Since the news first broke earlier this week that upwards of 20 male Michigan State students — including some who may have been football players — were involved in assault on a campus dorm and injuring both male and female students, there’s been scant news regarding the situation and subsequent investigation.
Today, however, the attorney for one of the victims in the incident has released a statement, and it indicates that more than 15 of those involved were football players. It also confirms that two players booted from the program last week for “violating unspecified team rules” were allegedly involved as well.
“Mr. Mitchell remains under his doctor’s care and is recuperating at home with his family,” attorney Vanessa Moss-Wilson said of her client, Brent Mitchell. “While we applaud the athletic department’s quick and decisive actions as it relates to two of the athletes involved, there is substantial and credible information that more than 15 football players were involved in this unprovoked act of violence.”
On the same day that the story broke nationally, sophomore running back Glenn Winston and junior safety Roderick Jenrette were dismissed from the football team, although no one from the university would officially confirm or deny that it was related to the Rambo platoon storming the dorm like it was a VC-infested jungle.
The biggest question, however, is if more than 15 football players were involved as the attorney alleges, why have only two players been — at least publicly — punished thus far? This is an incident involving a sizable chunk of the football team, and the allegations — especially assaults on females — are damning to both the school and head coach Mark Dantonio.
Given the release of this statement, the university may want to try to perform a little bit of damage control and at least speak publicly about where their “investigation” currently stands.
Was this like the scene in Revenge of the Nerds?
Typcial Michigan State – they always seem to have athletes on the police blotter but they are never punished seriously by the school. Dantonio always talks about the defining moment of this team – well, it looks like it will be in the courtroom and not on the football field. He doesn’t have the balls to suspend all of these players from their bowl game – of course it doesn’t matter because although they talk a good game, they are mediocre at best.
They should suspend them for at least one-half of a game.