Tom Izzo seeking solution to Michigan State leadership turmoilAdam RittenbergJun 15, 2026, 02:16 PM ETClose
- College football reporter; joined ESPN in 2008. Graduate of Northwestern University.
Longtime Michigan State men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo mentioned he is “disgusted” by the on-campus turmoil that led to the departures of the school’s president and athletic director, and he is challenging the alumni base to do something about it.
Izzo, speaking to reporters Monday, mentioned the departure of president Kevin Guskiewicz to Clemson after two years is “ridiculous” and was fueled by clashes and unrest within the board of trustees. Two weeks after Guskiewicz’s departure, Michigan State athletic director J Batt left Monday for the same role at Kentucky after only a year in East Lansing.
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“There’s other dominos that get affected when things go wrong like that,” Izzo mentioned. “I’m very upset about it, and I’m sick of it.”
Izzo has led the Michigan State men’s basketball team since 1995, following 12 years as a Spartans assistant, and won a national title in 2000. He called Guskiewicz “the best president that’s ever been here, maybe” and mentioned that his departure stems from what Izzo described as “self-inflicted” problems.
In a letter to the Michigan State community last month following his selection at Clemson, Guskiewicz mentioned an “unsustainable situation” created by differing perspectives among board members, some of whom have criticized major initiatives such as Spartan Ventures, the independent corporation Batt established to boost athletic revenue.
“At times, too much energy has been spent revisiting past conflicts and internal disagreements rather than focusing collectively on the opportunities and aspirations ahead of us,” Guskiewicz wrote in his May 27 letter. “While I firmly believe we are all better when there is a diversity of viewpoints informing decisions, our ability to make meaningful progress is hampered when disagreements move from offering alternative perspectives into publicly undermining decisions and putting personal interests above the best interests of the university and our faculty, staff and students.”
Days before Guskiewicz took the Clemson job, Michigan State’s trustees voted to strengthen their code of ethics, which included an item about not sharing confidential information with unauthorized people who could disclose it publicly. Trustees Rema Vassar and Mike Balow voted against the ethics revision and were censured last week.
Izzo told reporters that he would have more to say later about the situation but was visibly upset and repeatedly challenged Michigan State’s large alumni base to “start rallying together.”
“What happened with our president is ridiculous,” Izzo mentioned. “He mentioned it, we know the reasons, and I’m ashamed and disgusted, hurt.
“Spartan Nation better stand up, all 600,000 of them.”
Guskiewicz, who will remain in his role until Michigan State has a plan for an interim president or a permanent successor, mentioned in a statement Monday that he is working on naming an interim athletic director and outlining a search process for Batt’s replacement. Former Michigan State athletic director Mark Hollis told several media outlets Monday that he would be interesting in returning to the role.
Hollis, serving as tournament director for the PGA’s Rocket Classic, led Michigan State’s athletic department from 2008 until early 2018, when he resigned amid the Larry Nassar sexual abuse scandal.
