Brown is a great example of a Spartan not squandering his opportunities after leaving East Lansing.

Following a slow start to his professional career in Cleveland, Brown made his way to Los Angeles to play for the Lakers. Since his arrival, Brown appears to have found his niche and is an important role player on a team playing for its second straight NBA Championship.

In February, Brown participated in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest, although his performance was a little disappointing, it sure was great to hear nothing but good things during the All-Star Weekend about someone who used to put on a show at Breslin Center.

Keith, who played in the first Cold War game at Spartan Stadium while he was at MSU, hasn’t made a bad name for himself either. During his rookie season, Keith became an immediate contributor for the Blackhawks and was named an alternate captain after three years with the club. In 2008, he signed the most lucrative contract in Chicago’s history.

This season, as he helps the Blackhawks try to win their first Stanley Cup in almost 50 years, Keith has continued to be a quality representative of MSU hockey. After seven of Keith’s teeth were knocked out in a game against San Jose — and he returned only minutes later — ESPN NHL analyst Barry Melrose was raving about the former Spartan’s toughness, music to any MSU fan’s ears compared to news about Randolph possibly being a drug dealer.

But despite all the great things former MSU athletes are doing athletically, it’s the unsung things they continue to do in the community that should make all Spartans fans proud.

Most recently, Jason Richardson, who was a part of MSU men’s basketball’s national championship in 2000, donated $23,000 to an organization helping the earthquake relief efforts in Haiti. Richardson also has his own foundation, which does everything from providing scholarship assistance to helping other causes with which he is involved. This July, the Saginaw, Mich., native, whose Phoenix Suns were knocked out of the NBA playoffs by Brown and the Lakers, will host his seventh annual golf outing to raise money for the United Way of Saginaw County.

Former MSU hockey goalie Ryan Miller also runs a charity group, the Steadfast Foundation, which helps families of children with cancer. It became well known that Miller was a Spartan during the 2010 Winter Olympics, when he was the face of the silver medal-winning U.S. ice hockey team. His play on the ice often was overshadowed by talk of his humanitarian efforts and outgoing and friendly personality.

Morris Peterson, Richardson’s teammate on the 2000 national championship team, will put on his sixth annual MoPete Flintstone Basketball Camp in July in Flint, Mich., which is free for youths ages eight to 17 years old. Former MSU quarterback Drew Stanton will hold a golf outing this Thursday to benefit those with cystic fibrosis. The list of good deeds done by Spartans now playing professionally could go on and on.

Although plenty of one-time Spartans do a variety of things worthy of positive headlines, it’s the negative that seem to garner the most attention. Unfortunately, the bad always seems to trump the good when it comes to news, and it’s almost inevitable that the bad will come up again.

But, next time you read “Former MSU Standout in Trouble with the Law” on the front page of the newspaper, just try to remember the winners who come out of the university. Forget the losers.

Jeremy Warnemuende is a State News sports reporter, he can be reached at warnemu3@msu.edu