MSU Ferguson: "There's so many things going on at the Univ than this Nassar thing."
A Freep (sorry) via WVFN with Tim Staudt piece where Joel Ferguson adamantly stands behind Lou Ann Simon and claiming it took 10 minutes to decide of a Trustee meeting in support of LAS as President at MSU.
Ferguson talks about donors, sports, pervs and even cites Penn St unqualified to comment.
Still a sad and serious case but I found the ignorance appaling and noteworthy.
https://www.freep.com/story/sports/college/michigan-state/spartans/2018…
January 23rd, 2018 at 1:33 PM ^
Yep. Giving them money will make them happy.
What a dumb motherfucker. How the living hell do people like this guy make as much money as he has in his life? What have I done wrong? Does having a conscience really handicap your earnings potential that much?
January 23rd, 2018 at 1:37 PM ^
They have done many studies on executive level individuals and how certain socipathic traits are advantageous towards success in the corporate / capitalist world.
January 23rd, 2018 at 2:07 PM ^
As someone who has lived in the corporate world this is true. It seems the larger the company the more that exist. It's all about the culture - does the culture root out and expose dickwads - or promote them? I have worked with companies in both catagories.
This is what so many are missing from the MSU issue, it's not only who knew and when - but why the hell do we have a culture that allowed Nassar to thrive. The insular cover-up culture at MSU provides a place where this can occur. Izzo with Payne and Appling, Dantonio with about 10% of his roster, Klages, their softball coach, etc.
Culture starts at the top, that is why Simon and Hollis need to go - even if they are not 100% culpable.
January 23rd, 2018 at 3:44 PM ^
January 23rd, 2018 at 1:41 PM ^
That was the part that got me and this is from a man that's been on the board for 18 years you would think that he would think before he speaks of course Tom izzo's quotes weren't much better
January 23rd, 2018 at 1:30 PM ^
January 23rd, 2018 at 1:31 PM ^
They are looking more and more ignorant with every comment.
January 23rd, 2018 at 1:32 PM ^
And FWIW there was also a "whole lot more going on" in the Manson cult than the whole "stabbing thing".
January 23rd, 2018 at 1:38 PM ^
Yep. He is 100% correct and so wrong on so many levels.
January 23rd, 2018 at 1:33 PM ^
I want to be fair to the MSU student body which has not behaved like the Joe-hadists after rhe Sandusky scandal at PSU.
Now of course, football and gymnastics are on two completely different levels in terms of fandom, (and who knows how students would react if Dantonio or Izzo were implicated as enablers in this case), but in this particular case I have seen and heard from MSU students that they are sickened and appalled by what is going on with the administration up in EL.
Again, I can't speak for everybody, but the reaction overall on their campus has been very (pro-victim and anti AD and Board of Trustees) and I think it's only fair to make that distinction when comparing their community to that of the zombies in Happy Valley.
That said, Izzo's comments regarding the case were obtuse, ignorant, and shameful and he should be getting a lot of criticism for not challenging the powers that be about what happened and how they enabled Nassar. I doubt the students as a whole, however, will turn on Izzo for missing the opportunity to be a leader on campus about this issue.
January 23rd, 2018 at 1:47 PM ^
one issue that I have seen with this is that, while most State fans are condemning the administration, they are very quick to seperate this incident from their fandom of the profit sports. You can't blink before they throw "this had nothing to do with football or basketball" at you. And while this incident did not, quite a few others have and they are just lying to themselves by not acknowledging that this goes further than Nassar in their athletic department.
If you put the shoe on the other foot, and this was Michigan that was reacting like this, I would not be able to associate anything positive with my perception of the school anymore. That is what isn't clicking. They still seem to believe that this is something that can be "brushed aside" in the long run because "Coach D" and Izzo weren't involved. It doesn't matter. If this was the Michigan administration acting in this fashion, I would be brainstorming the new school that I could root for in football and basketball.
Michigan State is defining itself right now for a long time and they are not going to like the definition.
January 23rd, 2018 at 2:50 PM ^
plenty to do with basketball and football. MSU has clearly created a culture in which winning is the most important thing: in sports, in fundraising, in admissions, etc.
They publicly attribute a lot of their increase in applications and fundraising to sports success (basketball and football). I think it has less to do with with sports than they think (applications are up everywhere as higher ed has never been in higher demand), but they have enabled a culture in which success in sports is more important than a lot of other things and that is clearly pervasive all the way up to the president and the trustees.
If you clearly value sports and winning above integrity and safety, you're going to have problems.
It is not a coincidence that these things are happening at schools like MSU and PSU and Louisville. Schools that have emphasized sports to such an extent, and have students and alums that value the sports experience highly relative to the academic pursuits of the school (and which attribute academic success in some respect to athletic success).
I remember when App State beat us and talked about applications doubling at their school and the president was all proud about that. Are those really the students you want at your school? Is that a spike in admissions you should be proud of? That's like some Dave BRandon level marketing stuff. Hey, any exposure is good! If that's who you cater to, you're more likely to end up with institutional issues like this because your priorities aren't right, from student to administration.
I differ with your conclusion that you'd be looking for a new school if this happened to Michigan (and I think we are at risk as we care too much about sports, but I think we are better balanced). I would expect the entire administration to be burned down and I would support any punishment that is appropriate for the AD and above. I would happily trudge through down years of Michigan athletics, while still being a fan, because ridding the institution of anyone that might have had anything to do with it would be the right thing to do, and punishing the institution is fair.
Even if we had to de-emphasize our sports to an Ivy League level to keep our priorities from getting out of whack, I would still support our teams (and would probably be more productive!).
January 23rd, 2018 at 2:54 PM ^
did not read fully read my conclusion. I did not say that I would be looking for a new school to identify with if the Nassar thing happened at Michigan. I would be very, very disturbed by it, but if it was handled in the best possibly fashion once it had been discovered I would still be able to identify with the school and trust that it was starting over from the ground up to ensure that the culture that allowed it to happen was eradicated completely.
What I said is that if Michigan handled and reacted to the situation and the fallout the way that MSU is handling it, I would not be able to be a fan of or support the school anymore and I stand by that completely.
January 23rd, 2018 at 3:53 PM ^
second point about finding a new team to support, but you are 100% correct that I did not comprehend it correctly.
I still think I would fight to get an asshat BOT recalled or not re-elected and fight to clean house, and still support the university because I think the institution is larger than just the people running it at any given time. As a public university, ultimately the voters, alums, students and donors have the power to make change.
If our community generally defended poor leadership into and beyond the following elections, and did not force change, then I don't think I could remain part of the community.
January 23rd, 2018 at 1:58 PM ^
I trust you have had positive experiences where humans are appalled at the disgust this event should create. However, the short history of this blog can prove that motivated and caring fans can truly move a large institution. If you are accurate and the students are upset, they have the opportunity to act. Show me anything the students, the alums or anyone powerfully affiliated with the institution have done to stand up for the victims and demand change? The BoT gave the President a double or triple down support. Not a whisper about the AD. Those two oversaw the enabling of the conclusion, if not more, of the worst crime upon children I have ever witnessed in my 45 years. Their high profile basketball coach came out in support of the President and said some very unbelievable things. It is as bad, or worse, than Ped State in some overt ways.
January 23rd, 2018 at 4:46 PM ^
at the top may be as bad as at Penn State, but I think it is hyperbole to claim that the student body reactions are on par.
Many of the MSU students were trying to protest via petition and/or public protest and were being silenced or denied access. I'm not saying there is necessarily the public outcry there should be from the alumni, fanbase, student body, etc....but I'm saying it is not fair to lump them all in with the powers that be that are still bumbling along with their heads in the sand and/or were completely complicit.
PSU, on the other hand, was a situation where nearly an entire campus was brainwashed into Paterno-ism and were having riots when his statue was being removed. To this day, they (the students and alumni) still see themselves, Joe Pa's legacy, and the football program as "victims" of Sandusky's crimes. - In the process, putting themselves on par with those that enabled Sandusky all those years.
January 23rd, 2018 at 1:33 PM ^
I have the misfortune of having to deal with Spartan alums all the time. I don't own a pizza joint, btw. I have heard from no less than five or six of them the comment similar to the "victims" (one used the air quotes) are attention seeking and it is being exaggerated.
The denial is unreal and the minimization is well into the JoePa zone. Gross.
January 23rd, 2018 at 1:34 PM ^
I have not seen much of this although it may indeed exist. I believe the Joe Pa worship blinded all in Happy Valley to the Sandusky crimes to the level of cult worship.
January 23rd, 2018 at 1:36 PM ^
Along with Penn State, two better examples of hive mentality you will never find. Protect the collective.
January 23rd, 2018 at 1:36 PM ^
Am I missing something here that they don't think this is as bad as the Penn State situation when there is over a hundred victims in this case I'm assuming because it doesn't involve Tom Izzo or Mark dantonio that it's not as bad as the Penn State situation in their minds that's pretty f***** up
January 23rd, 2018 at 1:38 PM ^
and that'll give them cause for pause.
January 23rd, 2018 at 8:02 PM ^
January 23rd, 2018 at 1:40 PM ^
January 23rd, 2018 at 1:33 PM ^
someone abusing over 100 underage girls who not only is employed by your university and has all of his degrees from your university isn't a big deal, I can only imagine where recruiting violations and misconduct from players who participate in revenue generating sports fall on the spectrum.
IMO, speaks volumes of the values of the university.
January 23rd, 2018 at 1:34 PM ^
What bothered me is him acting as if throwing some money to the victims will make them feel better. And he defended Simon because she got donors to give money for the Breslin Center, huh I would hope her job would Encompass more than that
January 23rd, 2018 at 1:36 PM ^
Really?
Seriously???
That's all I got.
January 23rd, 2018 at 1:37 PM ^
January 23rd, 2018 at 1:38 PM ^
He calls the Nassar tragedy a "thing"? What a fucking out of touch moron.
January 23rd, 2018 at 1:41 PM ^
when he was first elected to the Board. He was in open warfare with then-MSU President Peter DiBaggio and then-MSU AD Merrily Baker back in the late 1980s and early 1990s as regards Ferguson's boy George Perles. And Ferguson WON those battles.
Winning those battles and his narrow escape to re-election in 1994 has basically enbolded him to become a "I run this place, if you're not with me I will eliminate you" type personality in the decades that followed.
And the guy STILL has power. I don't live in Michigan anymore, so I don't have a vote. But Michigan voters should have kicked this guy off the board decades ago. Good grief. His comments don't really surprise me, he's just acting the same way he's acted for 30+ years.
Perles being on the MSU BOT these days - that's also ridiculous. MSU remains an asset to the state of Michigan - the state's voters should demand better than those two.
January 23rd, 2018 at 1:52 PM ^
Yes, Ferguson has been on the board essentially forever.
Yes, the only thing Ferguson seems to care about is Spartan football and basketball. I don't know that he ever has expressed an opinion on anything not sports related in those 30 years on the board.
In 1990, over MSU President (and Michigan alumnus) John DiBiaggio's opposition, Perles was made Athletic Director. The move had Joel Ferguson's fingerprints all over it. DiBiaggio left the University soon afterward to become President of Tufts.
Somehow, Ferguson has never managed to lose an election. Hopefully that changes in 2020, although if the Michigan Democrats re-nominate him it's likely that he wins again.
January 23rd, 2018 at 1:39 PM ^
Give MSU the death penalty. No collegiate athletics for 5 years.
January 23rd, 2018 at 1:44 PM ^
This Joel Ferguson guy needs to shut up. If you are associated with MSU maybe just don't say anything about Nassar instead of opening up your mouth and sounding like an idiot.
January 23rd, 2018 at 2:12 PM ^
Mark Twain said it is better to remain silent and be thought a fool then to open your mouth and remove all doubt words to live by Joel Ferguson
January 23rd, 2018 at 1:45 PM ^
But prospective students (and their parents) vote with their feet. After the mass demonstrations a few years ago, and the ham-fisted manner in which the school's then-President handled them, enrollment at the University of Missouri dropped substantially beginning with the following academic year. I suspect that something similar may occur at MSU.
January 23rd, 2018 at 1:46 PM ^
The biggest part of her job is fundraising. How effective is she going to be at it now? Wouldn't they rather have someone else doing that job?
January 23rd, 2018 at 1:50 PM ^
at Lou Ann Simon's house - be a force for good youngsters, not shoulder-shruggers.
January 23rd, 2018 at 1:58 PM ^
an on campus protest being planned, I believe on the 26th, saw it mentioned on Twitter. And to echo what others have said, it is amazing how tone deaf these idiots are. We need a concept that is above tone deaf to describe their words and actions. As long as the angry Elf and Dicktonio aren't involved the average sparty fan doesn't care. If you imply it's a systemic issue they rush to defend Efl/Dicktonio and they insist this is nothing like PSU. It's amazing, they are in complete denial. I hope that place burns to the fucking ground.
January 23rd, 2018 at 1:51 PM ^
So much to unpack in that interview.
1. She's good at fundraising and Breslin looks great. So cut her some slack for ignoring rape? Got it.
2. Her legacy won't be tarnished. Uh. Not up to you to decide that one chief.
3. NCAA not investigating because "this is not Penn State". Well good to know that you've set the bar high and made the decision for the NCAA since they aren't competent enough (point conceded).
4. She is not going to get "ran" out. But she may get "run" out?
5. There's (sic) so many more things going on. Like all the other rapes? Another trustee arraigned on assault & battery?
Gak. When Mitch Lyons is one of the only voices of reason - even though he voted to keep LAS - something is wrong.
January 23rd, 2018 at 1:56 PM ^
You wonder how something so terrible can go on for so long, and then you hear comments like this from someone in charge and it starts to make a little more sense.
January 23rd, 2018 at 2:01 PM ^
I posted the other day in one of these threads what an asshole Ferguson is. Even MSU alumn hate this guy.
US Gymnastics leadership cleaned house yesterday, a number of top people forced to resign.
Twistars got rid of the guy who ran the operation and funneled girls exclusively to Nassar.
The Karolyi ranch where some of the abuse happened is now closed.
Literally the ONLY enablers who have not yet fired people is MSU. The same body that happened to be Nassar's DIRECT EMPLOYER. They should have had the most visibility to what was going on, since it was largely ON THEIR CAMPUS.
January 23rd, 2018 at 2:02 PM ^
Staudt asked if MSU might be investigated by the NCAA, drawing a comparison to the Penn State sex-abuse scandal.
Ferguson laughed. "For what?"
What more needs to be said? Ferguson is a buffoon.
How can anyone be that far out of touch with reality?
January 23rd, 2018 at 3:01 PM ^
Hot take: MSU's board's arrogant comments now are further incriminating them.
As far as I'm concerned, they should keep on talking, it really speaks to how far out of touch and oblivious they are. That much easier to prosecute them later.
January 23rd, 2018 at 2:05 PM ^
Just when you think that the level of asshattery of MSU's leadership has peaked, they exceed their previous efforts.
January 23rd, 2018 at 2:22 PM ^
As someone who hasn't been following this Dr. Nassar case very closely, can someone please explain to me what he did to the girls (without going into vulgar detail)? Was he inappropriately touching them during treatments? Was he raping them? All I know is that there were ~140 victims.
January 23rd, 2018 at 2:30 PM ^
He was using manual genital manipulation to "Treat" all sorts of issues from back pain to muscle soreness etc. There were also accounts of these being done with the lights off and Nasser pleasuring himself while "treating" the children. For decades.
January 23rd, 2018 at 2:33 PM ^
God that's so f***ing evil/wrong
January 23rd, 2018 at 2:42 PM ^
January 23rd, 2018 at 2:26 PM ^
I hope there are some serious ramifications to this. The AD and President being fired are not ramifications at all... They are already millionaires.
January 23rd, 2018 at 2:39 PM ^
January 23rd, 2018 at 2:40 PM ^