Michigan State Football Players Alleged to be Involved in Fight
by Pete Rossman on Nov 24, 2009 1:19 PM CST
in Football
26 comments
Witnesses and students involved in the incident said a group of 15 to 20 men, who some described as MSU football players, stormed into the dormitory and hit and injured about seven students, some of them women.
And if that wasn't enough:
A communication junior who said he was sent to Lansing’s Sparrow Hospital after being punched in the face, said some of the men wore ski masks, but others were recognized as football team members.
But wait, it gets worse:
The men said they were looking for a man who had been involved in a spat with one of them the night before during an Iota Phi Theta event at The Small Planet, 16800 Chandler Road, Mitchell said.
And here comes the irony:
Mitchell said, above all, he was upset the event symbolizing the end of a week of community service ended with violence.
Wow. From the looks of it, I thought other team members would've learned their lesson from Glenn Winston's four months in jail (and before you ask, it doesn't look like Winston's involved - it's hard to run in and out of a fight a month after having ACL surgery EDIT: Or maybe he was: he and Roderick Jenrette have been dismissed from the team per a violation of team rules per the Detroit Free Press. HT: Chris in Kzoo), but that does not appear to be the case here.
This altercation wasn't about a couple punches thrown in the heat of the moment - this ambush was planned, with some of those involved in the attack wearing ski masks in an attempt to hide their identities. More on this later, because I do not want to use the word "alleged" ad nauseam.
However, if members of the football team are found to have been involved in the attack, they, along with anyone else involved, should be gone from MSU. Period.
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not Winston part two
This altercation wasn’t about a couple punches thrown in the heat of the moment – this ambush was planned, with some of those involved in the attack wearing ski masks in an attempt to hide their identities.
I think this is one of the biggest issues for me. That’s just scary. I’m not going to turn this into another RCMB thread but I think that distinction from the Winston-circumstances should call for some serious action. Can’t have football players running around in ski masks attacking other students, no matter what prior altercation occurred.. It’s not always fair but student-athletes get held to a higher standard. It’s your job to walk away.
by intrpdtrvlr on Nov 24, 2009 2:23 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
If this is true...
It sickens me. I hope it’s just a rumor there were football players involved at this point. if not, some tough questions need to be asked of Dantonio’s program. What kind of ship is he running where guys assume they can get away with this?
by TahoeSparty on Nov 24, 2009 2:24 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
How do you kick them off the team when you allowed Winston to return?
The precedent has been set. He would look like a hypocrite if he kicked them off the team. This is why I was so mad when Dantonio allowed Winston back on the team.
by Chris in Kzoo on Nov 24, 2009 2:32 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
Not sure
The point could be made that the Winston incident happened on the same night, and it was a case of someone losing his marbles.
You can’t say that about this incident though. This was planned over the course of the day, and steps were taken by some of the assailants to hide who they were. It’s time to stop worrying about being a hypocrite and start worrying about making an example, because the last one didn’t take.
by Pete Rossman on Nov 24, 2009 2:40 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Still, Winston left the scene and later returned
He had plenty of time to think about his actions. Regardless, I’m with you and would like to see Dantonio make an example. Hopefully this is just rumors that some skunk bear started because of their miserable football season.
by Chris in Kzoo on Nov 24, 2009 2:44 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
That didn't...
…actually happen in the Winston incident, per the State News and Lansing State Journal stories written based on the police reports. It was another player (one of the White brothers) who’d lost the earlier fight and then came back to exact revenge with a posse, of which Winston was a part.
by witless chum on Nov 24, 2009 3:43 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
And...
…I think the point to take from the Winston saga is that Dantonio doesn’t care what it looks like, he’s going to do what he thinks is the right thing and damn how it looks. And especially damn what anybody outside the program thinks about it. And I don’t buy that he bent the rules for Winston because he thought he needed him at RB to have a good season, given the logjam at the position preseason.
He did, remember, boot one of the lesser-involved players from the Winston thing who’d been in trouble previously. It wasn’t publicized much, but the police report-based stories said so. I take from that he’s got his own criteria for how he’s going to handle discipline issues and it’s something like he’ll give you one chance, but not two.
by witless chum on Nov 24, 2009 3:56 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Sad incident - good response from this blog
I am a Penn Stater, and I really would like to hate MSU. This is a sad incident, but the response “However, if members of the football team are found to have been involved in the attack, they, along with anyone else involved, should be gone from MSU. Period.” is on the mark. I am finding it hard to hate MSU or its fan base. There is no room for thuggery.
by dontcallmescooter on Nov 24, 2009 2:33 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
MSU and PSU
are too similar to hate each other. Land grant, big state schools that both hate Michigan.
Light a man a fire, he'll stay warm for a day.
Light a man afire, he'll be warm for the rest of his life.
by Seer on Nov 24, 2009 5:47 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
MSU Fans
Yeah, I don’t think many MSU fans would feel that this type of blackmark is worth a few wins. We have to carry our degrees into the world and these sorts of things matter, both in the football world and outside of it.
by intrpdtrvlr on Nov 24, 2009 6:12 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
If they were involved they better be gone
This kind of premeditation demands being kicked out of school. I thought Winston should have lost his scholarship and place on the team. If memory serves he was not at the initial altercation on the night of the incident but went to the party after the football player initially involved went looking for friends to back him up. But at least that was the same night, at the same party.
What really bothers me is the gang-up-on-em mentality. It used to be if a guy got into a fight and got his ass kicked (I’m assuming this is what happened durning the “spat”), he had the common decency to accepted it like a man , shook the other guy’s hand afterward and that was the end of it. It doesn’t actually prove anything if you come back with a bunch of your buddies. You’d think football players of all people would take pride in their ability to win a fair fight, or lose honorably.
by TheCrestedHelm on Nov 24, 2009 3:39 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
Now, see, THIS is a fireable situation...
…we can “belly ache” about defense all we want, but I’m still a fan even if the game plan is crushing my soul. This, though, does not a fan make.
Agree that the situation last year set a bad precedent. This is too many guys for not one of them to think “Wait, if coach even hears the possibility of my name in this I never get to play again.”
By the way, who the F were they after that they needed 15 football players to get the job done? The intramural MMA team? What the hell? Could anyone here say they could take on even ONE 19-20 year old football player? This is just stupid on top of stupid. It’s crossed into thuggery and the top guy is on notice over how he handles it.
by DP99 on Nov 24, 2009 3:57 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
Freep reporting that Jenrette & Winston were dismissed from the team
News just keeps getting better and better. Disappointing end to a disappointing season.
http://www.freep.com/article/20091124/SPORTS07/91124039/1355/sports/MSU-dismisses-S-Jenrette-RB-Winston
by Chris in Kzoo on Nov 24, 2009 5:22 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
Winston??
I cannot believe this. How could this guy have been involved in this situation. I had reservations regarding his reinstatement after the “hockey player” incident. This does not look good for the Head Coach.
by tien_3 on Nov 24, 2009 5:31 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
This is awful for Dantonio
This makes him look like the guy with the worst judgment in the world. Letting Winston back onto the team without punishment or apology should have never happened in the first place. Now that it’s allegedly come back and bit him, I’m sure (I hope) coach will take a much different tack in the future. It appears he’s fostering a very unhealthy attitude within the program and veering away from the family values Coach Izzo adheres to. I hope coach will consider serious suspensions in the future for first time offenders to avoid this sort of thing. Disgusting.
by TahoeSparty on Nov 24, 2009 5:41 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
Not accurate
Winston got suspended for five games or so in 2008, after the fight happened.
Whatever Winston really did to get the boot here, he must have known he wasn’t going to get a third chance, so I don’t think deterrence was a factor. And he was allegedely brawling on a knee he’s trying to rehab? Not a lot of deep thinking going on there.
by witless chum on Nov 25, 2009 6:10 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Sad...
So much for my presumption that Dantonio must have known something we all didn’t. Looks like he just figured Winston’s talent outweighed his apparently wretched character. How dumb can you be… this wasn’t even a spur of the moment thing.. that is incredibly that a kid could spend months in jail in the recent past and still not have the common sense not to get into trouble like this again.
by MooTheKow on Nov 24, 2009 6:05 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
Anyone involved needs to be gone
Seriously. You go out picking a fight wearing ski masks, you don’t belong in civilized society, much less on a football team. That they apparently injured several bystanders while looking for the person they were after makes it even worse, and it was pretty freakin’ bad to start with.
I thought Dantonio was going to clean up this crap. Instead, it’s gone from frequent incidents with a couple of idiots at a time to apparently semi-organized hooliganism. That would be too high a price to pay for a national title or two; it’s sure as hell too much to pay for a 6-6 season. My patience with Dantonio is rapidly running out, and no longer just because of the game plan having flaws a five-year-old child could spot.
by SpartanDan on Nov 24, 2009 7:14 PM CST reply actions 1 recs
Anyone??
This is indeed a black mark on MSU. As an Alumnus and a supporter of MSU, I resent that our reputation was tarnished by mr. glenn winston. More than that, I question the judgement of coach d.
by tien_3 on Nov 24, 2009 7:28 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
Very Dissapointing
Especially with Winston being involved again.
by Stones1981 on Nov 24, 2009 7:49 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
Why does this football team have to embarrass its university
on nearly a yearly basis?
I sure Dantonio cleans this up and makes sure he only has character guys going forward. I’d rather finish last in the Big 10 than have athletes who don’t know what a privilege representing Michigan State really is.
by Kurt Mensching on Nov 24, 2009 8:40 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
You really think...
…that’s a workable plan? I think I could deal with being a bad program as I love MSU because I always have and always will, but I think what would happen is you’d still have incidents of some sort with your players. I don’t think Dantonio is knowingly recruiting axe murderers here. Winston wasn’t a guy who had red flags reported about him during recruiting or anything, but some people are fine, upstanding members of society in high school and then use the freedom of college life to go crazy. Though it’s usually more like drinking too much, sleeping with half of East Lansing and not going to class, than ski mask wearing mass assaults.
Bottom line. There’s no way to gather a hundred young men 18 to 23 or so and not have bad stuff happen. I firmly believe this, having been a young man not that many years ago. Double it if they’re football players. Not that MSU should tolerate this kind of behaviour, but I’m not that shocked by it.
by witless chum on Nov 25, 2009 6:03 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Unfortunate but hopefully something positive comes out of it
Granted this is a black eye for the university and Dantonio but I hope that players of questionable character are not going to be granted another chance in the future under this coaching staff. No way Winston would have ever got reinstated if there was another experienced back, now Dantonio knows the decision isn’t worth it. Hopefully he is a quicker learner then Winston.
by ATL-Spartan on Nov 24, 2009 10:00 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
Disagree
Winston hadn’t been in trouble before, so MD gave him his second chance. Which it looks like he blew, and should bear the consequences for it. However, MD is still a guy who will give a guy a second chance.
Light a man a fire, he'll stay warm for a day.
Light a man afire, he'll be warm for the rest of his life.
by Seer on Nov 24, 2009 10:52 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
I don't think so
Winston wasn’t obviously the best option in August, after not participating in spring practice. Remember, in 2008 he wasn’t even the backup to Ringer. Andre Anderson looked more like the guy, based on the 2008 season.
by witless chum on Nov 25, 2009 5:50 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Coach D....
needs to have a press conference and state that he blew it by having Winston on the team at this point. The guy shouldn’t ever have set foot on campus again, and now it has really come back and bit Coach D, not too mention the victim(s) involved.
The entire situation is indefensible. And while it may have happened with or without Winston, the kid should have been gone months ago.
by rook34 on Nov 24, 2009 10:15 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
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