Mich. St. commit facing battery charge, reopens recruitment
Defensive end Auston Robertson, a four-star recruit and the No. 1 recruit in the state of Indiana, tweeted Wednesday that he was re-opening his recruitment.
Robertson has been verbally committed to Michigan State and was set to be the Spartans’ fourth-best prospect in the 2016 class, according to Rivals. Per the Detroit Free-Press, Robertson is facing a misdemeanor charge of battery in his hometown of Fort Wayne, Indiana. The incident allegedly occurred on Jan. 13.
He was released Jan. 18 on $750 bond and has a status hearing at the court Feb. 11.
Robertson previously faced misdemeanor charges of criminal mischief, damaging or defacing property, and resisting arrest. But those charges were dropped in Allen Superior Court 5 on Sept. 10.
It’s unclear whether MSU is holding off on signing Robertson. Coaches can’t comment on recruits until they sign. MSU coach Mark Dantonio has a news conference today to discuss his 2016 class.
It’s important to note that recruits can sign with teams after National Signing Day, so if Robertson’s legal issues are the holdup in his official commitment to Michigan State, he can still sign with the school if the charges are dropped later in February or the case is resolved another way. And this isn’t the first time that Michigan State has had to play the waiting game with a high-profile defensive lineman recruit recently.
Malik McDowell, a five-star defensive lineman in the clas of 2014, verbally committed to Michigan State. But he didn’t sign with the Spartans on National Signing Day in 2014 despite having a ceremony because his mother didn’t initially approve of his commitment. McDowell later said in April of 2014 that he signed with the team and has become an important contributor to MSU’s defense. We’ll see if Robertson signs late with the Spartans too.
For more Michigan State news, visit SpartanMag.com.
– – – – – – –
Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
