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Mark Dantonio’s resignation comes after allegations the coach committed multiple NCAA violations at Michigan State
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Mark Dantonio’s resignation on the eve of National Signing Day is starting to make a bit more sense.
As if Dantonio’s timing wasn’t unusual enough, the former Michigan State coach received a $4.3 million bonus for remaining with the program until Jan. 15, 2020. It’s hard to imagine Michigan State was willing to pay that figure if it had any idea Dantonio was considering walking away from the program but that’s exactly what happened on Tuesday, as the coach announced his resignation after 13 seasons with the program.
Adding another layer of intrigue to this news, Tony Paul of the Detroit News is reporting that former Michigan State staffer Curtis Blackwell has accused Dantonio of committing multiple NCAA violations. Blackwell worked under Dantonio at Michigan State from 2013 until 2017 until his contract with the program was not renewed.
According to a new filing from Blackwell’s attorneys, Dantonio is accused of breaking multiple NCAA violations, including landing jobs for parents of Michigan State players and taking Michigan State staffers that are not authorized to take in-home visits on in-home visits.
Dantonio claims the first allegation is accurate but that MSU compliance signed off on the legality of those hires while he has denied the second charge. Blackwell claims to have proof of the second allegation regarding improper in-home visits.
Dantonio’s lawyers have called the allegations against their client “false, scandalous, and wholly unsupported accusations” according to the Detroit News.
Details of these allegations were made public Monday night, which was soon followed by Dantonio’s resignation on Tuesday.
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com
