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Former MSU Football Staffer Curtis Blackwell Suing Coach Mark Dantonio

Curtis Blackwell
WKAR-MSU

The Lansing State Journal reports that former Michigan State University football director of college advancement and performance, Curtis Blackwell, filed a federal lawsuit on Monday in Grand Rapids against Head Coach Mark Dantonio, former President Lou Anna K. Simon, former Athletic Director Mark Hollis, and two MSU police detectives. 

Blackwell's attorney, James Fett, sent a copy of the lawsuit to MSU's Office of General Counsel weeks before it was filed. 

The lawsuit alleges that the defendants "feeling the heat from the Larry Nassar cover-up, and eager to prove they were tough on cover-ups, ran roughshod over (Blackwell's) rights when he was wrongly accused of covering up for MSU athletes involved in an alleged sexual assault of a female co-ed in January 2017."

"With no evidence, none, that (Blackwell) covered up for the athletes, the MSU Police Department, in stormtrooper fashion cuffed (Blackwell); seized his personal and MSU cell phones and hauled him off to the MSU Police station."

Blackwell was suspended in February 2017 on the same day a staff member (now identified as Blackwell) and three players (Donnie Corley, Demetric Vance, and Josh King) were suspended for a reported sexual assault that occurred in January 2017. Corley, Vance, and King pleaded guilty to charges of seduction and have been sentenced to 26 months probation and have to undergo sex offender treatment. 

Dantonio decided not to renew the contract of Blackwell in May 2017.

 

Al Martin is the host of Current Sports, the daily radio call-in program from WKAR NewsTalk. Al is also on the WKAR News team as a regular sports contributor and plays a key sports reporting and content role on all other WKAR media platforms.
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