Michael Cohen
College Football and College Basketball Writer
Michigan State University will resume athletic competition this weekend for all sports, home and away, after a multi-day pause in the wake of a mass shooting that killed three students and wounded five others on campus on Monday night.
The school’s decision to return to play, which stemmed from discussions with mental health professionals, university leadership, student-athletes and athletic department staff, was announced in a news release Thursday afternoon.
“The safety and physical and mental well-being of our students and staff is the primary focus of Michigan State athletics,” athletic director Alan Haller said in the release. “In consultation with mental health professionals and in conversations with our student-athletes it became apparent that a return to practice and competition is a crucial part of their recovery. Student-athletes were given an active voice in the decision to return to competition, as well as the autonomy to make their own individual choices about participation.
“Athletics can be a rallying point for a community in need of healing, a fact many of our student-athletes have mentioned to me. The opportunity to represent our entire community has never felt greater. I also recognize that everyone grieves in their own unique manner, and there are some who aren’t ready to return to athletic events. Those feelings are incredibly valid, and as Coach [Tom] Izzo so eloquently stated last night, I hope that we will all focus on taking care of one another.”
Izzo will bring his men’s basketball program to Ann Arbor on Saturday for a date with archrival Michigan, which has lent its support to the MSU community throughout the week. The Wolverines announced Thursday they plan to recognize the victims and the Michigan State community during a series of tributes at Crisler Center on Saturday. Those gestures, according to the school, will include:
— Specially-designed warm-up shirts
— The distribution of 2,000 T-shirts for the Maize Rage student section
— A pregame moment of silence
— A 12-foot-by-8-foot “Spartan Strong” flag to be displayed in the student section
— The playing of Michigan State’s alma mater by the U-M pep band
— Green and white lighting during the moment of silence using LED wristbands distributed to fans in attendance
“Our hearts are heavy,” Izzo said in a vigil held on campus Wednesday night. “Our loss has been great. Our lives have been permanently changed. With a shared commitment to help each other and a promise to remember those we have lost, we will find joy again.”
The game is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on FOX.
Michael Cohen covers college football and basketball for FOX Sports with an emphasis on the Big Ten. Follow him on Twitter @Michael_Cohen13.
Related:
- Tom Izzo speaks at vigil for Michigan State shooting victims
- Draymond Green among Michigan State alums to react to shooting
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