Michigan State Basketball Player Reportedly Under Investigation For Sexual Misconduct Since August

Less than a month after Larry Nassar was sentenced to prison for decades of sexual abuse, Michigan State University athletics are on the radar for alleged sexual misconduct again. A new report from ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” revealed Spartans basketball player Brock Washington has been under investigation for several months for alleged groping.

The freshman guard was accused of groping a female student in August, resulting in an investigation from campus police that was then forwarded to county prosecutors. “Outside the Lines” requested a copy of the police report, which was not made public, but did not receive it yet at the time of writing.

Washington has not been a significant factor in the Spartans’ run to the number 2 spot in the most recent college basketball rankings. In fact, the walk-on guard has not registered any stats so far this season. He also, at this point, has not been charged with a crime; the story here is that Washington has been under investigation since August and nobody outside the university knew until now. The crime is considered fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct, which carries a maximum prison sentence of two years.

This report comes at a time of intense scrutiny for Michigan State athletics, specifically head coach Tom Izzo’s basketball program. A previous “Outside the Lines” report earlier in February suggested the basketball team retained an assistant coach after he was charged with punching a woman. Months later, he allegedly sexually assaulted a different MSU student.

Also included in that report was an explicit description of alleged rape by former Spartan basketball players Adreian Payne and Keith Appling. Payne, who played for the Orlando Magic at the time of the report, was promptly released. The report painted a picture of Michigan State as a place where such accusations were systematically handled poorly, possibly as a way to preserve the university’s reputation.