The problem here stems from the hazy communication coming from Dantonio and his staff. Dantonio said in the past he would be reactive to what comes out from the investigation. “We’re gonna handle this situation and we’re gonna resolve it. After it’s resolved from a judicial standpoint, I will take action accordingly,” Dantonio said in December. It’s puzzling why Dantonio would choose to jump the gun at this juncture by allowing many of the players back into the football facilities before they have been tried or sentenced.

Dantonio needs to clarify his expectations and punishments for his team to the public so the fans, media and players know exactly what to expect. In his time at MSU, Dantonio has been a strong believer in protecting his players and keeping as much information in-house as possible, but protecting the troops is a battle he must pick when to fight. Although it’s a nice mentality, Dantonio must decide how far to protect these “troops” — especially when they are accused of breaking the law.

Looking at the situation with the limited knowledge available, it doesn’t look good for the program to punish its players only to retract later and allow these players some of the privileges from which they are supposed to be held. The football facilities are some of the finest buildings on campus and regular students aren’t allowed to use them. So if these eight players aren’t yet officially reinstated to the team, they shouldn’t have the same privileges that team members usually possess.

This all comes back to Dantonio’s actions being inconsistent with his words. With his original statements in December, he insinuated the players would not be allowed to use the football facilities or practice with the team until the court cases come to a conclusion. At the very least, more consistency is needed by Dantonio and his staff.

It is time for Dantonio to come out and define what appears to be his “second-chance” policy. For instance, Dantonio likely was just trying to do the right thing by allowing former sophomore running back Glenn Winston back on the team hours after he completed his jail sentence, but he must be careful not to project to the rest of his team that everyone gets one “Get out of Jail Free” card.

In general, if Dantonio and the rest of the coaching staff were more transparent with team happenings, the coach would clear many doubts regarding the inconsistencies of the program’s standards. Dantonio said he would allow the justice system to take its course. If he was really consistent, he would not allow the suspended players to use the football facilities until their cases have been settled.