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Report: Ex-MSU staffer says Dantonio ignored warnings from assistants on embattled former recruit Auston Robertson
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Dismissed from the program in April 2017, former Michigan State defensive end Auston Robertson was sentenced to up to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to assault with intent to commit criminal sexual penetration in the off-campus attack of a 20-year-old woman.
Now, according to a report from ESPN’s Dan Murphy, former MSU recruiting director Curtis Blackwell claims that head coach Mark Dantonio ignored warnings from his assistants about Robertson from the beginning.
Murphy’s colleague at ESPN, investigative reporter Paula Lavigne, shared the news on Twitter:
Ex-MSU staffer: Head Coach Dantonio ignored warnings on Auston Robertson by multiple assistant coaches, including one who said he wouldn’t want Robertson on the same campus as his own daughter. https://t.co/vD8bE7JLJm
— Paula Lavigne (@pinepaula) September 19, 2019
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.
After a series of legal issues with MSU football players began to surface in 2017, Blackwell was suspended by the university. Later that year, his contract was “not renewed” by Michigan State.
A native of Fort Wayne, Indiana, Robertson was a four-star recruit in the 2016 class, per the 247Sports Composite. He appeared in three games for the 3-9 Spartans in 2016, recording three tackles.
A graduate of Bowling Green State University, Rydquist has been contributing to Saturday Down South and Saturday Tradition since 2019. He can be found on Twitter @TeddyRydquist.