Senior linebacker Max Bullough sticks a rose in his mouth following the Big Ten Championship game against Ohio State on Dec. 7, 2013, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind. The Spartans defeated the Buckeyes, 34-24. Danyelle Morrow/The State News
Senior linebacker and MSU captain Max Bullough has been suspended for the remainder of the season and will not participate in the Jan. 1 Rose Bowl, according to a release from the school.
Per Dan Kilbridge of 247sports.com, Bullough did not make the journey to California with the Spartans either.
Head coach Mark Dantonio said in a statement Bullough’s suspension is a result of violating team rules. The Spartans arrived in Pasadena, Calif., on Christmas night, and the release did not specify whether or not Bullough made the trip with the team.
Dantonio’s statement is below:
“Max Bullough has been suspended for the remainder of the season for a violation of team rules. It is extremely disappointing for all parties involved. We will stay focused and close ranks as we prepare for Stanford on January 1 in the Rose Bowl. Max will forever remain a Spartan and valued member in this team’s achievements.”
The athletic department will have no further comment regarding Bullough’s suspension, per the release.
In MSU’s first Rose Bowl since 1988 and first ever BCS bowl game, it will be without its three-year starter at middle linebacker. One of the story lines heading into the 2014 season was who would replace Bullough in the middle of the Spartan defense, and it appears fans will get an early snapshot of the potential successors. Sophomores Ed Davis and Darien Harris, senior Kyler Elsworth and Max’s younger brother Riley Bullough, a redshirt freshman, are among the likely candidates to see time at middle linebacker when MSU takes on Stanford.
Bullough’s career at MSU is over and he currently is the third leading tackler on the team with 76 stops.
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