FauxMo

January 28th, 2018 at 5:21 PM ^

More than uncomfortable. Walton left because he "graduated"? No, wait, because he went to play in Europe?? Or, "I don't really remember"????? He is in hot, hot water, because he knows the real answer is: "He was very quietly fired because of assault and gang rape, but we kept all that hidden so at not to tarnish his or the basketball team's reputation." That he wasn't better prepared for that question tells me he is very likely gone, and already knows it... 

rc15

January 28th, 2018 at 5:45 PM ^

I think the best way for MSU to save face at this point would be for a new AD to come in and ask Izzo and Dantonio to retire in order to “start a new culture”. Media/public would see that as a significant step, and Izzo and Dantonio could still be involved with MSU because they wouldn’t have been fired.

Shop Smart Sho…

January 28th, 2018 at 5:51 PM ^

If the next school president or AD wants to have any moral authority, they need to fire both of those coaches, pretty much the entire training staff across all sports involved with Nassar, and try to get the campus police cleaned out too.



No one from the last 20 years of athletics at MSU should ever be involved with college athletics again.

clarkiefromcanada

January 28th, 2018 at 6:37 PM ^

Here's the thing though...they could retire and be beloved figures for the fans and supporters at MSU but only until discovery starts in the first civil lawsuit, only until the HBO version of MSU sports is cast, only until the survivor books are written and only until one of the players who has kept silent speaks. 

However they play this they are gonna get got.

Mr Miggle

January 28th, 2018 at 7:20 PM ^

future involvement. It will be minimal either way. As far as which is better for media/public perception, that's an interesting question. The downside of letting them retire is that it may look like they have negotiated a sweetheart deal like Simon got. That was a very bad look for MSU.

I was thinking about the Detroit Lions with Matt Millen as the GM. If you were trying to sell the team, firing Millen makes them less valuable. The new owner wants to score some easy positive PR by firing Millen himself.

MSU with Dantonio and Izzo may be the reverse. They're still popular with their fans and maybe their donors. They need to go, but a new AD might prefer to start with a clean slate. With Izzo and Dantonio gone he or she can focus on cleaning things up without as much controversy. ADs do a lot of fundraising too. It's got to be easier if angry fans/donors blame someone else  You know a lot of them won't blame Izzo and Dantonio.

The best outcome for MSU might be a new president forcing them out before a new AD is hired. I think the president could use the credit in the national media more than an AD. Either that or I could see them hiring a short term AD who will make the tough calls. We might see a short term president there too.

 

TrueBlue2003

January 29th, 2018 at 12:54 AM ^

as reported by Crain's Detroit (link), the BoT's plan is to hire a "fixer" president, then a "healer" president.

So yeah, I assume the fixer's job will be to fire everybody and get to some point of rebuilding such that a new president will be able to come in on the upswing.

Mark Murray, Engler, Blanchard, Wilbur being talked about coming in as fixer's.

YoOoBoMoLloRoHo

January 28th, 2018 at 6:08 PM ^

To not even be prepared for the question after Walton was suspended from his Clippers job and knowing you are on the turf of national media in the DC area. Complete failure by the MSU PR machine. Next presser will ask whether Izzo knew about the incident or whether it was properly filed as a Title IX case; the following presser will include questions about Payne & Appling. This isn’t going away.

If that is all the better that he can handle it, he seems like a dead man walking IMO.

bacon1431

January 28th, 2018 at 5:20 PM ^

He has been advised on what to say when faced with these questions. You know he is wanting to say something else but has to bite his tongue. Then his explanation of the Walton situation made it worse.

You can tell he has regrets. He won’t be able to express them until everything is over.

URNotGuilty

January 28th, 2018 at 10:26 PM ^

Read The Limo Ohio Article carefully people........
Walton LIVED with IZZO when Assault covered up n reduced to littering
Walton LIVED with IZZO when 2nd Assault occurred.....
In response to questions, IZZO knew all about it, They lived together
EVEN after both assaults, after Europe, IZZO helps get him a job in NBA.
THIS Will BE IZZO's downfall n lead story tomorrow.

You Only Live Twice

January 28th, 2018 at 11:24 PM ^

Between those lines.  There is so much smoke and mirrors in this article, the reader has to have knowledge of the dots that are not mentioned, and connect them.  

Izzo, Dantonio, etc.  really didn't care about ANYTHING other than wins.

Rodriguesqe

January 28th, 2018 at 6:27 PM ^

Thats what I see. School Prez and AD are gone. Is the support system functioning right now? Is everyone in CYA mode? It looked like Izzo had no idea these questions were coming. 

If he wants to finish the season he better come up with a better plan. 

I Like Burgers

January 28th, 2018 at 7:28 PM ^

Yeah and Dantonio doesn’t have to talk to anyone until the fall. He just cancel whatever media availability he was going to have in a few weeks for signing day and cancel any sort of spring practice media sessions too. Just let Izzo take the brunt of it.

TrueBlue2003

January 29th, 2018 at 1:11 AM ^

it does seem like Izzo is realizing how his lack of discipline fed into the rape culture.  He probably thought he was teaching young men and giving them a second chance when all he was doing was enabling more and more bad behavior.

He's the only person involved with anything MSU related that is at least acting remorseful or not completely tone-deaf, whether he actually feels that way or not. 

I Like Burgers

January 28th, 2018 at 5:20 PM ^

I thought he would survive this simply because of how powerful he is in East Lansing, but after watching that I’m not so sure. Those were bad answers to fairly straightforward questions. The answer to “do you have any regrets” was the worst, and was the kind of response a guilty man would give. Same goes for the question on the circumstances surrounding Walton’s departure. You don’t remember why a grad assistant left 7-8 years ago? GTFOH with that.

not TOM BRADY

January 28th, 2018 at 5:20 PM ^

MSU has got to have some of the most incompetent PR people. He had to know that question was coming and he says I don’t know. Wow. His days are going to be numbered. Many reporters are just going to keep digging now.

FauxMo

January 28th, 2018 at 6:44 PM ^

Here is a quote from Cassius WInston today, when asked if the team was trying to drown everything out and just focus on basketball: 

Maybe MSU should have Cassius Winston do all their talking, as that is the best, most honest, non-rehearsed thing I have heard from anyone at MSU since this all started. 

TrueBlue2003

January 29th, 2018 at 1:20 AM ^

is either fighting to save their reputation/job or save the university lawsuit dollars.

This is a really mature statement for him to make, but he's not facing possible criminal charges and doesn't have information that could do litigation damage, which is why no one else will admit any wrongdoing.