Before Auston Robertson was charged with third-degree criminal sexual conduct and kicked off the Michigan State football team, he delivered some troubling news to Mark Dantonio.

According to a Michigan State trustee Mitch Lyons, Robertson informed Dantonio in January of the alleged Jan. 16 incident that led to three MSU players getting charged with sexual assault. Robertson was not one of the accused players in that alleged incident.

Lyons shared that information on an appearance with WBBL-FM in Grand Rapids, Mich.

“When Auston Robertson came into his office for a regular weekly meeting, Coach D asked the regular questions he typically asked him and he became a little emotional — he didn’t go into any details he just alluded to the fact that something happened,” Lyons said on WBBL. “And Coach D had a sense that it involved some sort of sexual allegation and he immediately said ‘Hey, don’t say any more.’”

RELATED: Three MSU players charged with sexual assault identified, kicked off team

The three previously-unnamed Spartans were suspended by Dantonio on Feb. 9. After a four-month investigation concluded this week, charges were authorized and warrants were issued for the arrests of Donnie Corley, Josh King and Demetric Vance.

That was two months after Robertson was accused of walking a woman to her apartment after a party and having sex with her against her will. Robertson’s alleged assault, arrest and dismissal all happened during the period in which his three former teammates were being investigated.

MLive.com reported that Robertson was advised by an attorney not to respond to Lyons’ claim that he informed Dantonio about the separate sexual assault investigation.

The university’s internal investigation concluded that Dantonio did follow proper procedure by immediately suspending the three players involved in the alleged Jan. 16 incident.