Michigan State's Tom Izzo, Mark Dantonio speak on Larry Nassar case

On a day where sexual assault victims addressed their assailant in court and Michigan State University's Board of Trustees gave a vote of confidence to its president, the school's two most prominent public figures shared their feelings.

Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo answered questions about the Larry Nassar case after Friday night's 85-57 win over Indiana at Breslin Center.

MSU football coach Mark Dantonio also made a statement at the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association's annual clinic at Lansing Center.

Friday was the fourth straight day that women and girls who accused Nassar of sexual assault addressed him in court during his sentencing hearing.

More: Raisman to Nassar: 'We have our voices and we are not going anywhere'

The MSU board convened for more than 4 hours Friday and emerged by publicly supporting school president Lou Anna Simon, who has come under intense scrutiny as publications and public officials have called for her ouster.

Izzo, on Simon: "It’s been a very difficult week for me. As a father, it’s been a difficult week. I listened to the stories of courageous women. I look at the survivors who spoke and, in all honesty, Nassar permanently damaged and changed the lives of so many of those people. I feel like it’s changed the life of all of us at Michigan State in some way, shape or form. As a father, that’s difficult to even fathom. I hope the right person was convicted.

"I have to say, though, that I have the utmost – the utmost – faith and respect for the leadership of our president, too, at Michigan State. That’s a woman who has dedicated over 40 years – and I’ve been here 33 with her, and I think I know what she stands for. So I hope and pray that those survivors continue to grow in their life. I hope we do everything we can to make sure that this will never happen ever again – not only at this institution, but any institution to be honest with you.

"But there has been a lot of sad days for me in a lot of ways. I’m gonna to try do to everything I can to help the survivors and to help us grow from this and learn from it and move forward. That’s all I have to say."

For those who have criticized the university and want a change in leadership, what do you have to say as one of the faces of the school? "You know, when I talk to you guys about basketball, it’s really easy. I really don’t give a damn if you agree with me or not. But I mean, you have to understand there is nothing I can say that is gonna be right right now, and there is nothing that’s gonna make anybody right. I’ll just stick by what I said. The survivors are the most courageous people – I can’t even imagine. I hate when I’m put in a position when I can almost start saying, ‘I know what you’re going through,’ because I have no clue what they’re going through and never will, and I hope I never find out. But I also, I just gotta say that that is a situation that I think is being dealt with and has been dealt with. And there is no way I could waver on the support for my administration or my president knowing the 35 years I have spent here on what she has done for this university, what she has stood for – not only athletics, that’s a small part. For women’s groups, for different groups, I think she’s been a champion. I hope and pray that the survivors get through this. But I also hope that we take a serious look at what we’re doing."

Dantonio, on Simon: "Well, obviously our hearts go out to the victims in this case. It’s a very, very difficult situation for them. It’s awful. I guess with that said, in 11 years of dealing with President Simon on so many different occasions and in so many different areas, I’ve always found her to be very reflective, very calm in the storm, very on-point. And I’ve always appreciated that about her. She’s much like a head coach. In my little world that I’m in – and I can’t control things at times – I would say she is in a very difficult and delicate situation. I really don’t think that I’m even qualified to talk on it, but I can only speak to my involvement with her and how she’s handled very difficult situations. I think she’s led from that perspective with Mark Dantonio and our football team."

Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari. Download our Spartans Xtra app for free on Apple and Android devices!