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MSU drops football recruiter who was suspended in February

C/O Youtube
Curtis Blackwell speaking on the Big Ten Network

Michigan State University will not renew its contract with Curtis Blackwell, a school spokesman confirmed Tuesday. The news was first reported byChris Solari of the Detroit Free Press.

Blackwell, a former Detroit high school coach and co-founder of the Sound Mind Sound Body football camp, was brought on staff for his relationships with potential recruits in the region.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbbdnp0lTiw

But he was suspended with pay on Feb. 9th, the same day MSU also suspended three football players who are facing rape allegations. Carol Siemon, the Ingham County Prosecutor, has been reviewing the evidence gathered by MSU Police, but still hasn’t announced whether her office will press charges, a spokesman said Tuesday morning.

Since his suspension, Blackwell’s contract was renewed twice, says MSU spokesman Jason Cody.

But now, Coach Mark Dantonio has “decided to go in a different direction,” Cody said Tuesday. Asked if the timing of Blackwell’s departure means the Ingham County Prosecutor is about to press charges, Cody said no one at MSU would be informed about that.

“We’re not kept in the loop [about the criminal case] over here at MSU. I would have no reason to believe that,” he said.

Blackwell, who was hired in 2013, had the title ofDirector of College Advancement and Performance. He was making roughly $84,000 as of fiscal year 2016, Cody says. His lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

Blackwell spoke about his role at MSU in 2014 on the Big Ten Network. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8HvM-oTnkE

Kate Wells is a Peabody Award-winning journalist currently covering public health. She was a 2023 Pulitzer Prize finalist for her abortion coverage.
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