Demetrius Cooper might be in trouble again

This offseason has been chock full of bad news and the hits kept coming today. Demetrius Cooper, a rising senior and presumed starter at defensive end, may have violated his plea deal.

Cooper, who was charged with assault last November after spitting in the face of a PACE officer, is accused of consuming alcohol on or around April 21st, thus violating the terms of the plea deal that stemmed from the November incident.

Will this result in his removal from the program? Who knows. His charge is not nearly as serious as the one Auston Robertson was kicked off the team for, nor does it approach what three still-unnamed Spartan football players and staffer Curtis Blackwell face, but it is still an incredibly stupid transgression on a number of levels.

Firstly, it is Cooper’s second run in with the law in just over five months. Secondly, like the first incident, it was completely avoidable and a remarkably shortsighted decision given that Cooper is set to be a starter in the upcoming season, his last in East Lansing. Finally, and most importantly, it comes at a time when the spotlight on the program and all those in it is shining as brightly as ever and for all the wrong reasons.

This is the the type of mistake that allows fans to ask “what is going on with this program?”. It will be interesting to see if two strikes are enough for Mark Dantonio.