External probe: MSU's Dantonio properly handled allegations; Blackwell violated policy

Chris Solari , Chris Solari | Detroit Free Press

Show Caption Hide Caption MSU officials give Hollis and Dantonio their full support Chairman of MSU Board of Trustees Brian S. Breslin and President Lou Anna K. Simon speak to media after budget meeting, Monday, June 5, 2017 at the Hannah Administration Building in East Lansing.

UPDATE: 3 Michigan State football players to face sex assault charges, prosecutor says

EAST LANSING – An external investigation into Michigan State’s handling of two allegations of sexual assault involving four total football players found no evidence that coach Mark Dantonio violated the school’s relationship violence and sexual misconduct policy.

“We also found no evidence that senior leaders within the football program or Athletic Department attempted to impede, cover up, or obstruct the Office of Institutional Equity’s (OIE’s) investigation into the underlying incidents,” the 14-page report reads.

However, the law firm Jones Day, in its findings, determined that a football staff member violated MSU’s policy. The investigation was unable to gauge the severity of any such violation, and the football staff member involved declined to be interviewed by investigators.

A university spokesman confirmed Monday the staff member involved was Curtis Blackwell, whose contract was not renewed when it expired May 31.

The first alleged sexual assault, involving three players, occurred in the early morning of Jan. 16 at University Village apartments. Ingham County Prosecutor Carol Siemon announced today that she will charge the three as-of-yet unnamed players for sexually assaulting a woman, but she did not issue charges for Blackwell.

MSU’s Board of Trustees today issued a statement supporting Dantonio, athletic director Mark Hollis and university president Lou Anna K. Simon.

The Jones Day report says Dantonio was made aware of the situation around 2 p.m. on Jan. 16 during a regularly scheduled weekly meeting with a player who was not involved in the alleged incident.

The player reportedly helped the woman, telling Dantonio, “I had to get her out of there. She is my friend.” The player who told Dantonio did not provide details of what occurred and did not inform the 11th-year head coach that the situation involved sexual misconduct or an assault.

The Jones Day report says the coach “stopped the player so Dantonio could immediately contact OIE.” Here is what happened next, which the report corroborated with phone records:

2:01 p.m.: Dantonio first called Brad Lunsford, director of executive football operations.

2:03 p.m. Lunsford texted Dantonio the number for Ande Durojaiye, who is MSU’s director of the Office of Institutional Equity.

2:05 p.m.: Dantonio called Durojaiye’s office, but the director was not in.

2:12 p.m.: Durojaiye contacted Dantonio, and Dantonio reported what the player told him.

More Michigan State:

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A series of phone calls then were made, first by Dantonio to inform the reporting player that the OIE would interview him, and then more exchanges with Durojaiye, Hollis and senior associated athletic director Alan Haller.

After those calls, which concluded at 3:32 p.m., Dantonio “did not have additional discussions about the matter with the reporting player and did not investigate further by asking questions of his players or discussing the incident with his staff.”

The report says Blackwell, the football program's director of college advancement and performance, also learned Jan. 16 about the incident after Dantonio spoke with the player who reported the incident. Blackwell reportedly then had contact with the three players who were involved in the alleged assault “to determine what had occurred, communicated with the parent of one of those players regarding the incident, and failed to report any information he learned to OIE or MSU.”

Michigan State football's legal issues since last fall A look at Michigan State football's off-the-field legal trouble since last fall.

Blackwell was subsequently suspended with pay Feb. 9 and had two one-month contract renewals in April and May.

The same day MSU suspended Blackwell, it also announced three unnamed players were prohibited from football activities and removed from on-campus housing but remained as students. None of the three players were interviewed either, according to Jones Day’s report.

A second incident involving Auston Robertson occurred April 8, and Dantonio dismissed him from the team when Siemon’s office filed charges for third-degree criminal sexual conduct on April 21.

Jones Day determined that Dantonio “took prompt and appropriate action upon learning from one of his players that another football player may have committed a sexual assault. …

“Dantonio’s prompt reports to University authorities … demonstrated his commitment to comply with the University’s policies regarding sexual misconduct.”

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