Tom Izzo sounded off Monday, saying he’s “disgusted” by the administrative drama at Michigan State that led to the recent departure of the university’s president and athletic director.
“I can’t stand what’s going on,” the longtime MSU men’s basketball coach told reporters. “I’ve had it. This is self-inflicted. We just lost the best president to ever be here, maybe. One of the best. … I’m very upset about it, and I’m sick of it.”
Strong words from Tom Izzo about the current state of MSU. pic.twitter.com/TBLqyGSYdx
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) June 15, 2026
Former MSU president Kevin Guskiewicz announced his departure for Clemson last month after barely more than two years on the job, citing frustration with an elected board of trustees that has played a role in numerous internal controversies in recent years. Then on Monday, athletic director J Batt accepted the same role at Kentucky, one year after arriving in East Lansing. Batt’s $5 million buyout dropped in half when Guskiewicz announced his departure, opening a door for him to leave.
MSU is now searching for its fourth athletic director since 2021 and its fourth president since 2022, including interim stints. On Monday, Izzo said he would speak more on the university’s issues at a later date.
“I’ll go into why when I decide to say something in the near future,” he said. “I think 600,000 living alums better start rallying together. If there’s ever a time that we need to rally together, it’s now.
“I’m not an alum,” Izzo continued. “I’m a very invested stakeholder, but the alums better stand up. I’m going to ask the alums to stand up because what happened with our president is ridiculous. He said it. We know the reasons. I’m ashamed. I’m disgusted, hurt. But we’ll see what the Spartan Nation feels. Spartan Nation better stand up.”
The board roles at MSU, Michigan and Wayne State universities are elected statewide. In the wake of Guskiewicz’s departure, numerous state officials, including Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, called for a change to the board selection process. But a resolution that would have put such a change on the ballot and given appointment power to the governor fell short last week in the Michigan House of Representatives.
Spartan Ventures, the nonprofit affiliate that Guskiewicz and Batt created to supplement athletics funding with a for-profit arm, announced Monday it would move forward with its planned July 1 launch. The MSU board pushed back on efforts to establish the organization, but ultimately approved it late last year. At Kentucky, not only was Batt announced as athletic director, but also as CEO of its athletics LLC.
