MSU football coach Mark Dantonio suspended eight players that the university identified Tuesday as potential suspects in assaults at a dormitory, which allegedly occurred within 90 minutes of the annual football banquet Sunday, Nov. 22.
MSU now has identified a total of 10 players who might have participated in the alleged assaults, said Terry Denbow, vice president of university affairs. All were present in the dorm, Rather Hall, at the incidents, Denbow said.
As the investigation continues, MSU police are attempting to identify five more individuals who were present during the alleged assaults, he said. They also seek to establish what each player named Tuesday did during the incident. Campus police continued to refer all questions to Denbow.
The 10 players named were identified following interviews with victims, witnesses and a review of on-site video, he said.
"The evidence regarding the actions of all suspects is still being collected," Denbow said. "The investigation, slowed by the Thanksgiving break, is expected to continue this week."
Two of the players named Tuesday by the university, Glenn Winston, of Detroit, a junior running back, and Roderick Jenrette, a fourth-year free safety from Tampa, Fla., were dismissed permanently by Dantonio on Nov. 24 for violations of team rules. Attempts to reach both players over the past week have been unsuccessful.
Dantonio continued to be unavailable for comment.
The third-year coach allowed Winston, 20, a 2007 graduate of Denby High School, to return to the team late last summer after Winston served four months in jail for an October 2008 assault in which an MSU hockey player, A.J. Sturgis, was seriously injured. A bystander also was hurt.
Dantonio also ordered Jenrette, 21, off the team for the entire 2008 season to attend to unspecified personal problems, before letting him return for 2009.
An additional eight players were suspended Tuesday, because of their suspected involvement in the Rather Hall incidents, Denbow said. They are:
? B.J. Cunningham, 20, a sophomore wide receiver from Westerville, Ohio.
? Mark Dell, 20, a junior wide receiver from Farmington Hills, who attended Farmington Hills Harrison High School.
? Ashton Leggett, 20, a sophomore running back from Muskegon.
? Ishmyl Johnson, 22, a redshirt sophomore nose tackle from Rahway, N.J.
? Chris L. Rucker, 21, a junior cornerback from Warren, Ohio.
? Fred Smith, 19, a sophomore wide receiver from Detroit, who attended Southwestern High School.
? Brynden Trawick, 20, a redshirt freshman linebacker, of Marietta, Ga.
? Jamiihr Williams, 20, a redshirt freshman defensive end from Lima, Ohio.
In a news release, MSU said Dantonio suspended the players for violating team rules.
The suspensions are day-to-day as the Spartans (6-6) await word of what bowl game they will play in. They will learn Sunday where they're headed.
MSU police are working with the Ingham County prosecutor's office on the case. The campus police investigate all crime on campus. Denbow said police expect to forward its findings to the prosecutor, Stuart Dunnings III, early next week.
Vanessa Moss Wilson, of Southfield, a lawyer representing a student who alleges he was assaulted, told The Detroit News on Saturday that 15 to 20 players were involved in the incident.
"I'm glad that Michigan State University is taking this matter seriously," said Moss Wilson, who is representing Brent Mitchell. "I certainly hope the police agency will continue the investigation and that it is thorough, and that if any charges are brought, that they are the correct charges. And we'll move forward from there."
In addition to the possibility of criminal charges, Moss Wilson said it's possible she will seek civil damages on behalf of Mitchell. She said the student was treated after the alleged altercation, and returned to a doctor for further treatment this week.
"I am certainly not surprised there is a total of 10, and I am not surprised if there are more," Moss Wilson said, of football players suspected in the alleged assaults. "Mr. Mitchell told me that there were 15 to 20 football players involved; three with ski masks. They could not be identified, but there are tapes from video cameras at the dormitory."
The incidents in Rather Hall allegedly occurred about 20 hours after the management of a local night spot, The Small Planet, said they broke up a fight on the dance floor that was rumored to have included football players.
Both the party at The Small Planet and a potluck event at Rather Hall, which was interrupted by the alleged assaults, were sponsored by a campus fraternity, Iota Phi Theta.
Stan Chambers, a national spokesman for the fraternity in Baltimore, said he has approached university officials expressing concerns about the continued safety of fraternity members in East Lansing.
"The fraternity is particularly disappointed that an alleged perpetrator of both incidents was able to return to the campus after seriously assaulting and MSU hockey player during a previous fight," the fraternity said in a news release.
MSU now has identified a total of 10 players who might have participated in the alleged assaults, said Terry Denbow, vice president of university affairs. All were present in the dorm, Rather Hall, at the incidents, Denbow said.
As the investigation continues, MSU police are attempting to identify five more individuals who were present during the alleged assaults, he said. They also seek to establish what each player named Tuesday did during the incident. Campus police continued to refer all questions to Denbow.
The 10 players named were identified following interviews with victims, witnesses and a review of on-site video, he said.
"The evidence regarding the actions of all suspects is still being collected," Denbow said. "The investigation, slowed by the Thanksgiving break, is expected to continue this week."
Two of the players named Tuesday by the university, Glenn Winston, of Detroit, a junior running back, and Roderick Jenrette, a fourth-year free safety from Tampa, Fla., were dismissed permanently by Dantonio on Nov. 24 for violations of team rules. Attempts to reach both players over the past week have been unsuccessful.
Dantonio continued to be unavailable for comment.
The third-year coach allowed Winston, 20, a 2007 graduate of Denby High School, to return to the team late last summer after Winston served four months in jail for an October 2008 assault in which an MSU hockey player, A.J. Sturgis, was seriously injured. A bystander also was hurt.
Dantonio also ordered Jenrette, 21, off the team for the entire 2008 season to attend to unspecified personal problems, before letting him return for 2009.
An additional eight players were suspended Tuesday, because of their suspected involvement in the Rather Hall incidents, Denbow said. They are:
? B.J. Cunningham, 20, a sophomore wide receiver from Westerville, Ohio.
? Mark Dell, 20, a junior wide receiver from Farmington Hills, who attended Farmington Hills Harrison High School.
? Ashton Leggett, 20, a sophomore running back from Muskegon.
? Ishmyl Johnson, 22, a redshirt sophomore nose tackle from Rahway, N.J.
? Chris L. Rucker, 21, a junior cornerback from Warren, Ohio.
? Fred Smith, 19, a sophomore wide receiver from Detroit, who attended Southwestern High School.
? Brynden Trawick, 20, a redshirt freshman linebacker, of Marietta, Ga.
? Jamiihr Williams, 20, a redshirt freshman defensive end from Lima, Ohio.
In a news release, MSU said Dantonio suspended the players for violating team rules.
The suspensions are day-to-day as the Spartans (6-6) await word of what bowl game they will play in. They will learn Sunday where they're headed.
MSU police are working with the Ingham County prosecutor's office on the case. The campus police investigate all crime on campus. Denbow said police expect to forward its findings to the prosecutor, Stuart Dunnings III, early next week.
Vanessa Moss Wilson, of Southfield, a lawyer representing a student who alleges he was assaulted, told The Detroit News on Saturday that 15 to 20 players were involved in the incident.
"I'm glad that Michigan State University is taking this matter seriously," said Moss Wilson, who is representing Brent Mitchell. "I certainly hope the police agency will continue the investigation and that it is thorough, and that if any charges are brought, that they are the correct charges. And we'll move forward from there."
In addition to the possibility of criminal charges, Moss Wilson said it's possible she will seek civil damages on behalf of Mitchell. She said the student was treated after the alleged altercation, and returned to a doctor for further treatment this week.
"I am certainly not surprised there is a total of 10, and I am not surprised if there are more," Moss Wilson said, of football players suspected in the alleged assaults. "Mr. Mitchell told me that there were 15 to 20 football players involved; three with ski masks. They could not be identified, but there are tapes from video cameras at the dormitory."
The incidents in Rather Hall allegedly occurred about 20 hours after the management of a local night spot, The Small Planet, said they broke up a fight on the dance floor that was rumored to have included football players.
Both the party at The Small Planet and a potluck event at Rather Hall, which was interrupted by the alleged assaults, were sponsored by a campus fraternity, Iota Phi Theta.
Stan Chambers, a national spokesman for the fraternity in Baltimore, said he has approached university officials expressing concerns about the continued safety of fraternity members in East Lansing.
"The fraternity is particularly disappointed that an alleged perpetrator of both incidents was able to return to the campus after seriously assaulting and MSU hockey player during a previous fight," the fraternity said in a news release.
