Impact of Spartan Football Attackers

Submitted by ijohnb on

To get away from the very enjoyable and equally, well, enjoyable "piling on" as to the MSU suspensions, this incident is really, really damaging for Michigan State. If they accept a bowl bid, which actually still may a question mark given this debacle, I cannot see the bowl game as being anything but their funeral for this season. If the incident went down as reported and all of these players were involved, I don't think this incident will be easily swept aside in the near future.

If you are current MSU commit, or the parents of such a commit, this has to give you serious pause as to attending MSU and playing for this football team. Ski masks? Seriously? If you are a season ticket holder, do you renew?

If the incident was confined to Winston, I can see this being swept aside as a rogue player that blew a second chance. However, Dell, Cunningham, Rucker, these were highly regarded MSU players, many upperclassman.

Further, at some point, this does become Dantonio's responsibility. True, these players attend MSU, the university, for an education and are certainly influenced by several factors. However, their primary role at the university is a member of the football team that Dantonio coaches.

This incident raises several concerns, one of which is how much of these players attention was focused on the Friday night incident during the hours of 3:30 - 7:00 PM on Saturday when they were being drubbed by Penn State, and how long exactly did it take after the game until they were back to plotting the thing that appeared to be first and foremost on the mind, the masked attack.

I know that Dantonio cannot be expected to "babysit" these players all of the time, but it seems like he could have gotten a feel for this one. Again, this was not one player, or even two or three, it was at least 8 players from his team, many of them starters. Come on now.

I think this incident is a big deal for the MSU program and for Dantonio. I don't know if it will directly bring about his demise at MSU, but I think if his demise occurs, it will in one way or another be traceable back to this incident.

SysMark

December 2nd, 2009 at 8:41 AM ^

I pretty much agree. However I think the most damaging may be the role of Winston as he was on a second chance he probably didn't deserve. He is the one player who should have been on the shortest leash and watched most closely. He (they) had to have known he could not make one false step. Maybe they were on him but some people you just can't control.

Blue in Yarmouth

December 2nd, 2009 at 8:39 AM ^

In this case, it is hard to feel sorry for anyone except the poor engineering students. Dantonio had to know that Winston was a threat to offend again. You don't do something like he did to that hockey player on a "first time offence". You can bet he has had issues long before either of these incidents and MD should have been walking around campus holding his hand to insure he didn't get into anymnore trouble.

If this was any other major University you would expect the coaches job to be on the line for this. He stuck his neck out when he put Winston back on the team and essentially vouched for him by doing that. Now, he has gone out and done the exact same thing again (actually, not exactly, it is actually worse).

It is funny that MSU wants to think they are nationally significant. If something like this happened in AA you would be hearing about it on every major sporting website and telecast. Since it is MSU, nobody cares and many aren't even surprised. This speaks to how significant they really are.

Fuck you Winston, Dantonio and MSU!

ijohnb

December 2nd, 2009 at 8:50 AM ^

that it is not confined to Winston. I believe it was being, for the most part, overlooked because it was one rogue element. But Dell, Cunningham, Rucker, and this thing is still being investigated. Big trouble for MSU and possible MD directly.

Blue in Yarmouth

December 2nd, 2009 at 8:56 AM ^

"Big trouble for MSU and possible MD directly.". If this were to be the case (and I can't say I am as confident as you are about that since it doesn't involve UM), than I can say at least something good came from the incident.

Edit: By something good I mean MD having to finally face the music instead of being able to sweep something under the rug.

jam706

December 2nd, 2009 at 9:11 AM ^

At least 10 players, including Winston and Jenerette. And I glanced at the MSU roster, all of the players named so far are in their 1st-3rd year on campus, which means they are only Dantonio recruits. No passing the buck there

wolverinebandit

December 2nd, 2009 at 9:21 AM ^

The Detroit News article states the night club incident occured about 20 hours prior to the dorm incident. I believe this would have happened after the Penn State game. FYI

saveferris

December 2nd, 2009 at 9:39 AM ^

Well, the Spartans finished bowl eligible and sixth in the conference, so they should get a bowl bid. I don't think any amount of bad PR can change the fact that the Big 10 has agreements with bowl committees to send a representative. The bad news is with a good chunk of your roster suspended, the chances of you winning this game appear slim.

What I don't understand is that MSU was projected to finish with 8 or 9 wins, finish in the upper half of the Big 10, and contend for the conference title. This was going to be the season where Dantonio demonstrated that a steady, consistent program had been established at MSU. None of this happened and nobody amongst the MSU faithful seem to care. Now this inicident of a gang of players pillaging the engineering dorm and still relatively no flack.

MSU beat Michigan and U of M finished last in the Big 10 and that's all that matters. Incredible.

lexus larry

December 2nd, 2009 at 10:35 AM ^

Actually, the vaunted media polls voted Sparty 3rd behind OSU and PSU, with most thinking a 9-3 season.

Hell, even after MSU lost to CMU, Drewchebag suggested Sparty could win 8-9 games...

Nothing like a bottomless wellspring of green and white love.

(As others noted on other posts, it's not a Dantonio thing, and it's not even just a Freep thing...the Oakland Press, after U-M lost to Wisconsin, columnist hack writes that the two programs are moving in different directions. Suggested U-M's win against ND was not that stellar, while another columnist one inch over suggests that MSU was on the cusp of greatness, having suffered last minute losses to aforementioned ND and CMU. I don't understand how the win over ND wasn't all that, yet losing to the Whale and Jimmah was a sign of upward progress.)

Louie C

December 2nd, 2009 at 12:39 PM ^

"MSU beat Michigan and U of M finished last in the Big 10 and that's all that matters. Incredible." So sad, and yet so true. Now let's say State went 3-9 last year, 5-7 this year, and then has to deal with this. I have no doubt in my mind that Dantonio would have some 'splaining to do. Now what's really troubling is that talented, highly esteemed upperclassmen have their names in this, and not just young snot nosed punks who should but don't know any better. Williams was let go for "not knowing" whether or not he had lost control of his team. It is apparent the Dantonio DOESN'T have control of this team. As much as I don't care for MSU athletics ( I do respect Izzo and his accomplishments), I hate to see the university being associated with this, because whether students, alumni, faculty, and fans want to admit it or not this reflects upon the institution.

maizenblue92

December 2nd, 2009 at 9:48 AM ^

State should decline a bowl bid as punishment. Even though the events arent comparable, South Carolina (coached by Lou Holtz) got into a brawl with Clemson and as a punishment declined a bowl bid. MSU needs to decline a bid to send a message that this is not tolorated and completely unacceptable. Could imagine the self imposed punishments if Michigan players had done this.

Don

December 2nd, 2009 at 9:57 AM ^

I don't think we can say that it's being swept under the rug by the national media at this point. Rosenberg and the Freep will do their best to downplay it and explain it away, but nationally (to the extent that people outside of Michigan care at all about MSU) this will get a decent amount of play, and I think it will actually grow because it's likely that more players will be identified and charged. Dantonio is really in a tight spot (of his own making), and Rosenberg's slurpy fellating won't change that.

I've been as irritated as anybody else by the ridiculous double-standard employed by the Freep and national media idiots wrt RR and Dantonio, but some of that is simply due to the fact that Michigan and Rich Rodriguez, are much, much bigger deals nationally than MSU and Mark Dantonio are.

UMMAN83

December 2nd, 2009 at 10:00 AM ^

this type of behavior. I visited once for a game and I thought I was part of "BeerFest II". Even as a UM grad, my position has always been that my kids can go to any instution that furthers their career aspirations. That being said, after walking around town, tailgates, home rentals my kids will never to MSU. The whole experience is grounded in party, fun, drink, party, repeat. The current situation at MSU does not surprise me.

Eyebrowse

December 2nd, 2009 at 10:35 AM ^

But, wouldn't their primary role at MSU be students? And since this "event" took place on campus (I could be wrong), involving other students, and not during any football sanctioned event, the university police and/or discipline from the university seems to be where the final word of this whole situation will take place. Granted, this doesn't mean Dantonio is guiltless or can wash his hands and walk away, but it does mean that the final word, most likely will come from the university and not the football program.

Logically, this seems to me that the punishment will likely be much more than Dantonio seems to be willing to dole out.

ijohnb

December 2nd, 2009 at 10:48 AM ^

on campus is football player. 70,000 people don't go to spartan stadium to watch Mark Dell take a calc exam. BJ Cunningham was recruited to campus to catch the ball and score touchdowns, not to make the honor roll. If your point is that the players should be kicked out of school, thereby making any football punishment insignificant, then I agree. If your point is to say that these people were "students" first as opposed to football players, I think you are crazy.

Beavis

December 2nd, 2009 at 5:12 PM ^

FSU played in a bowl game (two years ago?) with approx. half of their team suspended. So, it shouldn't stop MSU this year.