincent’s and USA Gymnastics. Ralph Reiff’s full and complete testimony ― not a cherry-picked phrase ― makes clear that he did not have a close working relationship with Larry Nassar."
Reiff spent 20 years as executive director of St. Vincent Sports Performance before coming to Butler in 2019. While at St. Vincent, he was also a member of the USA Gymnastics Medical Task Force, which was established to develop and oversee medical services and practices by doctors like Nassar.
Reiff also told Title IX investigators that he also trained and traveled with Jared Fogle, the Subway spokesman who is now in prison for child pornography. He has also worked with Marvin Sharp, and Indianapolis gymnastics coach who committed suicide while in jail on child pornography charges.
