Statement by Mark Dantonio’s counsel, Tom Kienbaum, of Kienbaum Hardy Viviano Pelton & Forrest, PLC dated September 20, 2019:
“While it is the University’s policy to deal with litigation in court, and not the press, the recent publicity efforts by Mr. Blackwell and his attorney warrant a brief response.
Mr. Blackwell’s lawsuit concerns his allegations that his contract was not renewed because he refused to co-operate with investigations being conducted by the MSUPD and a law firm hired to evaluate the MSU football program’s compliance with sexual assault reporting policies. The lawsuit has nothing to do with the recruitment or actions of any student athletes, including Auston Robertson.
Mr. Blackwell’s publicity seeking efforts to nevertheless inject this and other irrelevancies into this lawsuit seek to deflect from what actually happened, and were already rejected by the court. We have filed a motion for protective order consistent with the court’s earlier ruling.
Coach Dantonio has been more than willing to testify and explain the reasons he decided to not further extend Mr. Blackwell’s contract. This could have been accomplished months earlier, before the onset of the football season, and dates were provided but not accepted by Mr. Blackwell’s counsel. We now expect the court to address the timing and parameters of his deposition in response to our motion.”
“While it is the University’s policy to deal with litigation in court, and not the press, the recent publicity efforts by Mr. Blackwell and his attorney warrant a brief response.
Mr. Blackwell’s lawsuit concerns his allegations that his contract was not renewed because he refused to co-operate with investigations being conducted by the MSUPD and a law firm hired to evaluate the MSU football program’s compliance with sexual assault reporting policies. The lawsuit has nothing to do with the recruitment or actions of any student athletes, including Auston Robertson.
Mr. Blackwell’s publicity seeking efforts to nevertheless inject this and other irrelevancies into this lawsuit seek to deflect from what actually happened, and were already rejected by the court. We have filed a motion for protective order consistent with the court’s earlier ruling.
Coach Dantonio has been more than willing to testify and explain the reasons he decided to not further extend Mr. Blackwell’s contract. This could have been accomplished months earlier, before the onset of the football season, and dates were provided but not accepted by Mr. Blackwell’s counsel. We now expect the court to address the timing and parameters of his deposition in response to our motion.”
