Michigan State’s athletic department has its own uncertainty, but at least the picture is starting to come into focus. Jon Palumbo was named interim athletic director earlier this week after J Batt left for Kentucky after one season, and that at least gave Michigan State a direction, even if it’s only temporary.
Michigan, meanwhile, is still stuck in the fog.
On Sunday, word surfaced that Warde Manuel was out as Michigan’s athletic director. Then came new reporting that it wasn’t official yet.
That kind of mixed messaging only made the situation look worse, and it underscored how messy things have become in Ann Arbor. While Michigan State is moving toward the finish line on its AD change, Michigan seems to be standing at the starting line, still trying to figure out what happens next.
That uncertainty is only the latest twist in a department that has been under plenty of scrutiny. Just a few days earlier, Manuel signed basketball coach Mike Boynton Jr. to a two-year deal and removed his interim tag after Dusty May’s NBA departure. Boynton has only one NCAA Tournament appearance on his résumé and went 51-74 in Big 12 play at Oklahoma State.
For Michigan State fans, the contrast is hard to miss. They may envy the trophies, but they don’t envy the fallout.
Michigan has won a football national title and a basketball national title, but the success has come alongside a string of major problems. Jim Harbaugh and several assistants have been investigated for a cheating scandal and banned from the sport for years. May was accused of tampering after the basketball title, and the program is now dealing with the consequences of the coaching change and Boynton’s interim tag being removed.
There’s more, too. The Jeff Jackson debacle, the Sherrone Moore scandal and the Matt Weiss computer hacking scandal were all handled poorly and, in the source’s words, mostly swept under the rug.
That’s why many Michigan fans have wanted Manuel gone for years, even with the on-field and on-court success. They’ve pointed to questionable hires and a long list of scandals that have never really gone away.
Winning national titles is one thing. Winning them while leaving behind that kind of mess is another.
And for Michigan State fans, the strange comfort right now is that Michigan’s nightmare may soon be over if Manuel is fired.
In Other News...
Michigans Scandal Mess Just Took Another Ugly Turn
The fallout from Michigans sign-stealing scandal has moved into a new legal phase, with former football assistant Chris Partridge filing a federal wrongful termination lawsuit against the university and several of its top officials. The suit names former president Santa Ono and athletic director Warde Manuel, adding another layer to a mess that has already stretched well beyond the field and into the schools leadership ranks.
Partridges filing does more than challenge the decision to cut ties with him. It points to a broader internal web of issues, including claims that evidence tied to the sign-stealing matter surfaced on former assistant Matt Weisss computer and that an unnamed assistant later contacted Paige Shivers family in December, pushing them to speak publicly. For Michigan, the case threatens to keep the scandal in the headlines while raising fresh questions about who knew what, and when. [Read more 🡒]
Michigans AD Chaos Just Made Michigan States Mess Look Better
Michigans athletic department has spent plenty of time under a microscope, and the latest swirl around Warde Manuel only adds to the sense that things keep getting messier across the state line. Even before any formal announcement, the timing is awkward for a department that has already been forced to navigate one controversy after another, while also trying to steady its basketball program after Dusty Mays departure.
For Michigan State, the comparison is hard to miss. The Spartans have had their own athletic director changes to manage, but the chaos around Michigan has made their situation look a lot more orderly by contrast, especially as Manuels recent move to remove the interim tag from Mike Boynton Jr. now sits in the middle of a much bigger institutional shakeup. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Fans Suddenly Have A Huge Jon Palumbo Question
Michigan States athletic department has turned to Jon Palumbo as interim athletic director, a move that keeps him in place as CEO of Spartan Ventures while giving the school a steady hand at the top of its athletics operation. Palumbo brings a long background in athletic administration and has spent time at several universities, with a rsum that includes donor cultivation and facility work, both of which matter plenty in East Lansing as the department looks to keep momentum in those areas.
What makes the hire especially interesting is how closely Palumbos path overlaps with J Batts. The two have crossed paths at multiple stops and both have deep experience in major gifts, which suggests MSU is leaning into a familiar profile as it sorts out its next move. For now, the interim label is the headline, but the bigger question around campus is whether strong performance in the role could eventually make this more than a temporary arrangement. [Read more 🡒]