Here you go -
MSU's Off-Field Issues: What's New & What's Next
Jim Comparoni | Editor
WHAT'S NEW:
1. After four months of legal purgatory, three Michigan State football players are being charged in an alleged sexual assault on campus.
As of Monday evening, the names of the three players have yet to be released publicly through official channels. But that could change on Tuesday, as the process moves forward.
In a separate but related investigation by the university, the three are facing possible discipline as students in regard to Title IX compliance.
2. Shortly before news broke of the sexual assault charges, Michigan State released a report from an external law firm that investigated the football program's handling of the allegations.
The investigation, conducted by Jones Day, an international law firm headquartered in Cleveland, found no evidence that coach Mark Dantonio violated the school's policy on relationship violence and sexual misconduct.
The report said Dantonio "took prompt and decisive action" with respect to the January incident that has led to criminal charges.
The report also outlined the lengths to which the program had gone to educate the players on relationship violence and sexual assault - albeit without the intended effect.
The report pointed out that just days after a presentation to the team about sexual violence in April, a fourth member of the team - Auston Robertson - was involved in an incident in which police say he followed a woman into her off-campus apartment and sexually assaulted her. Robertson was charged with third degree criminal sexual conduct on April 25.
[For the Jones Day report in its entirety, and viewpoints on its findings by Jim Comparoni and SpartanMag staff, see this thread in the Underground Bunker message board.]
3. The Jones Day report stated that former Michigan State football staff member Curtis Blackwell did not operate within the university’s guidelines in relation to properly forwarding reports of sexual misconduct. This led to his suspension in February.
The report did not mention Blackwell by name, but Michigan State spokesman Jason Cody confirmed that Blackwell was the staffer in question. Michigan State did not renew Blackwell’s contract on June 1. He is no longer associated with the program or university.
The Jones Day report stated that the staff member (Blackwell) chose not to be interviewed as part of the Jones Day investigation.
The report stated that “on January 16, 2017, this staff member learned about an incident potentially involving football players.”
At this point, Blackwell was supposed to follow university protocol and inform MSU’s Office of Institutional Equity of what had been reported to him and then walk away from the case. The OIE is the watchdog within MSU responsible for the university’s compliance with federal and state laws regarding sexual misconduct.
The Jones Day report stated that university personnel are routinely trained on the policy. The university’s Mandatory Reporting Guide specifies to university personnel: “Don’t try to investigate; Don’t try to determine if a crime or violation of policy occurred; [and] Don’t try to determine if a sexual encounter was/wasn’t consensual.” The Policy emphasizes that investigations should not be undertaken by employees of the university, but should be conducted by OIE: “Trained professionals conduct investigations under the oversight of the Deputy Title IX Coordinator for Investigations.”
However, the Jones Day report stated, “This staff member (Blackwell) 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 (police department). We have obtained no evidence that this staff member spoke about the incident or conveyed the information he learned to anyone else at the University, including anyone on the football staff. This staff member was subsequently suspended.”
4. Michigan State’s Board of Trustees received a briefing "on football and athletic activities" from Dantonio and athletic director Mark Hollis on Monday, during a regularly-scheduled work session.
The work session was not open to the public or media.
Board of Trustees chairman Brian Breslin said the work session was scheduled primarily to receive information on the university’s budget. But board members requested a briefing from Dantonio and Hollis, to coincide with the Jones Day findings.
"While it is not the practice of the board to make a statement after a work session, given the rumors that have been swirling in the media over the weekend, we, the board, state that President (Lou Anna) Simon, athletic director Hollis and coach Dantonio have the full support of this board," Breslin said.
WHAT IT MEANS
1. Michigan State, at the administrative level, wanted to make sure that no one within the football program attempted any sort of cover-up.
This report concluded that the “senior leaders” of the program - namely Dantonio - handled the situation well. The report states, “We 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.”
2. Dantonio came out of this portion of the investigation looking pretty good. Despite the fact that four members of his football team are embroiled in horrific circumstances, Dantonio adhered to university policy and protocol in passing the information to the proper channels.
In comparison to what has taken place at Baylor and Minnesota in recent years, MSU’s Board of Trustees and president seemed encouraged, but not surprised, that Dantonio’s handling of this matter was “above reproach,” as president President Lou Anna Simon said.
“Dantonio and his team, particularly Coach Dantonio, handled this in the utmost manner with integrity and with swiftness and is consistent with the (university) policy,” Simon said. “So that takes all of those issues off the board with respect to Coach Dantonio and the team that is currently there.”
Dantonio’s credibility remains intact, in university circles, in terms of his ability to handle a crisis such as this, after it the alleged crimes took place. The question now is whether Dantonio can restore a culture of accountability within his football program that deters this type of activity.
WHAT’S NEXT
* It’s possible that three players being charged will be named publicly this week, possibly as early as Tuesday. At that time, Dantonio will likely announce that the three players are no longer part of the team, as he did when Robertson was arraigned.
From that point forward, coverage of the players’ cases will refer to the accused as “former” Michigan State football players rather than “current” Michigan State football players. There is a public relations difference in those two words.
Dantonio might comment on the charges and the court proceedings once, perhaps as early as today (Tuesday). But don’t expect him to comment about those players or the situation any further in the days, months or even years ahead. Look for him to deflect questions about the case and instead choose to focus on the players that are in the program, in the building, as he likes to say. This will serve as another step in the “moving on” portion of the process for Michigan State football.
* With the players being charged, and expected to be dismissed from the program, Michigan State’s current players can get on with the next stages of the rebuilding process - following last year’s disastrous 3-9 season, which was riddled with internal bickering and dissension.
Coaches are looking to rebuild through team unity and leadership. The current players need to work in that direction by themselves, and without the specter that any of these accused players might rejoin their ranks.
Current Michigan State players have been available for interviews only once since February. At that time, during the week of the Green-White Game, some emerging team leaders were asked several times about the unnamed players facing the sexual assault investigation. The players awkwardly had to answer for the conduct of those unnamed players, things that the current players had no involvement in.
Now, as charges are being brought and those suspended players are about to become former teammates, the current Spartans will no longer have to be burdened by speaking for them. Now, the work of the current players can begin to once again speak for itself. Not everyone on the outside will respect or acknowledge the change, but change for change’s sake is a good thing right now in the Skandalaris Football Center.
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MSU's Off-Field Issues: What's New & What's Next
Jim Comparoni | Editor
WHAT'S NEW:
1. After four months of legal purgatory, three Michigan State football players are being charged in an alleged sexual assault on campus.
As of Monday evening, the names of the three players have yet to be released publicly through official channels. But that could change on Tuesday, as the process moves forward.
In a separate but related investigation by the university, the three are facing possible discipline as students in regard to Title IX compliance.
2. Shortly before news broke of the sexual assault charges, Michigan State released a report from an external law firm that investigated the football program's handling of the allegations.
The investigation, conducted by Jones Day, an international law firm headquartered in Cleveland, found no evidence that coach Mark Dantonio violated the school's policy on relationship violence and sexual misconduct.
The report said Dantonio "took prompt and decisive action" with respect to the January incident that has led to criminal charges.
The report also outlined the lengths to which the program had gone to educate the players on relationship violence and sexual assault - albeit without the intended effect.
The report pointed out that just days after a presentation to the team about sexual violence in April, a fourth member of the team - Auston Robertson - was involved in an incident in which police say he followed a woman into her off-campus apartment and sexually assaulted her. Robertson was charged with third degree criminal sexual conduct on April 25.
[For the Jones Day report in its entirety, and viewpoints on its findings by Jim Comparoni and SpartanMag staff, see this thread in the Underground Bunker message board.]
3. The Jones Day report stated that former Michigan State football staff member Curtis Blackwell did not operate within the university’s guidelines in relation to properly forwarding reports of sexual misconduct. This led to his suspension in February.
The report did not mention Blackwell by name, but Michigan State spokesman Jason Cody confirmed that Blackwell was the staffer in question. Michigan State did not renew Blackwell’s contract on June 1. He is no longer associated with the program or university.
The Jones Day report stated that the staff member (Blackwell) chose not to be interviewed as part of the Jones Day investigation.
The report stated that “on January 16, 2017, this staff member learned about an incident potentially involving football players.”
At this point, Blackwell was supposed to follow university protocol and inform MSU’s Office of Institutional Equity of what had been reported to him and then walk away from the case. The OIE is the watchdog within MSU responsible for the university’s compliance with federal and state laws regarding sexual misconduct.
The Jones Day report stated that university personnel are routinely trained on the policy. The university’s Mandatory Reporting Guide specifies to university personnel: “Don’t try to investigate; Don’t try to determine if a crime or violation of policy occurred; [and] Don’t try to determine if a sexual encounter was/wasn’t consensual.” The Policy emphasizes that investigations should not be undertaken by employees of the university, but should be conducted by OIE: “Trained professionals conduct investigations under the oversight of the Deputy Title IX Coordinator for Investigations.”
However, the Jones Day report stated, “This staff member (Blackwell) 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 (police department). We have obtained no evidence that this staff member spoke about the incident or conveyed the information he learned to anyone else at the University, including anyone on the football staff. This staff member was subsequently suspended.”
4. Michigan State’s Board of Trustees received a briefing "on football and athletic activities" from Dantonio and athletic director Mark Hollis on Monday, during a regularly-scheduled work session.
The work session was not open to the public or media.
Board of Trustees chairman Brian Breslin said the work session was scheduled primarily to receive information on the university’s budget. But board members requested a briefing from Dantonio and Hollis, to coincide with the Jones Day findings.
"While it is not the practice of the board to make a statement after a work session, given the rumors that have been swirling in the media over the weekend, we, the board, state that President (Lou Anna) Simon, athletic director Hollis and coach Dantonio have the full support of this board," Breslin said.
WHAT IT MEANS
1. Michigan State, at the administrative level, wanted to make sure that no one within the football program attempted any sort of cover-up.
This report concluded that the “senior leaders” of the program - namely Dantonio - handled the situation well. The report states, “We 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.”
2. Dantonio came out of this portion of the investigation looking pretty good. Despite the fact that four members of his football team are embroiled in horrific circumstances, Dantonio adhered to university policy and protocol in passing the information to the proper channels.
In comparison to what has taken place at Baylor and Minnesota in recent years, MSU’s Board of Trustees and president seemed encouraged, but not surprised, that Dantonio’s handling of this matter was “above reproach,” as president President Lou Anna Simon said.
“Dantonio and his team, particularly Coach Dantonio, handled this in the utmost manner with integrity and with swiftness and is consistent with the (university) policy,” Simon said. “So that takes all of those issues off the board with respect to Coach Dantonio and the team that is currently there.”
Dantonio’s credibility remains intact, in university circles, in terms of his ability to handle a crisis such as this, after it the alleged crimes took place. The question now is whether Dantonio can restore a culture of accountability within his football program that deters this type of activity.
WHAT’S NEXT
* It’s possible that three players being charged will be named publicly this week, possibly as early as Tuesday. At that time, Dantonio will likely announce that the three players are no longer part of the team, as he did when Robertson was arraigned.
From that point forward, coverage of the players’ cases will refer to the accused as “former” Michigan State football players rather than “current” Michigan State football players. There is a public relations difference in those two words.
Dantonio might comment on the charges and the court proceedings once, perhaps as early as today (Tuesday). But don’t expect him to comment about those players or the situation any further in the days, months or even years ahead. Look for him to deflect questions about the case and instead choose to focus on the players that are in the program, in the building, as he likes to say. This will serve as another step in the “moving on” portion of the process for Michigan State football.
* With the players being charged, and expected to be dismissed from the program, Michigan State’s current players can get on with the next stages of the rebuilding process - following last year’s disastrous 3-9 season, which was riddled with internal bickering and dissension.
Coaches are looking to rebuild through team unity and leadership. The current players need to work in that direction by themselves, and without the specter that any of these accused players might rejoin their ranks.
Current Michigan State players have been available for interviews only once since February. At that time, during the week of the Green-White Game, some emerging team leaders were asked several times about the unnamed players facing the sexual assault investigation. The players awkwardly had to answer for the conduct of those unnamed players, things that the current players had no involvement in.
Now, as charges are being brought and those suspended players are about to become former teammates, the current Spartans will no longer have to be burdened by speaking for them. Now, the work of the current players can begin to once again speak for itself. Not everyone on the outside will respect or acknowledge the change, but change for change’s sake is a good thing right now in the Skandalaris Football Center.
Share This Story
