Minutes after criminal sexual conduct charges were announced against football players Demetric Vance, Donnie Corley and Josh King, Michigan State University Head Coach Mark Dantonio released a statement dismissing the three players from the program.
"I'm angry," said Coach Dantonio at a news conference on Tuesday afternoon. "You have to ask yourself about the morals involved in this."
Dantonio said it was his decision to dismiss all three players. He said the incident happened within a week of a Title IX administrator talking with the team about sexual misconduct.
"Sexual assault has no place in this community," said Dantonio.
Football players Vance, Corley and King were all charged with third-degree criminal sexual conduct for the Jan. 16 incident. King was also charged with one count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and one count of capturing/distributing an image of an unclothed person.
If found guilty, the punishment for third-degree criminal sexual conduct is 15 years in prison and mandatory sex offender registration. King could face up to life in prison if determined guilty of his first-degree charge.
"Sexual assault has no place in this community," said Dantonio.
"We emphasize that success on the field is not enough, as I made clear when all three individuals were suspended four months ago upon us learning of the allegations," Dantonio said in a statement released shortly after the charges were announced in court on Tuesday morning.
"They also must embrace our core principles, which include integrity, respect and accountability. The individuals in this case put themselves in a compromising position and did not live up to the standards we have outlined for our program."
On Monday, a Jones Day law firm independent examination into the handling of the case reported that Dantonio had properly followed Michigan State's policy for handling sexual misconduct matters. Trustees and President Lou Anna K. Simon addressed the matter yesterday, offering an endorsement of Dantonio.
"This is an extremely challenging situation that we have taken very seriously and has affected everyone in this program," Coach Dantonio said in a statement.
