Michigan State passes on player media availability following upset loss to Penn State

Michigan State suffered an upset loss Tuesday after blowing a second-half lead in brutal fashion. After the loss, the Spartans made an unusual call in regards to media availability.

According to Matt Charboneau with The Detroit News and Chris Solari with The Detroit Free Press, Michigan State did not make any players available to the media after Tuesday’s loss in Happy Valley. It is a particularly odd decision after an especially disappointing loss.

Surprised, to say the least. Tom Izzo has always had his players face the media. It’s all part of the process. Today … not sure what changed https://t.co/hAZVu5nu22

— Matt Charboneau (@mattcharboneau) February 16, 2022

Checked with @joerexrode and he can’t remember Izzo never making one or two players at least available after a game. Me either, and we span almost the entirety of Izzo’s 27 seasons.

— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) February 16, 2022

To this point, no reason has been given for the change in protocol. It will be interesting to see if head coach Tom Izzo addresses the decision in the coming days.

After building a double-digit lead in the second half, the Spartans watched the Nittany Lions mount a comeback fueled by an 11-0 run. Michigan State is now 4-5 in its last 9 games with 3 losses to unranked opponents.