The disclosure of the yearbook photo also set off a chain of events that saw two of Virginia’s other top state officials battle their own crises: Two women accused Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax of sexual assault and Attorney General Mark Herring admitted to wearing blackface in college to depict a black rapper.

What EVMS knew

The report revealed that EVMS staff members, including Homan and former EVMS President Harry T. Lester, had known about the photo for years. Some knew before Northam’s run for lieutenant governor in 2013.

Homan said he became aware of the photo through his chief of staff and chief marketing official during Northam’s 2017 run for governor. School staff members had approached his predecessor with the same information, investigators found.

According to the report, the then-alumni affairs director at EVMS had noticed the photograph while preparing for a reunion event.

“EVMS typically placed the yearbooks for the reunion years on a table during the reunion events, and the former alumni affairs director had observed the photograph while looking through the 1984 EVMS yearbook. The photograph shocked the former alumni affairs director, who then showed it to some other EVMS personnel.