Walton Lived with Izzo While on Staff
Izzo stood behind a mic yesterday and said he had no idea why Walton left the MSU program. Kind of hard to believe it wasn’t discussed when Walton LIVED with him.
“Walton moved into Izzo’s basement and spent the year completing his degree, learning the art of coaching and staying in shape by working out with the team. It was an easy transition for Travis. “I was always a big film guy, so spending hours watching tape came easy for me,”
http://www.limaohio.com/sports/281851/tom-izzos-coaching-dna-runs-deep-…
January 29th, 2018 at 10:22 AM ^
January 29th, 2018 at 10:24 AM ^
January 29th, 2018 at 11:54 AM ^
this is starting to approach laughing stock levels, and will spawn jokes on late-night TV. That may get Izzo fired quicker than any wrong-doing ever did.
January 29th, 2018 at 2:04 PM ^
We also don't know for sure that Izzo wasn't carrying on a homosexual relationship with this man. In fact, I'd say it's likely
Izzo likes the BBC.
Either that or he's a cuckhold. Both likely.
January 29th, 2018 at 3:13 PM ^
Just because he said "Doctor Who?" doesn't mean he's a fan of the BBC.
January 29th, 2018 at 3:29 PM ^
Michigan would have fired everyone on the planet for the things of which Mike and Izzo are accused.
January 29th, 2018 at 4:38 PM ^
Retrospective analysis of athletic department and University response to the the Gibbons assault suggests that maybe our high horse should be more of a medium horse.
January 29th, 2018 at 10:24 AM ^
who has been outed, knows a hit is coming before the trial, but doesn't know when.
Things to do in East Lansing when you're dead -starring Izzo, with special guest, Dantonio, a local volleyball coach - (someone inbed the graphic!)
January 29th, 2018 at 10:25 AM ^
January 29th, 2018 at 10:29 AM ^
we have Spartan Nation to consider. Does anyone know the effective tax rate there? More importantly, do they extradite to the US (for crimes other than Sexual Assult of course).
January 29th, 2018 at 10:32 AM ^
January 29th, 2018 at 10:35 AM ^
Not sure there will be enough time for him to work with Izzo given how Izzo looked in that post-game presser. Stick a fork in him.
January 29th, 2018 at 10:32 AM ^
went to MSU.
January 29th, 2018 at 1:45 PM ^
January 29th, 2018 at 2:51 PM ^
He still played with HIV until Karl Malone raised some big stink (forget the details) and got him to retire.
Fucking Karl Malone, hate that guy because of that.
January 29th, 2018 at 10:40 AM ^
If anyone was aware of sexual assault and did nothing about it, they should be looking at criminal charges.
January 29th, 2018 at 1:01 PM ^
Careful. That's drafting everyone into law enforcement: "you must work for law enforcement or you will be jailed/taken away from your family/impoverished." Slavery is bad, mkay.
If you just meant mandatory reporters, that's different.
January 29th, 2018 at 10:57 AM ^
Magic's mentor is Joel Ferguson. I'm not sure MSU wants Magic rushing in to save the day.
January 29th, 2018 at 12:56 PM ^
They're also business partners. They are working together to do absolutely nothing at the old Michigan Fairgrounds
http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2016/09/michigan_state_fairgrounds.html
January 29th, 2018 at 10:31 AM ^
So Izzo forgot about Walton living in the basement? Yeah, right.
January 29th, 2018 at 1:33 PM ^
January 29th, 2018 at 10:33 AM ^
So . . . Izzo names his son after Mateen Cleaves, who had multiple run-ins with the law (including assault charges) at MSU and has continued to get in trouble since (currently facing sexual-assault charges).
Later he has Travis Walton live with him, during which time Walton is arrested for assault and accused of rape.
Quite the molder of men, that Izzo.
January 29th, 2018 at 10:41 AM ^
You may have some points here but I guess you could have just stated Mateen had has some run ins with sexual misconduct himself without bringing Izzo's son into this mess. The premise of the whole Nassar thing is to protect innocence, which the Son of Izzo is, just that, innocence. Sorry to preach and you have a right to say whatever you want and I'm certain you didn't "mean" to do so.
January 29th, 2018 at 10:49 AM ^
I don't know what you're ranting about. I'm not blaming his son for anything - he didn't ask for that name.
What I note is that Izzo had such a strong bond with Cleaves that he named his son after him. And this looks rather iffy given what we know about Cleaves.
January 29th, 2018 at 11:36 AM ^
January 29th, 2018 at 11:53 AM ^
Internet law, here.
This was the logical conclusion of this discussion anyway, but if I named my kid Hitler, that would be a significant data point in regards of my character or lack thereof.
Naming your kid after someone with multiple charges including assault says nothing of the kid, but a lot about how much those things concern you as a person.
January 29th, 2018 at 1:19 PM ^
January 29th, 2018 at 1:32 PM ^
Hitler was above average offensively, but ultimately, his problem was poor defense.
January 29th, 2018 at 1:48 PM ^
More like he started another game before the first one was finished.
Also, boom Godwin'd.
January 29th, 2018 at 2:01 PM ^
January 29th, 2018 at 11:46 AM ^
January 29th, 2018 at 11:57 AM ^
January 29th, 2018 at 12:37 PM ^
have had our share of bad apples in the past but I think Belein has been great at identifying good kids. Am I forgetting incidents or has he pretty much been prefectly clean?
January 29th, 2018 at 10:35 AM ^
He really is atrocious at taking care of this situation. Like, if you read this without knowing him you'd think he's trying to get fired.
January 29th, 2018 at 10:43 AM ^
...that no MSU employee has ever even met a lawyer or someone who works in public relations.
January 29th, 2018 at 12:08 PM ^
how much of that is usually needed in the veterinary science industry?
January 29th, 2018 at 1:24 PM ^
sounds like he met with both and decided to go with the lawyer's advice. His image is tarnished either way, best to keep yourself safe with answers lawyers recommend you to say. I hate how often "I don't remember" is used and how it is allowed so much.
January 29th, 2018 at 10:38 AM ^
January 29th, 2018 at 10:39 AM ^
January 29th, 2018 at 10:43 AM ^
January 29th, 2018 at 10:47 AM ^
Yeah, I don't know how you reconcile "I don't remember why he left the program" with the development that Walton lived in his basement for a year. I have a hard time imagining that Walton was one of those "renters" that rarely spoke and typicaly kept to himself outside of whatever "professional" contacts are said to have taken place and always went in through the back door near the stairs. Something definitely seems like it is being omitted here.
January 29th, 2018 at 12:53 PM ^
I'm pretty sure that Izzo answered that question by saying "To be honest......I don't remember....". It's a different kind of guy who can open with "to be honest" and then lie in the next statement.
January 29th, 2018 at 4:41 PM ^
"to be honest" is a well known tell for someone who is lying.
January 29th, 2018 at 10:48 AM ^
Danantonio seems like he wants to take it all the way...these distractions will be WAY TOO MUCH for a football coach to bare and do his job, recruiting will become more difficult and he will ultimately be forced out by the new Presidnet who wants a clean slate...
January 29th, 2018 at 10:49 AM ^
I'm too busy to write a long rant today, but I've been thinking about how all this relates to the line between coaches and players in big-time athletics. It seems like a lot of these scandals start with coaches who treat players like friends and family, rather than students or employees (and let's face it, that's what they are). Urban Meyer and Aaron Hernandez comes to mind. Indeed, that's how a lot of organizational scandals start across the board, not just vis-a-vis sexual assault or within universities. Bosses start treating employees like friends and family, and then when something goes wrong, they don't have the distance to take an objective perspective and do what needs to be done. We always praise these coaches for "treating players like family," but just like in companies, they actually need to keep enough distance to say, "Travis, we've been through a lot as coach and player, but you messed up, and now you need to face the music." For Izzo it was, "the dude living in my basement gang raped someone (allegedly). I can't just cut him loose, for his sake or that of MSU. Let's sweep this under the rug." And here he is, in deep shit...
January 29th, 2018 at 10:53 AM ^
January 29th, 2018 at 11:02 AM ^
OK, fair enough. And that was another thought: Maybe that's what makes the "greats" truly great, that they are able to truly connect with these kids like family, and get the best people in there. But then that always sows the seeds for their eventual ruination.
This may have happened in the past and I am flat out wrong here, but could you imagine John Beilein or Harbaugh having a player live with them? That would honestly seemvery odd and even concerning to me, and totally out of character for them, though I am sure everyone's gut reaction would be, "What a great coach! He really cares!!"
January 29th, 2018 at 11:13 AM ^
January 29th, 2018 at 11:30 AM ^
I am a parent and part of the deal is punishment. I would be perfectly fine with a coach stepping up and being a "surrogate" AS LONG AS he/she had the exact same values as I do with regard to right and wrong and being willing to lay down punishment.
Take the Payne and Appling situation...even if you want to sign up with RCMB and say there was no wrong doing found, those kids damn well needed to be sat down on the sideline for a while, at the very least. And, that gets us all the way back to the environment of dangerous behaviors at MSU. If you are a player, and players happen to talk to one another...It's true. When they learn that the two new guys got away with some seriously shady shit without so much as having to sit out for a time, do you think that lowers their threshold of self control? Damn right it does.
Contrast that with a truly stern decision to sit those two guys for, say even a month. Think that sends a message to the rest of the team......and likely the university as a whole.
So many are getting caught up in the cover ups and all that at MSU. Important stuff for sure. I think the issues are simpler, though. Basically, under Izzo and Dantanzio as long as you don't get prosecuted then you are good to go....hell, even if you end up in jail for a time, once out, still good to go.
That attitude speaks volumes to young men, many of whom have been told how great they are since they were in 8th grade, some of whom had minimal mentoring to begin with.