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(Danielle Duval | MLive.com)

EAST LANSING -- An external investigation into Michigan State's football program has found that coach Mark Dantonio did not violate school policy in connection with the multiple sexual assault allegations made against members of his program this offseason.

The report (available in full here) did find, however, evidence that staff member Curtis Blackwell violated the school's relationship violence and sexual misconduct policy by allegedly not reporting information learned about a January, 2017 sexual assault allegation against members of the program.

Blackwell was suspended on Feb. 9 for what a letter from Michigan State athletic director Mark Hollis deemed "serious allegations regarding your conduct." His contract was not extended when it expired on May 31. He has not responded to requests for comment.

The Jones Day investigation was commissioned in February after three unnamed football players were accused of sexual assault in connection to a January incident on campus. The investigation was later broadened to include a sexual assault allegation made against former team member Auston Robertson in April.

The investigation found that "senior leaders" in the football program and athletic department" complied with the RVSM (relationship violence and sexual misconduct) policy by promptly and accurately reporting the information they learned about the underlying incidents to departments within the University that are tasked with investigating and responding to such incidents."

The senior leaders reported information they know about the incidents to Michigan State's Office of Institutional Equity, according to the report. The report notes that it found "no evidence" that those leaders "attempted to impede, cover up, or obstruct the Office of Institutional Equity's (OIE's) investigation into the underlying incidents."

However, the report notes that investigators were not able to interview three players, who declined to speak based on advice of their attorneys. In addition, one member of the football staff declined to be interviewed.

The report does not name that staff member, but a school spokesperson later identified him as Blackwell.

The report found evidence that that Blackwell member violated the school's relationship violence and sexual misconduct policy, but notes "we were unable to gauge the severity of any such violation."

According to the report, Dantonio held a meeting with a player on Jan. 16, during which the player "became emotional" and said of a woman, "I had to get her out of there. She is my friend."

Dantonio stopped the player from saying anything further and contacted the school's office of institutional equity, according to the report.

Dantonio then contacted Hollis and Alan Haller, the school's senior associate athletic director, to inform them of the meeting. The report notes that Dantonio "did not investigate further by asking questions of his players or discussing the incident with his staff." He did not learn the names of the players accused of the sexual assault until later, according to the report.

Blackwell also learned about the alleged incident on Jan. 16, according to the report. That staff member "subsequently spoke with the three players allegedly involved in the January 2017 incident in order to determine what had occurred, communicated with a parent of one of those players regarding the incident, and failed to report any information he learned to OIE or MSU PD."

Michigan State released the results of the investigation, conducted by the Jones Day law firm, on Monday afternoon. They did so soon after Dantonio and athletic director Mark Hollis finished briefing the school's Board of Trustees on "athletic issues."

The board and school president Lou Anna K. Simon issued votes of confidence in Dantonio and Hollis following the meeting.

"Coach Dantonio and his team, particularly coach Dantonio, handled this in the utmost matter with integrity and with swiftness," Simon said.