NCAA, Big Ten, and MSU Face Scathing Backlash After Negotiated Punishment
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The Michigan State Spartans football program recently faced severe penalties from the Big Ten and the NCAA.
Spartan Nation beat writer Jacob Cotsonika wrote of the punishment, "MSU received three years of probation, a $30,000 fine plus an additional 1.5% of the annual football budget, several recruiting restrictions, the vacation of wins due to participation of three ineligible players, and several former staff members received show-cause orders."
- "Michigan State pursued a negotiated resolution to minimize the penalties and limit the possible impact on our current football student-athletes and staff, who were not involved in the violations," said MSU president Kevin Guskiewicz and athletic director J. Batt in a joint statement.
They went on to say, "With this matter behind us, we are able to move forward, focusing on the present and future of Spartan football."
Here is the issue. Who was negotiating the punishment on the side of Michigan State and Spartan Nation?
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Arguably, the largest on-field cheating scandal of all time occurred to the perceived Big Ten favorite in the Michigan Wolverines, an incident considered by any fair and impartial person to be far worse than what the Spartans did, and they didn't have to vacate wins, especially a national title won under at best, suspect advantage.
One can take the Big Ten and, of course, the NCAA to task, and they deserve it, but the negotiators for the Green and White didn't do an excellent job.
Self-Inflicted Punishment
Why didn't the Spartans challenge the Big Ten and the NCAA to take them to court? How about any other formal proceeding?
How could any "negotiator" not understand the past — at best —or, at worst, not seek out a punishment commensurate with past infractions and punishments in the new era of college football?
One well-respected and well-known University leader from a fellow NCAA school told Spartan Nation exclusively for this report,
- "Why would any school ever again cooperate with the NCAA or even the Big Ten? Other schools threaten them with legal action and face feather duster-type punishments, and those that cooperate take a shovel to the head? I will never recommend cooperation."
No one is saying what Michigan State did under Mel Tucker was good, or even correct. It wasn't, and it deserved punishment.
But whether actual or not, it is a terrible look for the Spartan Nation and its negotiators that one large Spartan donor declared, "It looks like they let people that hate college football, or even more specific Michigan State football, negotiate, for our f***ing side."
Another well-known Spartan alumnus and benefactor said, "I have several people on my payroll that are terrific negotiators. They should have asked us to do it, but after that, don't ask me for money."
Michigan State football has been set back for what could be years. A fitting end to the Mel Tucker era, and a permanent stain on those who brought him to East Lansing, and foolishly wanted to keep him and gave him a perposterous contract.
With so many gifted and talented members of Spartan Nation, it is sad the University didn't have people at the table ready to play hardball with the four-letter entity that is already under the microscope for the bigger schools to leave, and the mental mindset that those at the Big Ten conference offices actually work for the school and were expected to play hard ball back.
It has been written ad nauseam for years about the futility of the four-letter organizations' leadership and the Big Ten's apparent bias toward schools in Ann Arbor. Still, today it hurts worse, as Spartan Nation has to question the outcome of the people sent to "negotiate" on their behalf.
Perception is Not Reality
Spartan alumnus and highly respected attorney Jonathan Schopp, from his firm in Atlanta, Georgia, told Spartan Nation, "The contract language appears clear. From day one, I have never seen a path in which Michigan State would have to pay Mel Tucker one dollar because of that contract language."
Did the University Alienate Its Fans?
Spartan Nation is loyal and faithful. Michigan State should have fought this to a bitter end if need be for a fair punishment. But if Spartan Nation feels the people representing them failed, this could be another difficult era as the long, arduous process of repairing the schools' essential athletic program, Spartan football, starts over again.
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Hondo S. Carpenter Sr. is an award-winning sports journalist with decades of experience. He serves as the Senior Writer for NFL and College sports, and is the beat writer covering the Las Vegas Raiders. Additionally, he is the editor and publisher for several sites On SI. Carpenter is a member of the Pro Football Writers Association (PFWA), the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), and the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA).
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