Nihon University officials at all levels tried to downplay a drug use problem before and after the arrest of an American football team player said to be involved, according to a third-party report on the scandal.

The report, submitted to the education ministry on Monday and unveiled at a news conference on Tuesday, highlights how the university¡¯s system of governance led to the delay in taking action against the American football team¡¯s culture of drug use, as well as other problems relating to how they responded to the scandal.

¡°The biggest issue was an error in basic decision making,¡± Mariko Watahiki, former judge and head of the third-party committee who compiled the report, said during the news conference.