Judge rules that Dantonio must answer questions about Robertson and that his deposition will not be limited to 3.5 hours.
October 9th, 2019 at 12:50 PM ^
Poetic.
October 9th, 2019 at 10:26 AM ^
I think he retires at the end of the year. His loyal assistants don't have contracts next year, his recruiting is currently below average, he is old, and now this.
October 9th, 2019 at 10:43 AM ^
And his players are jumping ship...
October 9th, 2019 at 10:42 AM ^
Like the swallows returning to Capistrano....
Like Salmon migrating upstream...
Like Whales travelling thousands of miles each year to a migrating ground.....
Like the Monarch butterfly completing it's annual trip to South America.....
Are the MgoBlog posters who claim "surely this will be Dantonio's last year" anytime bad news is published about the MSU football program.
October 9th, 2019 at 10:46 AM ^
...and then we're left in disgust as to what the guy gets away with and stays head football coach.
October 9th, 2019 at 10:58 AM ^
You’re probably right. But unless MSU settles, this will likely get leaked and if this season doesn’t go well, MSU can just go get Fickell and hope they have Mork part two.
October 10th, 2019 at 4:04 PM ^
Fickell doesn't want MSU. He wants C-bus.
October 9th, 2019 at 11:00 AM ^
Logged in to upvote
October 9th, 2019 at 2:41 PM ^
Disappointed a guy from Cleveland area didnt mention the Buzzards and Hinckley.
October 9th, 2019 at 2:47 PM ^
Good point. I could've also added the following
Like the Browns massively letting down their loyal and dedicated fan base......
October 9th, 2019 at 3:52 PM ^
But now you have even MSU fans ready for him to leave. He's 63 years old, his recruiting has fallen off and the on-field performance is trailing off, too.
October 9th, 2019 at 7:51 PM ^
The difference is, now WE don't want him to go... Knowing this, MD will promptly retire to spite UofM. That is the Dantonino way...
October 9th, 2019 at 10:44 AM ^
Thankfully, a thread that is not another fruitless QB discussion!
Interesting article. This is Dantonio and his attorney: "WHEW! BIG OL SIGH OF RELIEF! This is not going to interfere with the season... and the 7 hour deposition is NOT GONNA HAPPEN because we will now have time to work out a settlement and put this in the rear view mirror! Oh and by the way Blackwell if your settlement demands are too unreasonable might want to think about it because we have dirt on you too which you wouldn't want brought to light!"
October 9th, 2019 at 10:46 AM ^
Do not pass Go!
Do not collect $200.
October 9th, 2019 at 10:54 AM ^
Dantorini better call for a supervisor.
October 9th, 2019 at 11:13 AM ^
DiGiornio's request to delay: redlocked.
October 9th, 2019 at 11:04 AM ^
He's going to reshuffle the staff before then so that Jim Bollman will have to appear at the deposition.
October 9th, 2019 at 11:10 AM ^
He played musical chairs with his offensive staff last year instead of looking for a new OC, and the AD, Mark Hollis, who helped cover for a lot of the stuff at MSU is now gone. MSU has been celebrating his all-time MSU wins record like someone who is not coming back. He has a $4.5 million retention bonus due in January, but I could see the AD giving it to him even if his retirement was announced before then. Especially if he were to find a way to beat Michigan this year, I think he is out.
October 9th, 2019 at 11:13 AM ^
If Blackwell’s counsel did not request a video deposition, that should be corrected ASAP.
October 9th, 2019 at 11:17 AM ^
There are rumblings about that this indeed will be Dantonio's last season. It's not too much of a secret around EL, apparently.
October 9th, 2019 at 11:17 AM ^
I applaud the very clear thread title.
October 9th, 2019 at 11:18 AM ^
[One hour into the deposition]
Dantonio: Are we almost done yet?
Lawyer: It's not over. It'll never be over. It's just starting.
October 9th, 2019 at 2:09 PM ^
This comment could get a thousand upvotes, and it would still be underrated.
October 9th, 2019 at 11:20 AM ^
I don't think this will be as satisfying as many people want it to be:
"Kienbaum said the judge has offered to monitor the deposition closely, potentially hosting it at the courthouse, which would be a rare occurrence. Kienbaum said the crux of Dantonio's deposition should be about why Blackwell's contract was not renewed. Blackwell's original lawsuit claimed that he was fired because he declined to participate in a pair of investigations -- one conducted by police and another conducted by a firm hired by Michigan State -- about the January 2017 sexual misconduct incident. If asked why Blackwell was let go, Kienbaum said, Dantonio intends to answer that question in detail.
"And Blackwell isn't going to like that," Kienbaum said. "It's not going to be good for him."
This clearly shows that the strategy will be to avoid as many Robertson questions as possible & keep the focus on Blackwell not participating in the investigations
October 9th, 2019 at 11:21 AM ^
nobody, I mean nobody is above justice in my America!
October 9th, 2019 at 11:52 AM ^
Wait. Someone in East Lansing has to follow the law? What's this world coming to?!
October 9th, 2019 at 11:53 AM ^
Pride comes before the fall.
October 9th, 2019 at 12:04 PM ^
How is it possible to delay something like this? I can't imagine the situation where a private citizen would get the same courtesy.
October 9th, 2019 at 2:55 PM ^
It happens ALL THE TIME in litigation. If you have a decent reason or excuse, if you prefer, depositions get pushed back. It can be work related, health related, here it is football season related. I have not followed the case, but the judge seems to be taking an even handed approach: plaintiff, you get your seven hours; Mork, you don’t have to screw around with your 20 hours of preparation time and full day of deposition during the season. Plaintiff, you can ask about this kid, but that is not the crux of your case. We can hold this outside my chambers and if you start to lose focus—and the focus is why your were fired—I will cut things off. Don’t read too much into this news item.
October 9th, 2019 at 12:15 PM ^
I predict the beginning of the Dantonio and Izzo eras..there is SO MUCH to uncover here
October 9th, 2019 at 12:19 PM ^
He will have to spill it all. This will be it for him in EL.
October 9th, 2019 at 12:27 PM ^
Oh man I sooooo hope he gets deposed. I hope it goes seven hours. Work him on boring ass questions for 6.5 hours. Get him looking at the clock and thinking how easy it actually has been and then WHAM! Hit him with the questions he was hoping they wouldn’t ask when his mind is tired and he is confused. Oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy. This could be the Christmas present we’ve been asking Santa for.
October 9th, 2019 at 12:34 PM ^
Who cares what type of horrible human being he is as long as he beats Michigan, right?
kind of funny how after years of having limited success in recruiting elite athletes to sparty-land his big star studded class (king, Corley, Robertson, etc) could wind up being his undoing.
October 9th, 2019 at 12:53 PM ^
I have a few questions:
1. Does this mean he will be under oath and could purjor himself?
2. What is the chance Dantonio purjors himself?
3. What are the chances they prove he has purjors himself?
4. What are the chances he is prosecuted for purjoring himself?
October 9th, 2019 at 1:07 PM ^
Going ouuuut ... in a blaze of perjury...
October 9th, 2019 at 12:58 PM ^
Will Mark, Dan, and Tony be there for a couple of hours each?
October 9th, 2019 at 1:16 PM ^
I'm fully in favor of deposing Dantonio, and delivering him to the custody of the International Criminal Court.
Oh! You mean Blackwell's lawsuit. We'll then. Perhaps we can arrange for some alumni from our distinguished law school to join the plaintiff's legal team for the deposition. They might be able to answer his question, "where are all the Wolverines?"
October 9th, 2019 at 1:34 PM ^
Blackwell's lead attorney is a Michigan grad, long-time Ann Arbor resident, staunch Michigan football fan, MgoBlog frequenter (Hi Drew!), and I can assure you he will ask questions that will cause a shitstorm of epic proportions and endless entertainment for us.
October 9th, 2019 at 2:21 PM ^
Hopefully he's not the same idiot who was fined $10k for leaking the cops' depositions to the press and pissing-off the judge.
October 9th, 2019 at 2:32 PM ^
Lol. All part of the strategy. A $10k sanction is worth it, I suppose, if the sanctionable conduct is a critical part of the strategy to force the defendant to settle for a high six or potentially seven figure value. It was surely a calculated risk.
October 9th, 2019 at 2:52 PM ^
I suppose that's reasonable, but I still don't understand the case. Blackwell was arrested for not filing a mandatory report with the Office of Institutional Equity at MSU when Robertson told him first about Corley and the other kids. Instead, Jones Day said he started his own investigation. If that is not true, then why is Blackwell suing the cops, and not the office where he would have filed the report ? Happy to see Mork squirm, but I'm not really following where they're going with this.
October 9th, 2019 at 3:31 PM ^
I don't think any of that matters.
The important point is that the defendants have very large pockets and they're likely to shell out a massive amount of money to avoid bad publicity. Blackwell's case doesn't need to have any merit whatsoever. The pleadings just need to lay out plausible claims for which relief can be granted - this is an exceptionally low standard, and barring some other sort of procedural mistake it gets you over the motion to dismiss hurdle. From there, it's just a matter of slinging mud at the defendants until they offer you a satisfactory amount of money to stop. Again, the merits of the case are irrelevant. It just doesn't matter what Blackwell did or didn't do -- all that matters is that he can use discovery to cause the defendants enough hardship, embarrassment, humiliation, annoyance, and expense to persuade them that it would be worth the money to make him go away.
October 9th, 2019 at 4:04 PM ^
Typically, I find legal proceedings to be interesting, but I have been a part of a baseless lawsuit and that is the type of thing that gives attorneys a bad name. Fuck Mork and the skeletons in his closet, but according to Jones Day, it seems more likely that Blackwell was trying to cover for his Detroit recruits (Corley and Vance). Personally, I'm not excited that Blackwell's attorney is a Michigan grad.....
October 9th, 2019 at 6:53 PM ^
Do you really honestly believe that Blackwell went rogue acting alone without Dantonio or anyone else on the football staff or administration knowing? I think one of the reasons Blackwell is so upset and pursuing this is that the moment MSU's football program came under the spotlight, he got thrown under the bus. I don't think he is a good guy in this story, but he isn't the only bad guy and probably not the true villain either.
October 9th, 2019 at 2:49 PM ^
Maybe he can out tiny Tom izzo at the same time. Then he’ll be my hero
October 9th, 2019 at 6:14 PM ^
Either come with some evidence or stop posting this nonsense, Sparty. You show up whenever there is any negative MSU post on this site and troll. Maybe, just maybe, Blackwell's lawsuit has some merit, and his lawyer is just doing his job, not motivated by fandom like you are insinuating here. And even if it doesn't, that does not mean it was some rival-motivated lawyer. If you are going to make a claim like that, you better back it up.
You have claimed that Michigan continued to recruit Auston Robertson after he was charged with sexual assault, defended the MSU Jones Day report, and now that Blackwell's attorney is a Michigan football fan and mgoblog poster. Give it a rest Sparty.
October 9th, 2019 at 10:19 PM ^
I show up to talk about this particular topic because I'm particularly knowledgeable about this particular topic. Maybe waiting to speak until a topic you're knowledgeable about comes up is something you should try - then again we probably wouldn't see you posting very much, would we?
I didn't say Blackwell's lawsuit doesn't have merit. I didn't insinuate Drew is motivated by fandom. Angrily insisting "YoU'rE a SpArTy!!11!1!" every time you dislike someone else's message is not the authoritative trump card you think it is.
October 10th, 2019 at 3:02 AM ^
Here we go again with the bullshit.
You wrote this: "Blackwell's lead attorney is a Michigan grad, long-time Ann Arbor resident, staunch Michigan football fan, MgoBlog frequenter (Hi Drew!)"
1. You are clearly insinuating something about Blackwell's lawyer. Don't play dumb.
2. And again if you are going to make these claims about his lawyer ("staunch Michigan football fan, mgoblog frequenter"), you should probably back it up. Same as with the Auston Robertson discussion, the moment someone asks to you back up your assertions with evidence, you never do and then change the subject by arguing about something else.
October 10th, 2019 at 10:32 AM ^
This is actually quite amusing considering the last time I took you for a walk on this forum it was in fact you who made unsubstantiated assertions and you who could not back up your assertions with any evidence.
I will concede the point that I am not going to provide any "evidence" about Drew's personal life here. Drew is well-known in the Washtenaw County bar and Ann Arbor legal community. Instead of asking me, who you're pretty clearly going to completely disregard anyway, maybe you should ask any of your Ann Arbor lawyer friends. Surely a person as pleasant as you has at least one.