A disturbing situation in East Lansing has added a head-scratching twist.
According to ESPN.com, and by way of a Freedom of Information request, Michigan State football staffer Curtis Blackwell was on the receiving end of a one-month contract extension earlier this month. Blackwell, whose title with the football program is director of college advancement and performance, was set to see his contract expire at the end of this week.
What makes this development noteworthy is that Blackwell has been indefinitely suspended by the Spartans since early February.
Around that time, it was confirmed by the university that three still-unnamed MSU football players had been suspended after allegations of sexual assault were made against them last month. An unnamed football staffer was suspended at the time as well; that staffer was subsequently identified as Blackwell.
A police investigation, as well as a Title IX probe, into the allegations continue. Blackwell is not accused of participating in the alleged sexual assault, but rather a non-sexual crime that’s connected to the investigation.
Mark Dantonio hadn’t spoken publicly about the allegations until earlier this week, and the head coach probably would’ve been better served to have kept it that way.