OK, I'm stuck in the house, bored out of my mind. You can't just make a statement like this without explaining it some... haha
Blackwell ran a camp in Detroit, and was as dialed into the Detroit recruiting scene as anybody. MSU hired him, basically to deliver Detroit to them.
Then, three players, two of which were Blackwell guys were accused of rape. They went to Blackwell, Blackwell ran it through his channels. The complicating factor was one recorded it, which was a crime, but the video also showed it wasn't a rape. They were basically convicted of what Quintez Cephus was, but were kicked off the team. MSU hired an outside law firm to investigate, who determined it was handled fine, but Blackwell violated protocol by investigating himself, and not reporting. He was then fired.
He wound up back in the Detroit HS football scene, where he still held sway, but now blacklisted MSU. He sued Dantonio, but the suit was thrown out, and his lawyers reprimanded. It seems like Blackwell's vendetta was against Dantonio specifically, not MSU, because it at least appears MSU is making inroads again, but there has been basically no contact between MSU and SE Michigan in 3 years now, so even with the change, 2021 is likely going to be a rough year in-state.
Well see what happens in 2022, I have no idea what an offer means to this staff. It feels like they throw out 10 new ones each day. It's the ultimate pendulum swing.