Less than 24 hours before Larry Nassar stood in an Ingham County courtroom, pleading guilty last November to sexually assaulting seven women, three Michigan State University board members were about 20 miles northwest, waiting to board an airplane flying them to a weekend of MSU basketball games.
Joel Ferguson, Melanie Foster and Mitch Lyons all were members of the traveling party that spent the Thanksgiving holiday watching high-level basketball courtesy of the university. The three trustees, plus two Foster guests and one Lyons guest, are listed on documents showing the official traveling party for the PK80-Phil Knight Invitational.