NCAA president Mark Emmert was reportedly notified in November 2010 of 37 complaints of sexual assault committed by Michigan State athletes.
A letter sent to Emmert - dated Nov. 17, 2010 - by National Coalition Against Violent Athletes founder Kathy Redmond reveals her concerns with Michigan State, specifically, which she raised to Emmert. The letter was sent after Redmond and Emmert met in person to discuss the nationwide issue of sexual violence involving NCAA athletes.
Related - Report: Pattern of mishandling sexual assault, violence cases found at Michigan State
Redmond told Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic she left her meeting with Emmert encouraged by his stated desire to address and eliminate sexual violence, but saw minimal action taken to back up his words.
"What I really got from the experience with Mark Emmert was that governing body governs him," she said. "He met with me, which was great and I appreciated that. But the governing board has an awful lot of power. … It's a strange setup. You do kind of get the fox-guarding-the-hen-house mentality. You do feel like the NCAA doesn't like to do investigations because they like their relationships (with university officials and conferences). I think Mark Emmert came in with the right tone but quickly realized 'there’s not a lot I can do here.'"
Redmond said she specifically pointed to how Michigan State president Lou Anna K. Simon had handled a complaint of sexual assault against two basketball players (Keith Appling and Adreian Payne) in the meeting with Emmert more than seven years ago.
Simon stepped down from her post Wednesday amid public outrage over the university's handling of sexual assault complaints. The scandal gained notoriety during the trial of Larry Nassar, the former USA Gymnastics doctor who also worked in Michigan State's athletic department. Nassar was accused of abusing more than 150 women since 1992. He was sentenced Wednesday to up to 175 years in jail.
Related: Michigan State AD Hollis steps down, retires after Nassar scandal