EAST LANSING - A trio of former Michigan State football players facing criminal charges were dismissed from the university for violating the school's relationship violence and sexual misconduct policy.

Josh King, Donnie Corley and Demetric Vance were all dismissed from school and the Title IX investigation was recently completed, Michigan State spokesman Jason Cody confirmed to MLive on Wednesday night.

King, Corley and Vance - all members of Michigan State's 2017 signing class - are facing third-degree criminal sexual conduct charges stemming from an alleged incident on Jan. 16 on campus and face up to 15 years in prison. Additionally, King is charged with first-degree criminal sexual conduct, which is punishable by up to life in prison, plus a charge of capturing or distributing an image of an unclothed person.

The three former players were criminally charged on June 6, the same day Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio announced they had been dismissed from the team. A preliminary exam in the case is scheduled for Sept. 21 in 54-B District Court in East Lansing.

Michigan State announced in February that it launched a Title IX investigation into the alleged sexual assault and that three football players had been suspended from the team. That investigation was conducted by Rebecca Veidlinger, an independent Title IX consultant who was contracted by the school, instead of the school's Title IX office. A Title IX investigation involves a lesser burden of proof than criminal charges.

Cody said universities are typically prevented from discussing the details of Title IX investigations due to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. However, he said there is an exception for allegedly violent incidents which allowed him to identify the three former players, the violation and the sanctions. Cody said the Title IX investigation, including potential appeals, was likely completed in late-June.