Coach Tom Izzo Calls For Political Unity After School Shooting: ‘If Michigan and Michigan St Can Be on the Same Side… Why Can’t The Rest Of Our Country?’

Michigan State’s head basketball coach Tom Izzo called for unity among politicians in Washington, D.C., after a deadly shooting on its campus.

In mid-February, a gunman shot and killed three students and injured another five before he was found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound at Michigan State’s East Lansing campus. Two days later, Izzo gave a speech on campus alongside Michigan’s Governor, Gretchen Whitmer, and the school’s President, Teresa K. Woodruff.

Izzo was a guest on Monday’s Know Mercy podcast hosted by ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, and the two discussed the basketball team’s return to play against their biggest rivals, the University of Michigan Wolverines. Izzo spoke about how emotional the game was since Michigan honored the shooting victims of Michigan State.

“It’s a hateful rivalry. It’s what rivalries are supposed to be,” Izzo said. “But I give the University of Michigan a lot of credit. Juwan Howard (Michigan head coach) called me right when it happened; they banned together. They honored us there, their big night, their big game, they wore shirts.”

Izzo revealed that he and Howard spoke to each other after the game. Izzo admitted that the two worked better together than the politicians of the United States.

“I told Juwan after, I said, ‘man, we should get our Athletic Directors and Presidents together and send them to Washington. Maybe we could get the Democrats and Republicans on the same side cause if Michigan and Michigan State can be on the same side on something like this, why can’t the rest of our country?'” Izzo said.

“Unfortunately, I think a lot of things are more political than they are, what’s right and wrong,” Izzo said. “People always say as you get older, I’m sure they do to you, ‘oh, that’s old school.’ And I would say, ‘no, it’s not old school or new school; it’s right school and wrong school.'”

Izzo told Smith that his daughter is expecting a baby soon, so now the Michigan State coach has to worry about his grandchild in school. His goal is to use his voice to help change.

“If there’s something I can do before I’m done here with the platform I have, it would be to help our young people have a better chance to do what you and I have got to do,” Izzo said.

Listen above via Know Mercy With Stephen A. Smith.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!