Tom Izzo Contacted Witness in 2017 Sexual Conduct Investigation Involving Player

Michigan State head basketball coach Tom Izzo and assistant coaches Dwayne Stephens and Mike Garland made contact with MSU student Brayden Smith, a witness to an alleged sexual assault by Spartans guard Brock Washington in 2017.

ESPN's Paula Lavigne and Nicole Noren reported Thursday that Izzo and his staff members reached out to Smith, the son of former MSU guard Steve Smith, before he had an opportunity to speak with police or school investigators about the allegation made by Rebecca Lambert.

Smith, who referred to the coaches as "godfathers" who'd check on him sporadically, said they "asked him what he knew and if he was OK," according to the Title IX report about the investigation into the alleged assault, which was said to have occurred on Aug. 28, 2017.

Michigan State spokesperson Emily Guerrant told ESPN the school reviewed the interactions between Izzo, Stephens, Garland and Smith for potential violations of rules regarding interference of an investigation.

"OIE [Office of Institutional Equity] did not feel those policies were violated in this situation," she said, referencing the prior relationship between Smith and the coaches.

Lavigne and Noren reported Sunday that another woman has said Washington raped her on Jan. 19 when she was too intoxicated to consent. Ingham County Prosecutor Carol Siemon told ESPN she declined to press charges because it "does not meet the burden of proof that we must present to a jury."

The woman told ESPN she's requested the Michigan Attorney General's office review the case.

Washington was suspended from the MSU basketball team Jan. 24, and he didn't make another appearance before the remainder of the season was canceled in March because of the coronavirus pandemic.

In 2018, Washington pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault on Lambert under a provision of the court not entering a judgment of conviction if he completed the terms of probation. The guilty plea also didn't come with the label of a sex crime, which Lambert told ESPN she agreed with.

"I thought that would be enough of a deterrence, pleading to assault," Lambert said, adding she would "feel bad" if it was on his record forever.

Lambert said she felt let down by Michigan State's response to the allegations after she told investigators Washington "grabbed her butt and moved his fingers toward her vagina without her consent," and she decided to transfer to another college as a result.

"OIE closed the investigation so quickly, and I felt like thrown to the curb by the school, so I didn't really want to be a part of that environment," she told Lavigne and Noren. "The school didn't seem to care about it. [Washington was] still playing on the basketball team. I didn't really want to be around that. It was just like a reminder."

The Michigan State police report stated Washington provided "contradictory statements" about the encounter during the investigation. Peter Samouris, one of Washington's two lawyers during the case, told ESPN the "2017 allegation was ridiculous."

Meanwhile, Lambert said she'd still like to hear from the longtime Michigan State coach Izzo.

"I'd like an apology [from Izzo]," she told ESPN. "I didn't lie. I tried to say something. ... It did me no good to report it through the school specifically. I didn't enjoy anything that happened; I don't know what benefit anyone really gets from reporting sexual assault."