Mark Dantonio has been caught in a lie, and there is photo evidence to prove it.
Dantonio, who stepped down as Michigan State’s head football coach two weeks ago, has been involved in a wrongful termination lawsuit filed by his former staff member, Curtis Blackwell. In the lawsuit, Blackwell alleged that Dantonio committed a recruiting violation by having Blackwell enter a recruit’s home even though Blackwell was not allowed to do so based on NCAA rules.
The Detroit News’ Tony Paul wrote a story on Tuesday that includes a photo showing Dantonio’s lie. The photo, which was taken by recruit Daelin Hayes’ mother, shows Blackwell and Dantonio posing with Hayes inside Hayes’ home during the visit.
BREAKING: A photo and a recruit's mother's sworn affidavit dispute former MSU coach Mark Dantonio's claims that he didn't violate NCAA rules.https://t.co/SJAcl2M4r6 pic.twitter.com/Syk8C3TifW
— Tony Paul (@TonyPaul1984) February 18, 2020
Hayes ended up at Notre Dame, but the photo was included in legal documents filed by Blackwell’s attorneys.
Dantonio had claimed that Blackwell stayed in the car during the recruiting visit. The photo (Blackwell is on the far left, next to Dantonio, who is next to Hayes), shows otherwise.
The other violation Dantonio allegedly committed was arranging jobs for the parents of recruits through a booster.
The Detroit News says the violations would likely result in minor penalties from the NCAA.
Dantonio stepped down as Michigan State’s coach the day after the NCAA violations were made public by Blackwell’s legal filing. The program has since hired Mel Tucker as their new head coach.
