As Michigan State prepares to face Ohio State in their Big Ten opener, Spartans head coach Mark Dantonio has banned his players from talking to the media in the days leading up to Saturday’s game.
The reason?
Dantonio wants his players focused totally the game and not what’s said in the media.
Some members of the media however believe that this is an unnecessary move by the head coach. In fact Chris Vaninni of Mlive.com believes it’s an unnecessary ploy that big programs simply do not do.
Now, I don’t want this to turn into a bit where it looks like I’m whining. It’s obvious why Dantonio did this. He doesn’t want his players – especially the 25 Ohio natives – to say something stupid, like Marcus Rush kind of did on Saturday .
This is a big game. It’s a road game, it’s the Big Ten opener, it’s the beginning of a gauntlet of a conference schedule, and it’s Ohio State – the only Big Ten team Dantonio hasn’t beaten (other than Nebraska).
But if State wants to be a big-time program, and wants people talking about them – like they did in the preseason – they can’t hide from the spotlight. There are plenty of coaches and athletes who would rather not have to deal with media, but they realize the media’s duty and role and respect it.
The bottom line is that so far this season Michigan State hasn’t played nearly as well as they could be. Kirk Cousins hasn’t looked right so far, the offensive line isn’t up to par and the special teams play has been very poor. With that said Mark Dantonio needs to do anything he can to get an advantage with his players and win this Big Ten opener Saturday. Even if that means preventing his players from talking to the media.
Re: Mlive.com