EAST LANSING - Michigan State University Trustee George Perles has resigned effective immediately.

“Michigan State University has been a home to me and my family for nearly 65 years,” Perles wrote in his resignation letter. He cited compromised mobility and living with the effects of Parkinson’s disease as factors in his decision to step down.

Board Chair Brian Breslin said in a news release that he has "known George for many years and his dedication to the university is beyond compare.

“He cares deeply about the people here and has worked selflessly over the years — whether that was as a player, coach, athletic director or board member — to push MSU to its greatest potential.”

Perles played football at MSU in the 1950s and coached Spartans from 1982 until 1994, leading the team to a victory in the 1988 Rose Bowl.

He became a trustee in 2007.

Perles was elected as a Democrat. His resignation now means that outgoing Republican Gov. Rick Snyder can appoint his replacement.

"Our Appointments Division will begin reviewing potential candidates for a replacement and provide the Governor with recommendations as soon as possible," Snyder's spokesperson Ari Adler wrote in an email.

Whoever is appointed to Perles' seat will serve the rest of his term, which expires in 2023.

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Former players, AD react to Perles' resignation

Asked about the political implications of having Snyder appoint Perles’ replacement rather than Governor-elect Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, Trustee Joel Ferguson responded that the board doesn't function in a partisan way.

“We’ll have eight Spartans, regardless of how they got here,” said Ferguson, who was elected as a Democrat. “It’s a non-issue to me which party someone is coming from.”

MSU trustee Dianne Byrum, also a Democrat, said she hopes Snyder "would also give careful consideration to allowing Gov.-elect Whitmer to make the appointment in January."

A spokesperson for Whitmer declined to comment on the situation.

Perles has been physically present at board meetings only infrequently in the recent years, often participating by telephone and seldom speaking at length.

Despite that, he was thrust into the news earlier this year when a former Michigan State University field hockey player filed a civil lawsuit saying she had been raped by former MSU doctor Larry Nassar in 1992 and that Perles had covered up the assault.

Erika Davis said in the lawsuit, filed in September in federal court in Grand Rapids, that she told her coach, Martha Ludwig, that Nassar had raped her and that Ludwig confronted Nassar about what happened and demanded and received a video recording of the assault. Perles forced Ludwig to return the video, resign and sign a non-disclosure agreement, according to the lawsuit.

Perles' attorney, Patrick Hickey, wrote in September that his client "adamantly denies the allegations made about him in the civil complaint recently filed by Erika Davis."

Perles is not named individually as defendant in the lawsuit, though it names the university's Board of Trustees.

Perles wrote in his resignation letter that “It has been no secret that I have been living with a number of health challenges. Despite the limitations, I continued to support the university and remained focused on fulfilling my commitments as a Trustee.”

In his letter, Perles wrote about meeting his wife on campus and later returning to campus for his “dream job” as MSU’s head football coach and for a short time as the university’s athletic director.

Perles became the head football coach at MSU in 1982, leading the team to a victory in the 1988 Rose Bowl and adding responsibilities of athletic director in 1990. In the spring of 1992, he handed over the athletic director position to Merrily Dean Baker.

Perles remained MSU’s head football coach until 1994. Two years later, the NCAA levied penalties against the program for violations including cash payments to recruits and academic fraud. MSU forfeited five wins from the 1994 football season and was put on a four-year probation.

No evidence was found that Perles knew about the misdeeds. Perles told the Detroit Free Press in September of 1996 that he “challenged anyone to investigate a program with a 12-year coach and not find some problems.”

In his letter, he wrote, his wife, Sally "deserves some respite.

"We need to make our life smaller as we age and consider our quality of life," he wrote. "Our family has bled green and white for the better part of our lives. It's time to step back and allow the next generation to carry the MSU torch.”

Check back for updates.

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Detroit Free Press reporter David Jesse contributed to this story. Contact RJ Wolcott at (517) 377-1026 or rwolcott@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @wolcottr.