The subject isn’t broached in their household. Father and son consider it irrelevant in the current context of Michigan football. Both agree the worst of it has been consigned to a bygone era and shouldn’t affect the current team. But Deon and Will Johnson understand they can’t ignore it even though they don’t speak about it. The Dr. Robert Anderson sex abuse scandal rocking the University of Michigan has been met with awkward silence by a family now bridging Michigan’s past with its future. Deon, a defensive back for the Wolverines from 1990-94, has brushed aside the controversial topic. Will, a five-star cornerback prospect from Grosse Pointe who committed to Michigan in February, isn’t focused on it.“It hasn’t had much to do with me,” he told the Free Press. So, Will hasn’t pressed his father about it, and Deon hasn’t been willing to discuss it when others have tried to solicit his thoughts.“I don’t really want to talk about it,” Deon said. “I don’t want to start talking about it.”It’s a personal matter, after all. As a player, Deon said he was examined by Anderson, a longtime team physician who worked at Michigan from 1966 to 2003 and is accused of molesting hundreds of patients during his tenure.”We were all seen by Dr. Anderson,” he said, referring to his teammates. The former Detroit King star was recruited to Ann Arbor during the final season coached by Bo Schembechler, the deceased icon of the program whose legacy has recently been challenged by victims claiming he didn’t intervene when told of Anderson’s misconduct. Deon once shared the same locker room with former running back Jon Vaughn, an outspoken survivor who this past week called for the university’s leadership to cooperate with Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel so that an investigation into Anderson’s transgressions can be conducted. The controversy surrounding the late doctor has made headlines at a pivotal time for Michigan football, when a recruiting rush has unfolded in June following the end of a 14-month dead period that barred in-person contact with prospects. On multiple occasions during recent weeks, the Johnsons have made the short trek to visit Ann Arbor, where the Anderson scandal has reverberated everywhere but inside the program at the center of it.“Nobody has mentioned it,” Deon said. “It hasn’t been a topic of discussion. I don’t plan on talking to anybody up there about it. I think it’s probably one of those things if you don’t bring it up it won’t be discussed.”Will confirmed as much.“I haven’t heard too much about it,” he said. Ranked the No. 12 recruit in the nation by 247Sports, Will is the centerpiece of the 2022 class Michigan has begun to assemble. He could help lead a revival after the Wolverines stumbled to a 2-4 record during the 2020 season, and head coach Jim Harbaugh orchestrated an offseason staff shakeup designed to set Michigan on a different course.“The future seems very bright,” Will said.
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