Auston Robertson, a former Michigan State football player, has pleaded guilty to raping a woman during a 2017 off-campus incident, according to a report from the Lansing State Journal. Robertson reached a plea deal where he pleaded guilty to one count of assault with intent to commit criminal sexual penetration.
The 21-year-old could face up to 43 months in prison.
Robertson was initially facing 15 years in prison on two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct. The incident occurred in the unnamed woman’s apartment in April 2017. The woman says that Robertson followed her into her apartment before forcing himself on her. The woman told her boyfriend, who was a teammate of Robertson, and he later told the coach.
Following the allegations, Robertson was dismissed from Michigan State but he joined the Garden City Community College football team. While at Garden City, Robertson had his initial bond revoked in connection with an armed robbery in Garden City. He was arrested on four charges in April 2018 on suspicion of four charges: aggravated robbery with a dangerous weapon, conspiracy to commit robbery, distribution of marijuana, and interfering with law enforcement officers.
Before even enrolling at Michigan State, Robertson had a history of run-ins with police that were not previously disclosed.
From ESPN:
An Outside the Lines review of Robertson’s recruitment and background check shows missed opportunities to gain a complete picture of his prior behavior: There is no record of Michigan State officials speaking to law enforcement agencies in Indiana about his past or requesting records from them, despite the university’s learning that Robertson had been permanently barred from his high school’s campus in January 2016; Robertson’s high school principal did not inform MSU during its recruitment process of every allegation made against Robertson at the high school; and Robertson himself did not disclose a series of prior run-ins with police and school officials.
Robinson will be sentenced in Ingham County Circuit Court on December 4.
