Michigan State’s Tom Izzo had strong words about recent leadership departures
Spartan fans have been dealing with a whirlwind of emotions over the past few weeks as both the university president and athletic director have departed East Lansing.
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Despite Michigan State’s Board of Trustees reportedly attempting to double former president Kevin Guskiewicz’s salary from $1 million to $2 million, it was all for naught when Guskiewicz left Michigan State to become the next president at Clemson.
Then, just a couple of weeks later, athletic director J Batt, who had been in East Lansing for less than a year, decided he was leaving as well and was soon announced as Kentucky’s new athletic director.
Together, Guskiewicz and Batt helped land Michigan State a historic $401 million donation and appeared to be setting the Spartans up for long-term success both educationally and athletically. Life in East Lansing and around campus seemed to be trending back toward what it was in the early 2010s.
After years of off-the-field issues surrounding the university, there was a renewed emphasis on bringing in the right people to help guide Michigan State back to the standards it had long set for itself.
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Now, however, following these two departures, East Lansing once again finds itself with a lingering question mark hanging over the city like a dark tornado cloud that just refuses to move on and leave Michigan State alone.
The Spartans are now tasked with finding a new university president and athletic director as quickly as possible.
Recently, Chris Solari, Michigan State football and men’s basketball reporter for the Detroit Free Press and a Heisman and Naismith voter, had an opportunity to speak with Tom Izzo and ask the question that is on the minds of many Spartan fans.
Solari asked Izzo about J Batt’s departure and the current state of leadership within the athletic department.
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How do you steward the department through this uncertainty as the senior member and continue pushing things forward?
Tom Izzo minced no words with his response.
“I’ll be very honest with you, which I’ve always been. I can’t stand what’s going on. And I’m not going to over-talk about it now, but I am in the very near future. I’ve had it.”
Izzo continued:
“This is self-inflicted. We just lost the best president that has ever been here. One of the best. There’s other dominos that get affected when things go wrong like that. I’m very upset about it and I’m sick of it. I’ll go into why when I decide to say something in the near future. I’m not going to do it right now.”
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Izzo sounds like a man who has a plan when it comes to addressing the public about the university he has dedicated more than 30 years of his life to. While he held back some of his thoughts in this brief exchange, he still managed to call out what he sees as major issues facing Michigan State.
Izzo went on to say:
“But I think 600,000 living alums better start rallying together. If there’s ever a time we need to rally together, it’s now. That’s all 600,000 that ain’t Tom Izzo. I’m not an alum. I’m like Greg Williams or maybe our football coach, I’m a very invested stakeholder. But the alums better stand up, that’s what I’m saying. I’m going to ask the alums to stand up. What happened with our president is ridiculous. He said it, we know the reasons and I’m ashamed. Disgusted. Hurt. But see what the Spartan Nation feels. Spartan Nation better stand up. All 600,000 of them.”
Tom Izzo has spoken.
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Yes, these are uncertain times for Michigan State’s leadership, but the university and its athletic programs are still overflowing with potential. The basketball and hockey programs are built to compete for national championships, while several other sports are positioned to challenge for Big Ten titles in the coming years.
There is work to be done in East Lansing, and Izzo clearly has much more to say about the current situation. But according to the Hall of Fame coach, the first step is paramount.
The alumni need to come together, make their voices heard, and demand action.
