4 football players reinstated to team

“That’s how life goes sometimes.”

Really coach? I’m going to guess that pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit assault and battery after a premeditated attack is not something that happens “sometimes” to people who are not criminals.

“Sometimes” refers to intermittent occasions of the general population, not the thug population.

This seems reminiscent of Winstin being reinstated after beating up that hockey player. Oddly enough, he was just sentenced to 180 days in jail because he committed assault AGAIN! Can’t wait to see these guys back in court because, if anything can be learned from the past, it’s that players who are reinstated after committing an assault are likely to commit again.

The real crime is the moronic leadership of the football team. And if that goes to trial, Dantonio will be exhibit A.

I was an avid supporter of Mark Dantonio but to reinstate criminals on a football team shows a complete lack of discipline and sends the wrong message for our entire school. This type of coaching is the exact opposite of what our school needs. It is a complete slap in the face to other coaches on this campus (such as Izzo) who actually punish players for their actions.

“I want them to be successful in life”, yes coach sending these guys the message that they can plan and carry out an assault on fellow students on campus and be welcomed back to the team is a great life lesson.

You have to be kidding?? These people should not be reinstated to the team. After what they were involved with it is the absolute wrong message to send to the team and the university community in general. When you are involved in such behavior you have no business being able to play football or any sport at a school the calaber of MSU. I am disappointed with Coach Dantonio. A message should have been sent by dismissal. These type of thugs have been coddled too much and certainly will not add to the team moral as a whole. It blew up in his face once with Winston and MD is going back to the trough a second time on these people. How will they ever learn what the real world is like? Obviously not from MSU.

Let’s just not buy football tickets this year.

There is a greater problem than just the message sent by this.

The fact that these dangerous criminals are still on the team, means that they will still be students…

That means that they are living in this community. That is a serious safety concern for the rest of the student body.

I feel that it is irresponsible of the University to endanger the rest of the student body by allowing these violent offenders to be a part of the MSU community.

These men are dangerous, and I feel like the University is being way too tolerant. MSU is going to keep playing around with these slaps on the wrist until one of these criminals kills somebody.

Good thing they didn’t conspire to throw a firecracker. Two years enforced suspension for a loud noise, but assault, no problem.

Pop Pop fizz fizz, oh what a relief it is.

I agree concerned student. The liability exposure to the Athletic Dept. and University is a small rip in the sail beginning to shred. If one of these knuckle heads decides to cold cock someone on or off the field the plaintiff atty’s will be standing in a line from E.L. to Wash DC. I regret Datonios decision and I feel sorry for the next victim! The football program is a concern for this alum.

If Dantonio doesn’t have the courage or , more than likely, the intelligence to remove the criminal component of the team, maybe it’s time for him to be removed. This team needs to be cleaned up from the top down.

The University is failing in their duty to oversee those who represent it. I feel very sorry for the rest of the students, the ones who are not criminals and who wish to obtain their degree from a respected institution. MSU is throwing that chance away by placing winning over character, excuses over responsibility, and football over academics.

Hey, they’re not really winners either. New name proposal for the football team. MSU Thugs. Much more accurate then Spartans.

it appears these players withheld from Dantonio that Wilson was involved in this attack. They should all be kicked off the team for allowing Wilson to cheat the system and play in the bowl.

Shame on Dantonio for coddling these thugs.

Wow, pretty harsh comments from you folks. Those of you writing these comments, I wonder who you are and what life experiences you have had.

Young men and women make mistakes. When they have legally settled-up and seem sincerely remorseful, they should be given a second chance.

Forgiveness is the basis of the Christian religion. Whether you’re Christian or not, it is a good rule to live by. I wonder how many of you have made mistakes and not been forgiven for them.

Often times when dealing with situations involving sports teams, the public forgets that the job of the coaching staff is, not only to win games, but to prepare the student-athletes for life. Hopefully, these young men have learned a life-changing lesson. Hopefully, when you make a mistake, you’ll learn from it too and be forgiven.

Replying to ‘67Alum.

I worked for years in a very hard-core, no-nonsense juvenile rehabilitation program. This was dealing with true juveniles, not adults who act like juveniles. I am all for second chances, my unofficially adopted son has received second and even third chances. He is a fine person now who I am very proud of. So much for my life experiences.

That said, there is a huge difference between a second chance and being placed right back up on a pedestal after showing such gang-banger, violent, and dangerous tenancies. Especially when they are fully pre-meditated and thought out. A slap on the wrist, then excuses made because they are naive kids is NOT acceptable. True consequences are.

It should make no difference whether MSU wants them to win football games or not.

I just wonder…didn’t Dantonio learn his lesson from Winston. He hospitalized a student athlete and then was reinstated only to be involved in another off the field altercation.

67 alum I’m all for second and perhaps a third chance. I’ve needed a few during my youth. Nobody is perfect. However, to purposely plan then carry out a physical assault with no other reason than to inflict bodily injury is far worse than scaling the outdoor pool wall to go skinny dipping at 330 in the morning with several friends after walking back to campus after having one to many at Dooley’s and getting caught.

There is more at stake to the University then just forgive and forget this crime. I don’t want the University I attended and paid top dollar to graduate from affiliated with this bullxxxx!

So…if forgiveness is the basis for Christianity, why the hostility towards homosexuals and women? Are those unforgivable sins?

I suppose the “Christianity” you speak of is the one that “forgives” child molesters- as long as they truely repent.

‘67 alum, NEVER bring religion into an argument. It is not the basis for justice nor logic. I will forgive when forgiveness is in order. When these idiots premeditate an attack, something tells me their only forgiveness is from a higher power, not from us as law-abiding citizens.

It’s kind of cute that everyone’s treating this as their own little morality play, but let’s grow up a little:

Div I football is a business, and the team executives have decided that keeping these kids on the team will help the bottom.

If the Spartans have a good season and these players contribute, everyone will forget about the legal troubles.

there are tons of fights. all the time. and after a fight, things settle down, and everything returns to normal. but when there are football players involved things are aparently different. the kids that were the main instigators are off the team. there are people that know a lot more about the situation than those posting on this article. lets just leave it that they know the information they need to know and correctly handled this offense.

a fight:

How many gangs of thugs leave an awards ceremony, pick up ski masks, travel as a gang to a dorm, enter and start beating other students?

This was not a simple, drunk fight over something stupid that happened at a bar. This was a pre-meditated attack.

Big difference.

Dantonio’s philosophy of rehabilitation has already been proven wrong (case in point – Winston). Maybe if he had permanently tossed Winston from the team after his initial aggregious behavior, this would have sent the requisite message to players that they better behave or they won’t be playing football at MSU. With his actions to reinstate the four players, he is again sending a message that you get one free “get out of jail” card.

I hope these players do not betray Dantonio in the same way that Winston did. If there is another flare-up of bad behavior on the football team’s part, I predict that Dantonio is finished. If not, that will tell a lot about the character of the school itself.

PS. Is there any truth to the rumor that one of the upcoming capital campaign goals is to endow a fund to provide bail for football players?

Div I football is a sport managed by administrators owing a larger responsibility to this University than seeing next years team win the conference and then a bcs. Misguided perceptions make it into something greater than it really is. That’s the reality check.

I’m a Spartan football fan for life, a graduate of MSU and want to see the University improve not stagnate and degrade by letting hoods think their school owes them something. An MSU degree is not a U.S. gov’t or state mandated entitlement handout or at least it should not be for gods sake.

I thought Dantonio just made an error in judgement with Winston, that was forgivable.

But letting players back after pleading guilty to serious crimes? This is just plain embarassing.

I thought Dantonio just made an error in judgement with Winston, that was forgivable.

But letting players back after pleading guilty to serious crimes? This is just plain embarassing.