Chris Solari

Detroit Free Press

EAST LANSING – All three football players who were suspended by Michigan State University as criminal and Title IX investigations progresses remain students, a university spokesman confirmed Wednesday.

The three unidentified players who are under investigation are suspended from football activities and have been removed from university housing. The alleged sexual assault took place in “late January,” according to MSU. No other details have been released.

University spokesman Jason Cody said Monday the three players “were suspended as soon as allegations naming them were made to the Athletics Department leadership,” but declined to discuss the specifics of the suspensions or their timing due to the ongoing and separate criminal and Title IX investigations.

Those three players also remain on their athletic scholarships. Cody said because they have been removed from on-campus housing, they are receiving a prorated stipend to live off campus, per federal cost of attendance rules.

The Michigan State University Police Department is handling the criminal investigation, which is expected to conclude this week and will be delivered to Ingham County Prosecutor’s Office for review and potential charges.

MSU football staffer Curtis Blackwell suspended

Cody confirmed Tuesday that Curtis Blackwell, the football program’s director of college advancement and performance, has been suspended with pay. The university could not release details or circumstances surrounding the suspension.

Blackwell, 39, was hired by head coach Mark Dantonio in August 2013 for the non-coaching position. According to Blackwell’s LinkedIn page, his roles include developing and implementing MSU’s recruiting strategies, mentoring student-athletes, organizing official and unofficial visits for recruits, developing “recruiting mailings,” and promoting MSU football. He earned $83,435 in 2016, according to a university salary database.

Cody confirmed Monday that an unidentified football staff member was suspended on Thursday, pending the completion of the Title IX investigation. The university would not confirm that Blackwell is that staff member.

MSU has outsourced the Title IX investigation to Ann Arbor-based Rebecca Veidlinger, who previously had served as head of MSU’s Office for Institutional Equity and interim Deputy Title IX Coordinator. Veidlinger is in her final year of a three-year appointment to the State Bar of Michigan Domestic Violence Committee. She told the Free Press via email Monday that she cannot comment on the Title IX investigation or offer a timeline for its conclusion.

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