MSU: 'Nothing to support' ESPN claims Tom Izzo interfered with probe

East Lansing — Michigan State is firing back after a recent report said basketball coach Tom Izzo perhaps interfered with an investigation surrounding a member of the basketball team.

On Thursday, ESPN published a report saying Izzo along with assistant coaches Dwayne Stephens and Mike Garland contacted a witness in the investigation involving walk-on Brock Washington, who was accused of criminal sexual conduct after an encounter on campus in 2017. The story came after ESPN reviewed documents where the witness states he did not believe the coaches were trying “to get information.”

By Thursday afternoon, athletic director Bill Beekman issued a statement defending Izzo and his staff.

“Tom Izzo has been a beacon of integrity in his profession for nearly four decades, including a quarter century as head coach,” Beekman said in the statement. “Michigan State’s Office of Institutional Equity has gone on record to say that no policies were violated in regards to any actions taken by the men’s basketball staff during a Title IX investigation into a student. There’s nothing to support any claims that any member of the men’s basketball staff conducted their own investigation, or interfered with any ongoing investigation. Any insinuation to the contrary is nothing more than an attempt to smear a coach, a program, and an entire university.”

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ESPN referenced interviews with Michigan State student Brayden Smith by the MSU Police as well as a Title IX investigation by the university’s OIE. In both reports, Smith said he was contacted by Izzo, Stephens and Garland.

Smith is a close friend of Washington and was with him on the night of the incident. Smith is also the son of former Michigan State basketball player Steve Smith. Izzo was an assistant coach during Steve Smith’s time at MSU and Stephens was a teammate. While Brayden Smith does not play basketball at Michigan State, he has a close relationship with the coaches.

In both the MSU Police report and Title IX report obtained by The News from the Ingham County Prosecutor, Brayden Smith is interviewed about what he saw the night of the incident. Near the end each interview he was asked if he spoke to anyone else about the case and said he spoke with the three coaches.

The MSU Police report says Smith indicated his “perception of the conversation with them was not to get information out of him, but rather to ensure that he was okay and remind him to be responsible.”

Smith went on to say in the report that he “considers these coaches to have personal long-standing relationships with him and his family. … These men are like family to him.”

Washington pleaded guilty in early 2018 to misdemeanor assault, according to police records.

At the time, officials with the prosecutors office declined to comment, saying there was no public record. That likely means Washington pleaded under a provision in Michigan law that allows offenders ages 17 through 24 to plead guilty without a court entering a judgment of conviction, essentially keeping the crime off the public record and dismissing the case as long as terms of a probation are fulfilled.

It was the first of two cases involving Washington. According to police records, on Jan. 19 of this year, Washington was accused of sexual assault in an incident on campus. Ingham County Prosecutor Carol Siemon declined to press charges after reviewing the case and issued a statement this week after an ESPN report named Washington.

“It was the consensus of our prosecution team that the case could not be proven in court as required under law,” Siemon said. “As the County Prosecutor, ultimately I am the official who reports directly to the people of Ingham County. I have determined that the case does not meet the burden of proof that we must present to a jury.”

The Michigan Attorney General’s office was asked to review the case and on Monday Kelly Rossman-McKinney, a spokesperson for the Attorney General, said an assistant attorney general is gathering information and reviewing the file but no recommendations have been made. She added that it would like be several weeks before a decision is made.

On Thursday night, Washington’s attorney, Mary Chartier, issued a statement defending Washington.

“Recently, a woman has decided to publicly accuse Brock Washington of rape and to ask the Michigan Attorney General to issue charges against him,” Chartier said. “This public allegation comes after another prosecutor fully reviewed these claims and decided not to issue charges. Now that one prosecutor’s office has declined to issue charges, the complainant has taken her allegations to the media in an attempt to publicly shame Mr. Washington and put pressure on the Michigan Attorney General. While Mr. Washington will not try this case in the media, he also will not stand by silently while falsehoods are spoken about him. He vehemently denies these false allegations, and we are prepared to fight these claims to the fullest.”

Izzo suspended Washington before Michigan State’s game at Indiana on Jan. 23 and remained suspended the rest of the season. His status is officially unchanged at this point, according to a team spokesman. Washington appeared in 10 games and played 19 minutes.

mcharboneau@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @mattcharboneau