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Switching sides: Shunned by the university, former MSU student and rapper Tee Grizzley throws support at Michigan

Dustin Schutte

By Dustin Schutte

Published:

In the state of Michigan, you’re either a Spartan or a Wolverine. You don’t see many fans switching loyalties, regardless of circumstances.

That’s not the case for former Michigan State student and rapper Tee Grizzley, though. He’s gone from a former Spartan to throwing his support at Juwan Howard and the University of Michigan.

Over the weekend, Grizzley posted a picture on Twitter posing with Howard, who was introduced as the new basketball coach at Michigan earlier in the week. Grizzley also had a message for his former school regarding his loyalty.

“Michigan State don’t want me there so I been hanging at UofM,” Grizzley wrote.

Grizzley was a student at Michigan State a few years ago, but he and friend Jeremy Christopher Ford were jailed for home invasions at Hubbard Hall. Grizzley — whose legal name is Terry Wallace — spent three years in prison and was released in October 2016.

After his release, Grizzley had a hit song “First Day Out,” which hit No. 48 on the Billboard Hot 100. His song gained plenty of attention and earned support from longtime rap and hip hop artist Jay-Z, as well as NBA star LeBron James.

In recent years, Grizzley reached out to the victims of the robbery, offering to reimburse them. Some reached out to the rapper and some items have been returned. According to 247Sports, the police investigation estimated that $10,000 was taken in case and another $10,000 in electronics.

Though Grizzley has attempted to reconcile with the university, he’s still permanently banned from the Michigan State campus.

Grizzley appears to be welcome on Michigan’s campus though, and the university appears to have gained another prominent fan.

 

Dustin Schutte

Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB