Sunday, July 5, 2026

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Commentary

COMMENTARY

Booers should be ashamed of selves

First, I would like to say what a shame it is that Spartans jump off the band wagon as soon as it starts falling apart. A few years ago when Bobby Williams was named football head coach, his players stood behind him and worked hard to prove all of the naysayers wrong. Williams was put under a lot of pressure to change something in a blink of an eye when it normally takes weeks or months to turn teams around. Williams is not responsible for the personal lives of the athletes.

COMMENTARY

Ferguson has odd sense for diversity

As a Hispanic MSU alumna, I have never felt I was treated unfair because I am a minority. It really upsets me that MSU Trustee Joel Ferguson would lash out at Athletics Director Ron Mason and basically call him a racist. Ferguson discusses the importance of diversity, but when he speaks of this, he only discusses one minority group. I have never heard him stand up for Hispanics, who are a larger minority than African Americans. It’s sad that this has to turn into a race issue.

COMMENTARY

Serious situation was aided by laughs

Even though I really can’t stand Nate Allen’s cartoons - which obviously are pro-Democratic and pick on a president who is, in my opinion, doing the best damn job he can - I must say that when I opened Tuesday’s paper, I had a smile on my face accompanied by a childish giggle.

COMMENTARY

Ferguson seems to be stirring trouble

I was embarrassed reading MSU Trustee Joel Ferguson’s statement that the (inevitable) dismissal of Bobby Williams boiled down to a racial issue in the article “Trustee says race played role in dismissal” (SN 11/5). Shame on him. Where else in the Big Ten has another African-American coach had the opportunity that Williams had?

COMMENTARY

Work to be done for cultural education

I have spent my entire college career educating people about multicultural organizations. Carrie Hoover’s “Separation doesn’t promote unity” (SN 10/25) and Nathan Top’s “Columnist brave to make honest points” (SN 10/28) prove I still have work to do.

COMMENTARY

Spartan drive

While lately it seems people only talk about MSU’s losses on the football field, students have the chance to collectively garner a win against the Nittany Lions. The ninth annual MSU-Penn State Blood Challenge began Monday and will run until Nov.

COMMENTARY

Unequal field

Athletics Director Ron Mason didn’t only dismiss MSU’s football coach when he fired Bobby Williams on Monday; he fired a quarter of the black head coaches in Division I-A college football. That’s because Williams was only one of four blacks among the 117 head coaches in the top tier of the game. So no one should be surprised to see questions about race arising out of the ashes of MSU’s nearly dismantled football program. MSU Trustee Joel Ferguson, who is black, was quick to come to Williams’ defense Monday, claiming the university is doing a disservice to its diversity efforts by not giving the coach the same opportunities his predecessors had to improve the football program. “Since I have been an adult, MSU has had a reputation for fairness to minorities,” Ferguson said.

COMMENTARY

Fight racism on both sides

This is in response to the many letters to the editor about racism. If you call someone a bigot because they disagree with you, does that make you a bigot?

COMMENTARY

Scrutinized search

Jamie Spencer was in-line skating at a Bay City park when police made her take a Breathalyzer test in August 2001.

COMMENTARY

Dont judge without knowing the facts

We’re so quick to judge. It’s easy to examine the few facts we’re given and jump to conclusions. I’m not making excuses for MSU junior quarterback Jeff Smoker, but I am speaking from the perspective of someone who grew up with a family member who suffered from substance abuse.

COMMENTARY

Team troubles

The Green and White is looking a little black and blue these days. But the good news is Athletics Director Ron Mason started the healing process Monday after firing Bobby Williams from his head coaching job. When asked if he had lost control of his 3-6 team, Williams told Mason, “I don’t know.” It seems Williams had. Three of four team captains have run into serious trouble this season - junior quarterback Jeff Smoker is suspended indefinably as he battles a substance abuse problem; senior tailback Dawan Moss was cut after being charged Sunday with drunken driving and eluding police; and junior center Brian Ottney was benched for foul trouble. Only senior safety Thomas Wright remains a steady figure on the field - knock on wood. But we wish the problems ended with the team’s leadership. Junior defensive end Greg Taplin was suspended from Saturday’s game against the University of Michigan for breaking unspecified team training rules and sophomores linebacker James Cooper and running back Jason Bradley quit the team voluntarily. And the rap sheet gets even longer when you factor in incidents the occurred before this season: • Sophomore defensive end Clifford Dukes found himself in court facing charges that he assaulted someone at an October 2001 fraternity party.