Report: Ex-MSU assistant, 2 players faced sexual assault allegations
Three members of Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo's basketball program were implicated in a recent Outside the Lines report by Paula Lavigne.
A female MSU student said former player-turned-assistant Travis Walton assaulted her. Walton was charged with assault and battery but was allowed to continue coaching as the investigation played out. The woman said Walton struck her twice in the face, and medical reports obtained by OTL detailed that she was diagnosed with a concussion.
Walton pleaded not guilty, and later reached a plea deal after his attorney provided witness statements that contradicted that of the woman. Walton, who now works as an assistant coach with the Agua Caliente Clippers of the G-League, told OTL it was a "false accusation."
One month later, Walton and two other players were accused of sexually assaulting a female MSU student. The woman filed a sexual assault case to the athletic department, according to a university document obtained by OTL.
The document stated a discussion was held with "the basketball team," but, "none of the players were reprimanded in any way," and "there's not much that can be done to the players."
Walton was dismissed shortly thereafter, although he maintains he went to Europe to pursue a playing opportunity and told OTL he wasn't aware of the rape allegation.
In addition, a different female MSU student said former Spartans players Keith Appling and Adreian Payne sexually assaulted her. She stated she feared refusing their advances, and told them, "I don't want it," "stop," and "don't."
Payne told police in 2010 that he could, "understand how she would feel that she was not free to leave," and, "it seemed she felt that they 'disrespected' her." Payne, a two-way player for the Orlando Magic, couldn't be reached for comment. Appling told OTL he didn't hear the woman say "stop" and, "it was consensual."
The woman was told by campus investigators there was a solid case to pursue, but was pressured against it by an assistant prosecutor at Ingham County who now works in Michigan State's Title IX office.
A Title IX investigation was eventually launched after the Appling-Payne case drew local media coverage. The outside attorney who conducted the investigation decided the two men didn't violate university policy.
Payne and Appling both played four seasons at Michigan State.