MSU DE Auston Robertson Charged with Criminal Sexual Misconduct
It has now been revealed that former 4-star DE Auston Robertson was suspended on April 9th due to a charge of third-degree sexual misconduct (h/t Garrett Fishaw).
Michigan State's Auston Robertson has been charged with third-degree criminal sexual conduct stemming from an April 9 incident.
— Dan Murphy (@DanMurphyESPN) April 21, 2017
http://www.mlive.com/spartans/index.ssf/2017/04/msu_football_player_auston_rob.html
You may remember Robertson as the highly ranked Spartan recruit who "re-opened" his recruitment temporarily after a previous charge of battery delayed his signing.
http://www.mlive.com/spartans/index.ssf/2016/02/4-star_indiana_de_auston_rober.html
Of note, Auston Robertson was the #2 ranked player in MSU's 2016 class.
[ED:BiSB - I tweaked the headline and text slighty. We're going to tread very lightly on this topic]
April 21st, 2017 at 11:28 AM ^
After how Staee handled the Glenn Winston situation, is the bar really that high to begin with?
April 21st, 2017 at 11:28 AM ^
The other 3 will most likely still be a part of the program come fall. Doesn't look like charges will be filed at this point.
April 21st, 2017 at 11:36 AM ^
April 21st, 2017 at 11:45 AM ^
My best guess as well. Maybe only 1 gets charged instead of all 3. Maybe none do. But I still don't think they'll step on the field for State again.
April 21st, 2017 at 12:08 PM ^
April 21st, 2017 at 12:21 PM ^
Agree. I doubt that the school wants to face backlash for playing those guys in the fall on top of all the Nassar stuff unless they didn't do it at all. If there's not enough to charge but there is more than 50 percent chance they did it, they're off the team IMO.
April 21st, 2017 at 11:44 AM ^
Are you just blindly assuming? Strong chance they never play for MSU again, even without charges. Maybe they'll transfer elsewhere. My words are all assumptions as well, but I am curious if you know something.
April 21st, 2017 at 11:49 AM ^
Criminal charges are one thing, title IX is entirely another.
April 21st, 2017 at 11:31 AM ^
Just one of the high character guys dantonio brings on to the msu campus. After two incidents in high school and one of a sexual nature, where do you lay the blame on this one. Dantonio is desperate and making bad decisions for his college campus and his team. The other three involved in a seperate case and not being charged yet is beginning to look somewhat suspect to me. I would think by know the ingham county prosecutor would have made a decision. I highly doubt that blackwell was suspended for no reason. I am all but positive his involvement is true to what we have been hearing and he told the players to destroy damning evidence. Robertson had no business receiving a full ride scholarship to any university after his high school conduct. When you have to make a public statement that you recruit nothing but high character atheletes, to me you are throwing up smokescreens and just hoping for the best. Truly dispiscable on Dantonio's part on this one and even the spartan faithful no it and are just disgusted at this time.
April 21st, 2017 at 11:38 AM ^
April 21st, 2017 at 11:57 AM ^
That's not at all clear. He committed in June to MSU, but was arrested for his groping charge in Janary (it happend in October). All of the shools could have backed off.
He did have another charge for property damage and criminal mischief before the groping charge, that was dropped in September. Maybe schools knew about that, not sure when it occurrred. Two incidents seem like enough to back off.
Unless you have evidence they were still recruiting him.
April 21st, 2017 at 12:07 PM ^
April 21st, 2017 at 12:15 PM ^
Can you provide an example of a player on our roster who faced criminal charges in high school?
April 21st, 2017 at 12:24 PM ^
April 21st, 2017 at 12:59 PM ^
I was trying to think of other recruits msu picked up that may have had a choice of those schools and all I could come up with were Corley and King. Oh wait!!!.
April 21st, 2017 at 11:33 AM ^
Of course, with all the allegations against the MSU program (not that they all are necessarily true), this could resemble a centipede getting ready for bed...
April 21st, 2017 at 11:39 AM ^
April 21st, 2017 at 12:08 PM ^
Prior incidents have led to some people taking more joy in a terrible situation than is warranted. People seem to have generally reacted like humans, though, which is nice.
April 21st, 2017 at 12:38 PM ^
Some people are going to act like jackasses no matter what the issue is.
Is there a link on line to the police report? I would be interested in reading it.
April 21st, 2017 at 11:43 AM ^
On the human side, this is just awful. We all get that, but it's important to note it because if the allegations are true, it's likely that at least two lives will be irremediably damaged. That transcends the rivalry in my eyes.
On the sports side, this will erode some Dantonio support from above (admin) and below (fan base). The admin and regents will no doubt be aware that Dantonio took on a known character risk, and the gamble looks like it did not pay off. That makes Dantonio's judgment look suspect. All at a time when your school is undergoing an investigation into how it handles sexual assault - not what admins and regents need ever, but especially now.
On the fan side, you have Michigan sports in the headlines for mostly good things (Harbaugh to Rome / good recruits / lots o' players to be drafted / NCAA Tourney Run / Softball Powerhouse / Baseball resurgence) and MSU sports in the headlines for mostly bad things (Kathy Klages, Football scandals, More football scandals). You'd expect a lot of the bandwagon fans to get off that bandwagon.
What a mess in E. Lansing.
April 21st, 2017 at 12:02 PM ^
April 21st, 2017 at 12:14 PM ^
April 21st, 2017 at 12:16 PM ^
I doubt he gets fired, but his seat is getting warmer and if the roster is thin on the lines, six or seven wins may be about the ceiling for this team. They are inexperienced all over the place and have few if any impact athletes.
April 21st, 2017 at 12:20 PM ^
Dantonio would have to be accused and probably convicted himself of one of these crimes to get fired at MSU. He is the best cocah they've had since Duffy Daugherty, beat us more times in a row than any MSU coach in history and outside of last year had the Spartans in the national conversation as a semi-elite team.
If he goes 3-9 again this year and loses to us the rumblings will start but fired over this? No way.
April 21st, 2017 at 12:30 PM ^
Deny, deny, deny. Sweep it under the rug. That will be the approach at MSU.
I don't see how he stays. If he goes, the new guy may have a desire to clean house to prove he's cleaning up the culture.
April 21st, 2017 at 12:37 PM ^
I'm not the biggest Dantonio fan, and taking Robertson seems like it was a significant error. But I don't think a coach should lose his job over taking a chance on one kid who didn't work out, especially if he responds appropriately to this.
As to whether he should lose his job, he should have been gone after Glenn Winston, the Dorm Vikings, etc. To keep players on your team after that sort of bullshit tells anyone paying attention that Dantonio's moral compass is broken and it's only a matter of time before some additional problems crop up. Agreed that one bad gamble isn't enough (and I do believe in giving kids a chance - and setting them up so that they can succeed in life - is generally a good thing).
Agreed he won't likely lose his job because of this. Taking the Robertson in the first place was a mistake, but it's not like Dantonio's expected to have all his players on constant surveilliance. And he's had a lot of success in his tenure at MSU.
My point is that his Teflon is likely to be pitted by these continuing scandals. As it should.
April 21st, 2017 at 12:50 PM ^
April 21st, 2017 at 12:46 PM ^
I heard there's at least 3 and up to 9 reasons to can him.
Now they are doing a 180. The MSU trainer, Larry Nassar, story is as horrific as the Sandusky situation. Every week women are coming forward with new awful stories that are creepier and creepier involving minors and video taping that happened on MSU's campus.
April 21st, 2017 at 12:12 PM ^
Ouch. After bringing him back from something pretty serious before. That dosn't look good for State. Their great 2016 class is pretty decimated.
April 21st, 2017 at 12:12 PM ^
Well, I know of at least one jail cell that is open
April 21st, 2017 at 12:30 PM ^
Which one??? Don't leave us hanging
April 21st, 2017 at 12:14 PM ^
MSU fans won't jump off the bandwagon, they will just deny and blame Michigan and the press.
April 21st, 2017 at 12:16 PM ^
"It wasn't Dantonio's fault...Michigan selfishly took all of the high character kids."
April 21st, 2017 at 12:34 PM ^
Although the recruiting rankings might not show that MSU had a great class, Dantonio looks for things like heart, grit, and intangibles. Little things like "recruiting stars" and "lack of assault and battery convictions" don't matter at all.
April 21st, 2017 at 12:42 PM ^
You're already seeing it. I've seen people post about Grant Perry and ask why that isn't being discussed in the same tone. It's sort of amazing.
April 21st, 2017 at 12:15 PM ^
I think there is an increasing chance that Dantonio doesn't survive this whole mess. Big institutions, especially public institutions, cannot fail to address people on watch when bad shit happens. Otherwise successful, and seemingly untouchable, leaders are being taken out for misbehavior that occurs in their areas of responsibility, even if the bad acts are perpetrated by underlings. These scandals are an embarassment to MSU at minimum and I think there will be a lot of pressure on the Trustees, president, etc. to make a statement by holding people accountable for what has been happening inside the MSU program.
April 21st, 2017 at 12:28 PM ^
What examples do you have from past incidents at MSU that indicate any willingness to do what is right? From the dorm beat downs, gun waving, etc. What I see is a desire to win at any costs and a willngness to sweep things under the rug. I fully expect them to do as little as possible.
April 21st, 2017 at 12:30 PM ^
No way they fire Dantonio when he built their program.
April 21st, 2017 at 12:35 PM ^
Big picture: MSU is already dealing with the gymnastics doctor scandal, and if the football issues get even worse than this, they're going to have to make a move. Built the program or not, Hollis isn't that tone-deaf.
April 21st, 2017 at 12:44 PM ^
I doubt they are going to do anything unless they have a Baylor situation with the football team. Right now it's only 4 guys which is bad but not scandal worthy. Dantonio is still loved but they will turn on him fast if he doesn't beat us or go to a bowl etc. He's losing the majority of his good young players from 2016 class and the 2017 and 2018 class are downright bad. With a resurgence at OSU, Michigan, and PSU from Fickell, Hoke/RR, and senile Joe Pa/Jerry Sandusky it is going to be very hard to build it back up.