Mark Dantonio has released a statement in response to claims made by a former assistant Thursday.

On Thursday, a report surfaced with Curtis Blackwell claiming Dantonio ignored warnings of assistant coaches on former MSU defensive end Auston Robertson. According to Blackwell, the assistants advised Dantonio against bringing Roberston onto the team.

Now, Blackwell is suing Dantonio, former athletic director Mark Hollis, former university president Lou Anna Simon and two university police officers for wrongful termination and unlawful arrest.

RELATED: Report: Ex-MSU staffer says Dantonio ignored warnings from assistants on embattled former recruit Auston Robertson

On Friday, Dantonio released a statement to respond to Blackwell’s report. Due to the ongoing legal matter, he declined to “engage in a public argument with a former staffer.” Instead, he referred to his comments from 2017 when he discussed Robertson’s dismissal at length. Dantonio also cited multiple investigations into the program that have cleared the program and Dantonio from any violations in regards to their handling of sexual assault allegations.

Chris Solari with The Detroit Free Press shared Dantonio’s statement:

Solari also shared a statement from Dantonio’s attorney on Thursday’s report and the ongoing legal battle with Blackwell:

It will be interesting to see the end result of this case.