Josh King arrived at Michigan State with high expectations. The state wrestling champ at Hinsdale South, a suburb of Chicago, and U.S. Army All-American at defensive end was regarded as the top football prospect in Illinois.
But following an investigation that Michigan State police say involved more than 100 interviews and contacts, prosecutors Tuesday charged King with one count of first-degree sexual misconduct and one count of third-degree criminal sexual conduct.
This Michigan State case comes on the heels of disturbing sexual assault scandals at Baylor and Minnesota that have called national attention to this issue, particularly on university campuses and in college sports.
Spartans coach Mark Dantonio on Tuesday announced that King and teammates Donnie Corley and Demetric Vance have been dismissed from the team in the wake of charges stemming from the Jan. 16 incident at an off-campus apartment.
Corley and Vance are charged with third-degree sexual misconduct.
"You ask yourself, 'Did they break the law?' " football coach Mark Dantonio said when asked at a news conference about dismissing the players without a legal conviction. "That's to be discovered at a later time. You have to ask yourself about the morals involved in this. My perspective is the morals were not where they needed to be and conversely this decision was going to be made on recognition of the facts."
In testimony by the MSU police department, according to the Lansing State Journal, King asked a woman on Jan. 16 at an on-campus apartment party if she "wanted to speak somewhere quiet" and the alleged victim remembered King pulled her into a bathroom. "The victim said that King forced (her) to perform oral sex on him," then "pulled her pants down" and had vaginal sex with her, according to the testimony in the report. King let Vance and Corley into the bathroom at separate times, a detective added, and each allegedly forced her to perform oral sex on them.
"The victim said she eventually collapsed to the floor and all three suspects left the bathroom promptly," the detective said Tuesday morning during a hearing that led to charges, according to the Journal.
Police also reportedly found a video on King's cell phone showing him having sex with the woman in the bathroom.
The university suspended the three players and football staff member Curtis Blackwell amid an investigation in February. Michigan State's independent Title IX investigation determined all three players violated the university's relationship violence and sexual misconduct policies.
Dantonio said he was "angry" that players had not absorbed provided education on the topic of conduct.
"There's been a numerous amount of education thrown at our players, especially our freshmen group since from the time that they've gotten here," he said. "One week before the episode we had our Title IX administrator come in and talk about the case at another university in this country. The education I thought was there and they compromised themselves by getting involved in such a situation."
Michigan State is being sued by more than 95 women related to alleged sexual assaults by former university doctor Larry Nassar. The university is also being sued by four women in a separate case who said the school did not adequately address their complaints of sexual assault and protect them from retaliation. That lawsuit followed a federal investigation into how the university handled sexual assault and harassment complaints on campus.
Athletic director Mark Hollis said he has assigned three athletics administrators to oversee the football program.
"Sexual assault has no place on our campus, on any college campus," Hollis said. "In fact there is no culture where it is acceptable for one person to abuse another. Systems are in place here at Michigan State but like anyplace else they have to continue to improve, improve in order to prevent and respond, improve in order to keep pace with today's society. Voices must be heard. Bystanders must react. Care and compassion provided to survivors."
Karen Truszkowski, an attorney for the accuser, asked for privacy for her client, according to the Journal.
"This is going to be a very difficult day for my client," Truszkowski said, according to the report. "This is a very sensitive situation for a young woman. She's doing as best as she can but I'm sure that this is going to be really difficult when she finds out what's been put in the public record."
Michigan State did not renew the contract of Blackwell when it ended in May, and an investigation commissioned by the school determined he violated university policy by speaking to players and not informing his superiors what he learned from the discussions. He was not criminally charged.
Dantonio said on Tuesday that parting ways with Blackwell, who was the team's director of college advancement and performance, was due to "philosophical" differences.
King, who recorded 20 tackles-for-loss as a senior at Hinsdale South, was expected to start for Michigan State this season. Corley was a standout freshman last season, finishing second on the team with 453 receiving yards. Vance was a backup defensive back.
King, the highest-rated recruit in Hinsdale South history, chose the Spartans over Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn State and USC, wearing a green polo shirt on the day of his June 5, 2015 announcement.
Attorney John Shea, who represents Corley, released a statement.
"It's never a good day when a criminal charge is filed against you, but at least Mr. Corley knows what he is facing and can get on with the process of fighting it," Shea said. "As appropriately noted by Prosecutor Siemon in her statement, the charge is only an accusation and Mr. Corley is presumed to be innocent. He maintains that, in fact, he is innocent, and we intend to demonstrate that in the coming proceedings."
