Michigan State Football Head Coach Mel Tucker was released early this year for sexual harassment. Following the release of this news, studnets at CHS expressed concerns about their connection to the football team and Michigan State’s overall success moving forward.
After a short 3-year term for the Spartans and a long 27-year coaching career in the NFL, Tucker is facing charges of sexual harassment and has been officially terminated as the Michigan State head coach.
Freshman Brady Crawford, a Michigan State fan, shows his concern for the situation: “It’s kind of a phony move; he just got hired three years ago, and now he’s getting fired.”
With Tucker being turned away from his position as head coach, many people are having concerns about the future of the Michigan State football program and what will come of it.
“Honestly, I’m not too sure what the future holds; I’m just hoping that they will do even better with the new replacement coach,” Crawford said.
Michigan fans are flying sky high on the news, with the tight rivalry between the two teams seeming easier and easier every year.
Senior Nathan Doyle claims, “Michigan State has never really had a lot of success, but with the scramble for a new coach, I could see Michigan State possibly doing worse this year.”
With the news of the coach being let go, other Michigan fans who have a different take on the situation seem to be looking on the bright side for Michigan State.
Junior Keagan McDonald is one of those people who is looking on the bright side of the program. “I feel that state could be getting a better coach; maybe they could make a better team in a few years,” Doyle said.
Another big issue caused by this news is the potential disconnection of fans from the football team due to the conflict.
“I don’t think Mel’s leaving affects us in any way, just potentially the future success of the team,” Crawford said when asked about the effects on the fans.
Even though they might not always agree, other University of Michigan fans have stated similar things about State fans.
“Maybe the brand of Michigan State itself could be hurt by association with Mel, but other than that, I find it hard to believe that diehard state fans would at all be fazed by the news,” Doyle said.
One more issue state fans could be hazing is about the charges themselves; whether or not Mel is guilty would have lasting effects on the university’s brand.
“Sexual harassment is crazy; I don’t think it will follow the team at all in the future, but it’s sad that it happened in the first place,” Crawford said.
In the end, the Michigan State football team’s future is uncertain. But it has both the University of Michigan and Michigan State University fans holding their breath and ready for the next season and the new coaching staff.
