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In a report by former Maize n Brew writer and current MLive/Ann Arbor News reporter Sam Dodge, the statue of former Michigan Wolverines’ football head coach Bo Schembechler was vandalized in Ann Arbor overnight Wednesday.
The statue was vandalized with red paint. Words right next to the statue read “Bo Knew” and “#hailtothevictims,” referencing the victims of alleged abuse by Dr. Robert Anderson, a former University of Michigan athletics doctor from the 1960s until 2003.
An email sent to MLive/Dodge makes it seem like the vandalism happened by someone local to the city, but that has not been confirmed by Ann Arbor police, nor the U-M Division of Public Safety and Security.
An anonymous local vandalized Bo Schembechler’s statue last night. Red paint and a “Bo knew” message, referring to Dr. Anderson’s sex abuse of players. Also, a hashtag of #hailtothevictims pic.twitter.com/8DVxKC7Rml
— Sam Dodge (@SamDodgeMLive) November 24, 2021
Btw, an email was sent to @MLive alerting of the vandalism. It claimed the vandalism was done by someone local, but this is unconfirmed at this time. Super early in the DPSS investigation.
— Sam Dodge (@SamDodgeMLive) November 24, 2021
University employees cleaned off the paint from the statue Wednesday morning.
According to the Detroit News, Rick Fitzgerald, a spokesperson for the University of Michigan, said, “The vandalism remains under investigation by our Division of Public Safety & Security.”