EAST LANSING, MI – Tom Izzo asked permission to enter Michigan State’s football locker room after the losses to Illinois and Northwestern, then found a corner where he could stand and watch.
To him, there was value in being there without having to run the meeting, deliver the message, or decide what came next. He could study the coach and then watch the players absorb another difficult night.
Pat Fitzgerald kept his remarks short both times. Afterward, position coaches gathered their players for smaller conversations, each lasting a few minutes.
Izzo paid attention to all of it. Then he watched the players with one another.
Would someone throw a helmet? Would frustration turn into blame? How would a team enduring a season like this handle another loss?
