More details on Blackwell/He was escorted out in cuffs

Submitted by umbig11 on
Michigan State University police walked former football staff member Curtis Blackwell out of the football building in handcuffs in early February, minutes after determining that he interfered with their investigation of a reported on-campus sexual assault weeks earlier. http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/news/local/2017/06/13/police-b…

Stuck in Utah

June 13th, 2017 at 9:35 PM ^

In most of states, obstructing an investigation is charged 1 degree less than what is being investigated. With King being charged with a first degree felony, then Blackwell obstructing the investigation would be charged with 1 degree less than that. When you arrest someone for any reason, especially a felony, you put them in handcuffs and book them in jail. It sounds like that was very warranted in this situation.

YoOoBoMoLloRoHo

June 13th, 2017 at 9:34 PM ^

has much chance to ever work in an NcAA program again. At any corporate employer, a contractor would be cut before he even reached the police car. Not MSU. They extended his contract twice and, amazingly, gave him a large raise for the last two months. Oh, it was "philosophical differences" according to Dantonio.

SamirCM

June 13th, 2017 at 9:39 PM ^

I hadn't heard that, are you sure they gave him a raise during his monthly contracts? I didn't think them offering monthly contracts were wrong in any way as I'm guessing they were doing while there was an ongoing investigation, he was suspended so it wasn't like he was out recruiting for MSU. 

stephenrjking

June 14th, 2017 at 12:46 AM ^

"Philosophical differences." This is a good point--they were revealing "everything" at this point, weren't they? The names were going to be public. The crime was being described in a newspaper in some detail. And a guy who was actually handcuffed and then investigated was said to be dismissed over "philosophical differences."

I've tried to be balanced about this, and even singed guys over assuming the motives MSU admins. And this is junk.

Seriously, this is almost exactly the same shine that Hoke put on the Gibbons situation. The guy was investigated, and they said philosophical differences? There's no reason to gloss that over and they did it anyway. Shameful. And it damages their integrity, which isn't exactly shimmering at the moment anyway.

Double-D

June 14th, 2017 at 12:15 AM ^

Dantonio's deal with the devil must have come due.   I cant imagine what it must be ike to be an MSU fan right now.

Robertson and King alone we both going to be All Big Ten type d-linemen. Corley was headed for the same.  Reschke may have been looking at an NFL career.  That's just a fraction of what they are losing.

Something is seriosly wrong with the leadership and the community there in how they handle discipline and entitlement. 

I have never seen anything like lt and I hope i never do again.

Manonthemoon

June 13th, 2017 at 10:02 PM ^

I'm starting to wonder if Blackwell​ is the fall guy. It's very strange that he was talking to the players and their families for 3 weeks and no one knew about it. Not one parent called Dantonio about anything.  No one hired a attorney.....

Manonthemoon

June 13th, 2017 at 11:01 PM ^

I just think it's strange that's all. Like when did the girl call the police? Or who called the police, I know it wasn't Blackwell. I'll assume she went to the hospital that day. And if 3 of your players are being investigated for rape by the police. Something is wrong if it takes you 3 weeks to find out.

huntmich

June 13th, 2017 at 11:13 PM ^

Don't assume she went to the cops that day. There are a lot of reasons that victims of sexual assault don't immediately go to the cops. 

 

I'm just a dude who really doesn't know shit about shit when it comes to any of this, but it's what I've heard on NPR regarding the Cosby story.

DCmissingAnnArbor

June 15th, 2017 at 4:54 PM ^

It's hard for me to believe that it took about three weeks from the time Blackwell started calling around, "collecting facts," and talking to players and their families, for Dantonio to become fully aware of what had taken place. How does Blackwell NOT share this with Dantonio?

LSAClassOf2000

June 13th, 2017 at 10:20 PM ^

In a report submitted to prosecutors, which the State Journal obtained through an open records request, police wrote that Blackwell "took it upon himself to investigative" the incident, interviewed suspects and did not share that information he received with police or MSU's Title IX office.

I am assuming this is the part where Blackwell finds out that all this is not merely an FYI type of finding, but I guess when you're trying to be your own Seargent Friday it might not matter to you too much, the correct procedure and all that.

jbrandimore

June 13th, 2017 at 10:27 PM ^

I'm going to venture this is similar to the Penn St situation in one way. Blackwell, while not an eye witness, was in the Mike McQueary role in that he had program damaging information and Blackwells main "job" was to make sure no one "told" Dantonio, because then - and only then - it would have to be reported. When Robertson sat down and informed Dantonio about this, Blackwell failed and Mork no longer has plausible deniability that something bad had happened. The filing of charges of course means this was going to come out, but in late January all we knew was the cops wanted charges but the prosecutors would not go along. At that point, the cover up was in full effect and Blackwell had to be kept on the payroll at least until Mork had to report. Plausible?

mGrowOld

June 13th, 2017 at 10:33 PM ^

1. I understand the severity of the charges

2. I understand that many young lives are probably ruined because of their actions

3. I understand that I'm not supposed to make like of the situation or make jokes about it

4. I understand that we are expected to treat the subject with utmost decorum and be extremely careful in our comments

But having stated all that can I at least say that after the last 10 years of crap we've taken from these yokels it's kinda nice to watch their house burn.  I'm not gonna lie - stories like this one do make me smile just a little bit.

Ok a lot.  Sorry.  

Stringer Bell

June 13th, 2017 at 10:53 PM ^

I'm with you.  It sucks that there are innocent victims in this, but watching that program burn as though it's some form of karmic retribution for all the shit talking their fans did after finally tasting a bit of success is quite enjoyable.  It's like the universe is restoring balance to itself, and doing so in incredibly efficient fashion.

Perkis-Size Me

June 14th, 2017 at 4:42 AM ^

If karma works the same way for everyone, OSU is long overdue for some horrific event that levels their program for decades. God forbid it be something truly awful like what's happened at MSU, PSU and Baylor, but still.

Every other blue blood program (UM, ND, Texas, Bama, USC, FSU) has had its share of down years, but not OSU. It's baffling how long they've been an elite program with no major slips in production.