On Tuesday afternoon, Mark Dantonio shocked the college football world by resigning as head coach at Michigan State.

RELATED: Mark Dantonio resigns as head coach at MSU

Dantonio spent 13 seasons as the man in charge of the Spartans and despite some backlash from fans, he has continued to be the head coach the last few seasons and had received backing from higher-ups within the program. It seemed as though the Dantonio era was set to go on.

That, of course, all changed. Why?

Some speculate that it has to do with NCAA violations that Dantonio is being accused of committing. The accusations at hand are coming from former MSU football staffer Curtis Blackwell, and the allegations were filed in what is now a 14-month old lawsuit just hours prior to Dantonio’s resignation.

Coincidence?

Perhaps.

Here are what Blackwell’s lawyers allege (via detroitnews.com):

  • Dantonio orchestrated employment for the parents of two MSU football players, with mega-donor Bob Skandalaris, whose name is on the football facility.
  • Dantonio had Blackwell accompany him on a Metro Detroit home visit of an unnamed five-star recruit, when Blackwell, in his role as director of college advancement and performance, wasn’t authorized to conduct off-campus visits.

Again, this is a 14-month old lawsuit. But for the allegations to be filed in federal court just hours prior to Dantonio stepping down raises an eyebrow.

Following his resignation, Dantonio even mentioned the lawsuit:

He denies it. And at this point, we may never know if his decision is linked with what is going on away from the football field.