Why did Mark Dantonio suddenly step down as Michigan State’s head coach on Tuesday? A new lawsuit filing in the Curtis Blackwell case likely explains it.
Blackwell worked at Michigan State with the football team from 2013-May 2017 before being fired. He filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against Dantonio and Michigan State 14 months ago, feeling he was the fall guy for a party at which several Michigan State players allegedly committed sexual assault.
On Monday night, one of Blackwell’s attorneys filed a response to Dantonio’s attorneys, and the response included some allegations of NCAA violations, according to The Detroit News.
The Detroit News says the alleged violations included Dantonio arranging jobs for the parents of two Spartans players through a top booster, and having Blackwell come on a recruiting trip even though Blackwell was not allowed to do so.
Dantonio denied the allegations, saying the jobs were approved by Michigan State compliance, and that Blackwell never left the car in the recruiting trip.
Between Dantonio’s subpar performances the last few years, the NCAA investigation into his program, and this, Michigan State may have felt it was time to make a change. They reportedly have one coach in mind already as the favorite.
