LISTEN TO COACH IZZO
Michigan State men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo is calling on Spartan alumni to get involved after the departures of two of the university’s top leaders.
In an interview Monday with Chris Solari of the Detroit Free Press, Izzo criticized the turmoil surrounding Michigan State University following the pending exits of President Kevin Guskiewicz and Athletic Director J Batt.
Guskiewicz is leaving MSU to become president of Clemson University. In a letter to the campus community, he cited tensions with some members of the MSU Board of Trustees as a factor in his decision.
Batt, who was hired by Michigan State last year, is leaving to become athletics director at the University of Kentucky. Kentucky announced Monday that Batt will also serve as chief executive officer of Champions Blue LLC, the school’s athletics-related business arm.
Izzo told the Free Press he is frustrated by the latest leadership changes at MSU.
“I've had it. This is self-inflicted,” Izzo said. “We just lost the best president I may have ever been here, maybe one of the best. And there's other dominoes that get affected when things go wrong like that.”
Izzo also called on MSU alumni to respond.
“The alums better stand up. That's what I'm saying, son,” Izzo said. “I'm going to ask the alums to stand up because what happened with our president is ridiculous.”
The comments come during another period of instability for Michigan State. Guskiewicz’s departure leaves MSU preparing to search for its seventh president, including interim leaders, in eight years. Batt’s exit means the university will also be looking for its third athletic director since 2021.
Guskiewicz’s exit followed public disagreements among trustees. Last week, the MSU Board of Trustees censured trustees Rema Vassar and Mike Balow after they declined to agree to an updated ethics policy that references a “duty of loyalty” and limits trustees’ ability to dissent from majority board decisions.
Izzo told the Free Press he plans to speak more publicly in the future.