Here come the names . . .

by Steve Hendershot on Dec 1, 2009 5:16 PM CST in Michigan State Spartans Football

. . . and there go the wide receivers.

According to the Detroit Free Press, starting WRs Mark Dell and B.J. Cunningham, starting DB Chris L. Rucker and five reserves including WR and former top recruit Fred Smith have been suspended in conjunction with the Rather Hall investigation. More names could be forthcoming: Campus police have thus far identified ten suspects, according to the report—presumably these eight plus Glenn Winston and Roderick Jenrette, who have already been dismissed from the team—and police are still looking to identify five others present during the altercation at the Rather Hall dorm.

Tweet Comment 20 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

This is what I feared

I had a feeling that there were going to be a lot more players suspended, but my worst fear was that they were going to be important players, and I don’t think there are many players more important than Dell and Cunningham. I don’t really care about the rest, to tell you the truth, but I believe it will be nearly impossible to win a bowl game without those two.

It will be interesting to see what Coach D. does, as far as next year with these players.

by MSUBeefman1 on Dec 1, 2009 5:24 PM CST reply actions

Horrible for the football team

but if the appropriate thing based on the facts is to remove anyone from the team, I don’t care if we go 0-11 next year and lose the bowl by 48 points. I’d rather be a 4-8 team with student athletes of excellent judgment and character then a 8-4 team with young men who pull stuff like this.

by intrpdtrvlr on Dec 1, 2009 6:12 PM CST up reply actions

Pizza Pizza

Maybe the BCS will have some mercy this year on the big ten and MSU and leave PSU/Iowa out?

by ATL-Spartan on Dec 1, 2009 5:36 PM CST reply actions

Ashton Leggett

just sad

by RickTheBloggerMartel on Dec 1, 2009 5:53 PM CST reply actions

Wow

just, wow. This wasn’t just a few players on the fringe, and it wasn’t just a bunch of nobody’s. That Dell, Cunningham, Rucker, and Smith would put themselves in that position is at least remarkably stupid but pretty much an indictment of Dantonio’s ability to make an impression on his players. These aren’t scrubs. These are guys who would have been stars on the team next year, if not in another measly 3 weeks. This is Florida State-level stupid. Wow.

by DP99 on Dec 1, 2009 6:24 PM CST reply actions

Who Cares.....

…..We dont need these kind of players at State. If they are proven to be involved good ridiance. Yes they are good players but we dont need these guys.

by BennieBladesFan on Dec 1, 2009 6:27 PM CST reply actions

Co-sign to all

If they’re dumb enough to get involved in something like this, they don’t deserve to represent our university. Suspend them all, and if any are convicted in connection with this, kick them out for good.

by SpartanDan on Dec 1, 2009 6:53 PM CST reply actions

These guys better not play....

….in the bowl game if its proven they are there

by BennieBladesFan on Dec 2, 2009 12:22 AM CST reply actions

Nope

Dantonio should stick by his previous policy, whatever exactly that is. It’s something along the lines of he’ll give a player a second a second chance if he feels warranted. I wouldn’t have a problem if he did that again with some of the kids here not named Winston, especially if they participated in the mob, but didn’t hit anyone themselves. The university should change its policy of kicking any athlete out who’s convicted of a felony, but not a misdeamenor.

Unless something new comes up exonerating somebody before January, they should be off the team and then Coach D can reevaluate what’s going on when the investigations finish.

You can’t gather 100 + 18 to 23 year olds and not have them do stupid things and I don’t mind forgiving and forgetting.

The embarrasing the university thing is an fundamentally foolish concept that the actions of 10 out of 40,000 should be overweighted and I’m not going to play. With MSU or any other school.

by witless chum on Dec 2, 2009 6:10 AM CST reply actions

"You can’t gather 100 + 18 to 23 year olds and not have them do stupid things"

I’m not buying that line of thinking.

Show me another college football team that’s had a group of 10+ players instigate an incident as utterly thuggish as this one.

And, if you can do that, tell me what the reputation of that team—and the university at large—is with the general public.

Fight for The Only Colors: Green and White!

by KJ@theonlycolors on Dec 2, 2009 8:30 AM CST up reply actions

Stupid things

I understand that stupid things may happen, but to this degree is beyond unacceptable.

by TMadison25 on Dec 2, 2009 11:02 AM CST up reply actions

Whether...

….it’s novel for a college football team, I don’t know, but I saw a somewhat similar thing in high school with my own two eyes. A group of my friends at MSU were at a house party in East Lansing once, (97 or 98, I think) where two guys started fighting and then 8 or so more guys jumped on one of the first guys and tossed him off a (thankfully low) balcony. Presumably most of them were MSU students.

My point is that stuff like this happens in society as a whole, groups of (almost always) guys decide to go beat somebody for something. I don’t think it’s a unique act of depravity only a minority of the MSU football team thought of. I’m not saying that’s okay, but it is widespread enough that you could call it human nature, in my opinion.

I think the truth is that a lot of people might get involved in something like this, given the motive and opportunity. I’m just not comfortable with condemning these guys overmuch. I certainly can’t say but for the grace of the random universe, I wouldn’t have been involved in something along those lines.

Punish them for what they did, absolutely, but I’m not going to condemn them and say they all need to be off the team, forever.

As for reputation, I think that ship has sailed. Once these guys did this, the damage was done. That’s what people will remember, not what Dantonio or Pres. Simon do about it after the fact.

by witless chum on Dec 2, 2009 1:00 PM CST up reply actions

Getting in a fight is one thing. That happens every now and then, and I wouldn’t be too bothered by it unless it became a major trend (which one could argue is starting to happen, but I won’t for now). Emotions are running high, somebody’s temper flares up, and next thing you know the fists are flying. It’s not a good thing, but it’s not exactly out of the ordinary either.

Getting in a fight, then getting your buddies together and going after them again the next night is another matter entirely. And from what I’ve been reading, that’s what happened. This was planned (after all, you don’t wear a ski mask unless you’re planning to go skiing, it’s absurdly cold, or you’re expecting to be involved in something you’d rather not be caught doing, and I don’t think it was that cold out), and that’s a much bigger problem than “guys go to bar/party, random fight breaks out”. Add that this is the second similar incident in just over a year, and Dantonio needs to come down very hard on these guys.

by SpartanDan on Dec 2, 2009 1:34 PM CST up reply actions

Getting in a brawl is one thing

Actively looking to start one is another. And it’s not a “heat of the moment” type thing if you’ve thought it out carefully enough to get a ski mask because you know you don’t want to be caught.

Once is an isolated incident of stupidity, and forgiving and forgetting is reasonable. Twice is a big problem, and it wasn’t just Winston the first time (he’s just the only one anyone remembers because he was the one who did the most damage).

As to “embarrassing the university”, like it or not, athletes are the public face of the university. You can argue all you want that it shouldn’t be that way, but it is.

by SpartanDan on Dec 2, 2009 10:18 AM CST up reply actions 1 recs

this could be the downfall of the program.....

…..Youve got to wonder….Im saying it will be…..It could also cost Caoch D his job and recruits….I know this happens at every campus and state just got caught but geez guys……Ski Masks?…….I woldnt be surprised if State doesnt accept a bowl bid becasue of this.

by BennieBladesFan on Dec 2, 2009 9:15 AM CST reply actions

Not taking a bowl wouldn't be fair to the ones who aren't jackasses

I’d take a vote among the players not involved whether they want to go. Given those already suspended plus more possibly coming since the cops are still trying to figure out who some more of the guys were, it probably wouldn’t be a fun game to play in, hence leaving it up to the players whether they want to go. But it’s not fair to the guys who didn’t participate in this, especially the seniors who are ending their football career, to keep the whole team home. If the guys want to play knowing they’ll be down a bunch of guys, they should play. Who knows, it might bring the remaining guys on the team together (kind of the “no one believes in us” bunker mentality).

I know sometimes a coach will punish the entire group for the actions of a few in order to build accountability to your teammmates, and I can see how that works sometimes. But I’m not sure if that will do the job here. With as many guys as were involved, it might instead split the team for next year, with the Ski Patrol being ostracized from the players who were prevented from going to a bowl game by the actions of 10-15 fellow players.

by Yinka Double Dare on Dec 2, 2009 12:13 PM CST up reply actions

Ideally, the Ski Patrol won't be ON the team next year

Playing football for a major university is a privilege, and as far as I’m concerned anyone who was involved – especially after the similar incident last year – has lost that privilege.

I agree, though, about the bowl trip. Don’t punish the majority of the team (who wasn’t involved) for the actions of a significant number of dolts. Suspend those implicated pending the conclusion of the investigation and/or trial, but let everyone else enjoy the reward for a semi-successful season. (The only time I can remember a team refusing a bowl invite for disciplinary reasons is the Clemson-SCar brawl, and that was pretty much the entire team in both cases. Running extra sprints in practice is one thing, taking away a bowl trip for the actions of a dozen dumbasses is another.)

by SpartanDan on Dec 2, 2009 12:25 PM CST up reply actions