Originally Posted by
Newbs24
For anyone that cares, this is the rundown of what is happening to the Michigan St football team. Funny how this doesn't get a mention until 2 weeks after but Michigan and 20 hours of practice time is front and center the second it gets mentioned.
1) On October 19, 2008 a group of Michigan State football players attack several people. Running back Glenn Winston beats in hockey player A.J. Sturges' head so badly, it hospitalizes Sturges, and effectively ends his playing career. Faced with felony chages, Winston accepts a plea deal for a misdemeanor, with a 180-day jail sentence beginning in April, 2009.
2) Winston STAYS ON SCHOLARSHIP AT MSU THROUGHOUT HIS PRISON TERM. Winston earns an early release by taking part in an inmate worker program, and... get this... RETURNS TO NOT ONLY THE TEAM, BUT ALSO THE PRACTICE FIELD THAT VERY AFTERNOON. He woke up in jail, and practiced college football on the same day.
3) Upon learning this, Sturges, a fellow MSU student-athlete, issues an angry response seen here:
http://www.mlive.com/spar...player_aj_sturges_r.html
You'll notice that Sturges says how disappointed he is in the department's decision and his fear that this will lead to future occurances of the same type of attack. MSU's response is something along the lines of "we didn't learn anything new from Sturges statement." And Coach Dantonio makes sure to point out that he has to support Winston.
4) Winston DOES NOT MISS A GAME this season, until hurting his knee vs. Illinois in the sixth game, sidelining him for the year.
5) 90 minutes after a TEAM BANQUET, 10-15 members of the football team, including Winston, kid attack a group of students in a DORM in a coordinated action... apparently in retaliation for a fight the night before. Some players were wearing ski masks. The student they are looking for isn't there so random assault commences, and both male and female students are battered. Some are hospitalized. Recap here:
http://www.statenews.com/..._rather_hall_altercation
6) MSU immediately kicks Winston and defensive back Roderick Jenrette -- two prior offenders -- off the team, but only for a "violation of team rules," implying a level of knowledge of who was involved. (Incidentally, Jenrette was previously suspended by the team for the entire 2008 season for an undisclosed "personal matter.")
7) Police and university officials are rather mum during the investigation, which may seem normal if not for the State News (i.e. THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER) explicitly mentioning how differently this case is being treated from other dealings with the Police up there.
http://www.statenews.com/...lice_veil_rather_details
On a Tuesday night, at the end of business day, and before a night basketball game with North Carolina that MSU no doubt hopes will drown out attention (a rematch of the 2009 NCAA Championship Game), the suspension of eight more players is announced. We hear nothing from MSU administration about their role in failing to deter these actions.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4704695