Michigan State's bowl hopes might be in jeopardy.
LANSING, Mich. -- A campus fight involving Michigan State football
players and fraternity members could affect the Spartans' bowl
destination.
Alamo Bowl officials said Friday they are monitoring
fallout from the Nov. 22 incident that has led to the dismissal of two
Michigan State players and the suspension of eight others for a
violation of team rules. No charges have been filed, but police are
still investigating the fight at a campus residence hall.
Rick
Hill, the Alamo Bowl's vice president of marketing, said the incident
is one of several factors that will be discussed before selections are
announced Sunday. Hill said it's not clear how much weight the
selection committee will give to the incident.
"There's all kind of variables that could happen and the
incident at Michigan State is one," Hill said. "We'll just let it
develop out and get all of the information we can and present it to our
selection committee on Sunday, along with other factors."
Michigan State officials are keeping both the Alamo and Insight bowls updated.
"[Athletic
Director] Mark Hollis has kept the executive directors of both bowls
fully apprised and has been frequently and openly talking with them
about our process," said Terry Denbow, a spokesman for the university
in East Lansing. "I think they have full confidence in our process and
in any decisions that could emanate from it."
The Alamo Bowl
could be looking at either Michigan State or Minnesota -- both 6-6 --
as its Big Ten representative. The other team in the Alamo Bowl will
come from the Big 12.
How well fans of particular Big Ten team
would travel to the Jan. 2 game in San Antonio is an important
consideration for the bowl committee.
The Insight Bowl in Tempe,
Ariz., selects a Big Ten team after the Alamo Bowl has made a
selection. The Alamo Bowl has higher team payouts and better television
exposure.
Karl Price of Louisville, Ky., national president of
Iota Phi Theta fraternity, said the dispute started with a run-in
between a few football players and members of the fraternity at an East
Lansing nightclub on Nov. 21.
One night later, Michigan State
held its annual football awards banquet. Roughly 90 minutes after it
ended, a group of players allegedly went across the street to Rather
Hall, where the fraternity was wrapping up a potluck dinner in the dorm
lounge.
Versions of what happened next vary. Some have said 15 or
more people -- some wearing ski masks -- got involved in a large but
brief fight. Others say there were no ski masks and that most in
attendance were just bystanders.
Campus police have not said if
any injuries resulted from the altercation. Iota Phi Theta said one of
its members was treated at a hospital.
Michigan State has not provided details about the level of involvement players may have had in the incident.
Coach Mark Dantonio dismissed running back
Glenn Winston
and defensive back Roderick Jenrette from the team a few days after the
incident. Both were out of the lineup with season-ending injuries.
Eight
other players were suspended pending the outcome of the police
investigation, which is expected to conclude next week. Among the
players are three starters: defensive back Chris L. Rucker and
receivers
B.J. Cunningham and
Mark Dell.
It's not known if the players might be reinstated for a bowl game.
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