Ex-Michigan State Star Paul Davis Apologizes After Strange Ejection From USC Game

The ex-Spartan was the talk of college basketball Monday.

Paul Davis's night as a spectator ended early Monday. / Jerry Lai-Imagn Images

No. 12 Michigan State hammered USC 80–51 Monday at home—a quality bounce-back win after losing to Nebraska Friday. However, the events on the court weren't the story.

Ex-Spartans center Paul Davis—watching the game from the stands—made headlines for being thrown out of the game by official Jeffrey Anderson. Throwing gasoline on the fire, Michigan State coach Tom Izzo told reporters after the game that Davis deserved the ejection.

On Tuesday, Davis attended practice with the Spartans, and apologized for his still-unknown comment after the game.

“Yesterday shouldn’t have happened, but today needs to happen,” Davis said via Ben Shockley of WILX-TV in Onondga, Mich. “I’m up here to take accountability, to own it. There’s a lot of people that have known me, seen me here for the last 25 years, they know that’s not me, but last night it was.”

"What he said—he should never say anywhere in the world. That ticked me off," Izzo said after the game, clarifying it was not "racial" or "sexual" in nature.

Davis played four years with Michigan State, making an All-Conference team in 2004 and two NCAA All-Region teams. In the NBA, he spent parts of four seasons with the Clippers and Wizards.

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