Gentleman Squirrels

October 22nd, 2018 at 6:16 PM ^

Graham Couch (Spartan writer) retweeted that and someone replied to him with this screenshot from MSU's website showing the team walk starts at 9:45am (bottom right). I don't know if that means they leave for it at 9:45 or thats when it's supposed to take place. 

UMfan21

October 22nd, 2018 at 9:28 PM ^

Playing devils advocate, it could be the time they leave so fans can see them on their route from the Kellogg Center, past Breslin, to Spartan Stadium.  Dont think fans would care what time they are doing the walk through inside the stadium since its closed to fans.

M_Born M_Believer

October 22nd, 2018 at 11:39 PM ^

I was reading an article from SB Nation that noted the "Team Walk" is from some restaurant where they have their team breakfast. It is only a 1/2 from the stadium, but the odd part is that day they decided to take a longer route AND put their helmets on.

There is no 2 minutes late or 10 minutes.  It is just about the fact that Michigan players are allowed to start warming up on their half of the field at 10:00AM.  It was 10:00 AM and a few were out there.  Sparty was not and decided to start their walk on 10:02AM.

Suck it Mork.  Harbaugh's main point is that you saw the Michigan players warming up, yet you still "order" your team to do it's march.

And you were just 3-5 yards away as the scuffle started AND YOU DID ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO STOP IT.  Just walked your grumpy old right on by.

Best line I heard about this....

"I have seen Bo tear apart a head set....

I have seen Woody tear apart a down marker...

I have seen Saban, Carroll, Meyer, Harbaugh, Kelly blow up and chew a ref out....

But all of them have always pulled their players away from a confrontation....

Mork, you invited it, you watched it, and you did noting to prevent it....."

Arb lover

October 22nd, 2018 at 6:21 PM ^

All this really does is show how ignorant that school is, though at least they have done the new PR thing of release the statement that isn't a statement because its tweeted out by a reporter and if a shitstorm hits at least we can say that wasn't our statement. However, 

1) They admit they walked the field after 10:00 a.m. (approximately 10:02 is a hedge in case the videos actually contain meta data (they do) showing the incident was at 10:05 a.m.). Michigan was granted their turn on their side of the field starting at 10:00 a.m. State was therefore in the wrong, thanks for corroborating this I guess?

2) They admit the staff knew full well Michigan players were on the field after 10:00 a.m. starting to practice, were not going to move, and decided to hold the walk anyways, walking right through Michigan players on their side of the field, holding arms, and essentially forcing their players into off-field physical contact with their opponent prior to a tense game. Imagine the shit storm if Bush had not controlled his temper and had broken the neck of the 3rd string safety it looks like went up against him (I have no doubt he could have done so). Thanks again for confirming you knew what you were doing.

So, here we have yet again, another instance of MSU clearly being in the wrong for all to see (no matter how perceptually insignificant), and completely failing to do what any decent human among us would do, such as posting something like "Oops" or in institutional speak: "After reviewing the timeline we realized that Michigan had a right to its half of the field at that time. We apologize for our part in the incident and are grateful that it did not escalate". Instead, they want to deflect on even this.

Whether or not they actually talked to Michigan players and staff after 10:00 a.m. to get them off the field is a red herring. It was Michigan's right to be on their half of the field at that time. Why would they have moved? Dantonio's failure to plan, if it is that, doesn't mean he gets to impact Michigan's pre-game practice. That would just be silly. Rather, his decision to disrupt Michigan and attempt to assert dominance was simply a non-thought out attempt at mental games, which had the unfortunate real possibility of serious injury to players. Any coach willing to do something like this has demonstrated their clear lack of character and more importantly, lack of respect for player safety. The fact that MSU is fully behind him in this shows, again, their apathy for good leadership values.

As a side note it takes 5 minutes, tops to walk from the Breslin into the stadium.

/rant off.

Section 1.8

October 22nd, 2018 at 6:41 PM ^

So; multiple MSU staff spoke to the Michigan players and asked them to clear the field for the Spartans' "walk."  And, by MSU's own account, the Michigan players refused.

So instead of going to field security, etc., or having his guys wait while the field is cleared, or while Michigan coaches were contacted, et cetera, Dantonio walks "five yards" behind his guys down the center of the field (precisely as Harbaugh reported) and watched the events unfold.

There is no explaining that.  A coach, willfully just watching his guys walk into a situation with opposing players that has "fight" written all over it.

It's like Dino was following them into the cafeteria at Rather Hall.  

UMfan21

October 22nd, 2018 at 7:01 PM ^

Yep.  Someone linked to the Isiah Hole article last night and he said he was in the end zone standing next to Event Security and no one from MSU asked any of the security around him to help get players off the field.

Dantonio ordered the code red.  He can't handle the truth.

Watching From Afar

October 22nd, 2018 at 10:06 PM ^

Which is just stupid.

It's a 10-15 minute walk so let's leave 12-15 minutes before Michigan is allowed on the field. How does that planning make a lick of sense?

Moreover, when you arrive (late) to the field and see Michigan players have already taken the field, maybe you should think to yourself "huh, we're late. Screwed the pooch on that one, guess the walk isn't happening." Instead, Dantonio sees the guys, says fuck it, walk through them, and does.

It's still bush league. It wasn't planned like 2 days out or something, but it was still premeditated when they got to the field and consciously decided to do it anyways.

CityOfKlompton

October 22nd, 2018 at 10:04 PM ^

Not to mention, they state in the release that "as a courtesy" the time was given to UM to warm-up on the field.

However, I believe another commenter displayed an official rule in a previous thread that both teams are required to have the allotted time on the field and this happened during the MSU athletic department's scheduled time to meet that requirement to give their opponent (Michigan) to warm-up. 

So, in other words, it happened during a time that:

A) wasn't a courtesy

B) was required

C) was scheduled in advance for Michigan BY the MSU athletic department

D) both teams were fully aware of said schedule

E) the walk happened purposely on their opponent's required allotted warm-up time, and

F) the opponent (Michigan) was just supposed to say, "yeah, take our required time on the field that YOU scheduled for us even though you knowingly could have done this literally 10 minutes sooner since we were all fully aware of the timeline. It's cool."

Talk about DISRESPEK... #bushleague

OwenGoBlue

October 22nd, 2018 at 6:25 PM ^

Imagine taking this seriously enough to draft, circulate, revise, and distribute An Official Statement.

Someone please FOIA all of the emails related to this. 

B-Nut-GoBlue

October 22nd, 2018 at 6:26 PM ^

This is so effing stupid.  I think after today (Harbaugh said what he needed and I'm glad he did...but now it's on to Penn State) this should be ignored and if Sparty wants to somehow remain relevant in some twisted way and keep bringing this up, let them.

LabattsBleu

October 22nd, 2018 at 6:29 PM ^

I don't care if Sparty started their walk at 10:00:01

At 10am both teams were allowed on the field for their warm ups. Michigan players had every right to be there... MSU players could have released their arms and relinked after by passing the players.

They chose not to.

Full stop.

CompleteLunacy

October 22nd, 2018 at 7:21 PM ^

HAd they done that and Bush attacked a Spartan, we'd all be rightfully calling him out. 

Had they done that and Bush then scuffed the turf, I'd be a bit more upset at what Bush did.

Had they done that and absolutely NOTHING happened, then nobody would be talking about it right now. 

But that's not what happened. MSU is very clearly in the wrong even by their own (clearly hedged) words.

umchicago

October 22nd, 2018 at 6:30 PM ^

in Bo's day (and harbaugh was there), if you were 2 min or 5 min late for the bus, you had to find your own way.  sorry, dantoni, you were 2 (or 5 min) late to the field.  you lost your seat.

You Only Live Twice

October 22nd, 2018 at 8:58 PM ^

They knew.  Everything on game day is scripted and everyone knows what time to be where.   I wouldn't have thought Mark would deliberately try and provoke a confrontation this way but it sure looks like that's exactly what he did.  Did he think Bush would assault someone so they could call the police and have him arrested?

superstringer

October 22nd, 2018 at 6:31 PM ^

Compare the level of attention and quick response time between (1) MSU putting out an official statement about their players clotheslining our players during a pregame walk, and (2) MSU getting reports of their team doctor raping and molesting women and underage females.

Sorry, what was MSU saying today? Wait, I don't care.

Section 1.8

October 22nd, 2018 at 6:32 PM ^

I just checked all the numbers and the times again, just to be sure.

 

The numbers are still 21 and 7, and the time is 00:00.

matty blue

October 22nd, 2018 at 6:51 PM ^

gawd.  little brotherness, resplendent.

"it's not fair it's not fair it's not fair.  MOM!"

"yes, honey?"

"jimmy hit me again."

"did you do anything to make him hit you?"

"well, i tried to walk across the room, and he was in my way, so..."

"so you're saying you ran into him?"

"..."

"mark, you know how it works.  you keep bothering him, eventually he's going to get angry and hit you.  he's been ignoring you for a long time."

"but..."

"mark, i know you don't think so, but jimmy is bigger and stronger than you.  he's always going to be bigger and stronger than you, and he hates when you bug him like that."

"WAAAAH I HATE THIS FAMILY!"  he runs to his room.

mom watches him run away.  "what a little asshole," she mutters to herself.  jimmy hears this and smiles.

aaaaaand, scene.