EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan State University spent roughly $500,000 for a public relations firm in January to track media coverage and social media activity related to the case of disgraced former sports doctor Larry Nassar, a newspaper reported Wednesday.
New York-based Weber Shandwick billed the university $517,343 for 1,440 hours of work done by 18 employees, according to documents obtained by the Lansing State Journalthrough a public records request.
The firm outlined and evaluated related news coverage and engagement on social media posts. The work previously had been done by university employees, though some of that continued alongside the outside firm's work.
A Michigan State spokeswoman said the university no longer works with Weber Shandwick. She didn't provide a reason.
The firm recapped media reports about the university's then-president, Lou Anna Simon, attending the second day of Nassar's sentencing hearing in Ingham County as scores of girls and women said he'd sexually abused them under the guide of medical treatment, including while he worked with the school and USA Gymnastics.
The firm also tracked speculation about Simon's possible resignation and, days later, reports about the resignation letter she submitted just hours after Nassar was sentenced.
Roughly 200 women eventually confronted Nassar in court, including Olympic gymnasts. Nassar is now serving a decades-long prison sentence for molesting patients and possessing child pornography.