Tag: COVID pandemic

Report: MSU’s Mark Dantonio agrees to ‘indefinite’ furlough

Dantonio stepped down as MSU’s head coach in February, but remained within the athletic department to work on a variety of special projects

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Former Michigan State football coach Mark Dantonio is reportedly on an indefinite furlough from his role in the athletic department, and has been for nearly two months.

Chris Solari and Steve Berkowitz of the Detroit Free Press reported this news on Friday, stating Dantonio agreed to the furlough in late August to help MSU better manuever through the financial hardship the pandemic has thrown at the athletic department.

Dantonio abruptly retired in February from his position as head coach of Michigan State’s football program, but agreed to remain within the athletic department to work on a variety of special projects, including donor relations. That role, according to the Detroit Free Press, is contracted through Feb. 22, 2022 and will annually pay him $100,000. Dantonio also received a $4.3 million longevity bonus shortly before his retirement earlier this year.

In total, Michigan State is reportedly on the hook to payout “nearly $15 million” in 2020 for Dantonio and new head coach Mel Tucker — who is on the first year of a six-year contract that pays around $5.5 million annually.

Mark Dantonio is the Spartans’ all-time winningest coach with a career record of 114-57 in the 13 years he was MSU’s head coach.

Read the Detroit Free Press’ entire story on Dantonio’s furlough, including comments from the athletic department

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Locked On Spartans Podcast: Cancel or postpone the football season

This has gone on long enough.

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Wil rants about the football season and how it is time to cancel or postpone it. Then he and Matt discuss the latest good news in MSU recruiting.

You can find the episode on iTunes, Spotify and Google Podcasts.

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Michigan State senior defensive end Jacub Panasiuk plans to redshirt due to COVID-19 concerns

Panasiuk cites concern over health and safety due to COVID-19 as the reason.

Michigan State senior defensive end Jacub Panasiuk has opted out of the 2020 football season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Panasiuk posted on Twitter that he plans on redshirting and retuning in 2021 for his senior season.

Panasiuk cites uncertainty over the virus and concern for his health and safety as primary reasons to not play this season. On Wednesday afternoon more than 1,000 Big Ten football players published a letter with numerous COVID-19-related proposals to the conference and the NCAA.

Panasiuk was slated to be the lone returning starter on the defensive line for Michigan State. He finished the 2019 season with 3.5 sacks and 8.5 TFLs in his first year as a full-time starter.

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Locked On Spartans Podcast: College football players are fed up

Michigan State suggests students stay home this fall if they can.

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Wil and Matt talk about MSU suggesting that regular students stay home this fall if they can and how that contradicts with having the athletics teams on campus. Then they talk about the player movement in the PAC 12 and debate a fun solution for fall football if the season gets canceled.

You can find the episode on iTunes, Spotify and Google Podcasts.

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Michigan State alums Josiah Scott, Tyler Higby put on reserve/COVID lists

Being on the list doesn’t automatically mean a player has tested positive for COVID-19.

As the NFL season kicks into gear, a number of players are ending up on the league’s reserve/COVID list.

Two Michigan State alums–rookies Josiah Scott and Tyler Higby–found their way onto the list as rookies start reporting to camp. Being placed on the list doesn’t mean a person has tested positive for COVID-19, although that can be the case. It also may mean that the player has been in close contact with someone who has tested positive.

Scott took to Twitter to clear the air a bit on his name being on the list, saying that his first test was a positive and that subsequent follow-up tests have produced negative results.

More than 100 NFL players have tested positive for COVID-19 during the NFL offseason, including former Michigan State lineman Brian Allen.

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Michigan, Michigan State coaches team up for campaign urging mask use

Six coaches appeared in a PSA entitled Ball’s in your Court, urging mask use to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

We’ve found something for rivals to agree on.

Coaches from Michigan State and the University of Michigan have teamed up to film a public service announcement video with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Safety, urging Michiganders to wear masks to help curb the spread of COVID-19.

In the video Tom Izzo, Mel Tucker, and Suzy Merchant are joined by their UofM counterparts poke some fun at how as rivals they don’t agree on much, but they can agree on wearing a mask. Check it out.

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This isn’t the worst PSA these coaches have done for COVID-19. Earlier in the pandemic they teamed up to urge Michiganders to socially distance and wash their hands properly, among other health and safety guidelines.

Wear a mask.

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Michigan State announces no new positives after latest round of COVID-19 testing

Michigan State administered 74 tests on Monday, July 6.

Michigan State University has announced another clean round of COVID-19 testing among its student-athletes and staff. It is the second time in ten days that MSU has reported zero new positive cases.

According a release from the university, 74 athletes and staff members were tested on July 6. This batch of players included incoming freshmen taking their second round of testing and the MSU hockey team.

Athletes who have tested negative twice have been cleared to resume football activities. Monday is the start of organized team activities for football. These activities were originally scheduled to be mandatory, but have been classified as voluntary by the Big Ten Conference. That announcement came last week under the umbrella of the conference moving fall sports to a conference-only schedule.

In total five Michigan State student-athletes have tested positive for the virus. The school gave no specifics to sport or gender of any of the positive results. Three of the positives came from tests administered on campus. It is not known whether those athletes who previously tested positive have recovered fully. Last week it was announced that athletes with positive cases stemming back to the original testing on June 15 had yet to test negative.

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WATCH: MSU Football assistant Darrien Harris hosts virtual ‘official’ visit

Michigan State football is looking for new ways to show the campus to recruits during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Michigan State football program has done a lot of creative work to bridge the recruiting gap during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Without the ability to formally hosts prospects on recruiting visits, MSU has turned to virtual visits, a strong graphic game, and now a virtual “official” visit hosted by former MSU linebacker and current Director of Player Engagement.

The video tour goes through the Skandalaris Football Center, Case Hall (where freshmen football players stay), the Broad School of Business, the Rock, the Spartan statue, and many other notable campus locations.

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