Steve Smith's kid was a witness to what happened between an MSU walk-on (Brock Washington) and a woman who claims Washington sexually assaulted her in 2017 (this before a subsequent alleged assault this year on another woman, again by Washington). Izzo and the staff supposedly, per the MSU explanation (parroted by the likes of Graham Couch), reached out to the younger Smith to "see if he was OK and remind him to be responsible." OK from what--Smith wasn't either the alleged assaulter or the alleged assaultee? Be responsible about what--again, Smith wasn't allegedly involved in the incident other than as a witness? If they thought Smith was traumatized, and needed to be checked on, because he had in fact witnessed an assault, then they should have suspended Washington immediately, which they did not do until his second alleged assault. If they thought Washington was innocent of the first assault, there was no reason to check on Smith in terms of him being traumatized, since no assault took place. And if they had no opinion, and were reaching out to Smith for his story before he went to the police, that is a blatant Title IX violation at best, and an attempt to coerce/intimidate a witness at worst.
That Izzo coached Smith, and/or that Stephens played with him, is 100% irrelevant here. We've all known a lot of the kids of our friends since they were born, and would not hesitate to reach out if we thought they had been assaulted or improperly accused of assault, though to be honest, we'd likely reach out to the parent(s) instead of the kid because of the age differential. But reaching out to a kid whose only role was as a witness, and doing so before he gave his statement to the police--uh uh, no way in the world. I don't know Izzo's motives--it's entirely possible that he was simply conducting an investigation he should not have been conducting. If you truly believe though that Tom Izzo and his staff only called the younger Smith because they were concerned about him, you're in complete denial.
That Izzo coached Smith, and/or that Stephens played with him, is 100% irrelevant here. We've all known a lot of the kids of our friends since they were born, and would not hesitate to reach out if we thought they had been assaulted or improperly accused of assault, though to be honest, we'd likely reach out to the parent(s) instead of the kid because of the age differential. But reaching out to a kid whose only role was as a witness, and doing so before he gave his statement to the police--uh uh, no way in the world. I don't know Izzo's motives--it's entirely possible that he was simply conducting an investigation he should not have been conducting. If you truly believe though that Tom Izzo and his staff only called the younger Smith because they were concerned about him, you're in complete denial.
