Tom Izzo sure took a lot of crap from people after his infamous "jersey-tug" on Denzel Valentine during the late stages of a tough game last month. Sure, Valentine had just passed the ball behind his back and out of bounds. True, the Spartan Head Coach had known the sophomore player since he was born. And yes, Izzo actually recruited and coached Denzel's father, Carlton Valentine, who is taking time out of his own coaching career to stay close to the Spartan program while his son is playing.
Did I mention that Denzel's older brother Drew is now employed by Izzo and sits behind the team bench during games? Are you getting the idea that the Valentines and the Izzos are practically "family"?
None of these special indicators of an especially close relationship stopped multiple sports media outlets from over-focusing on the "jersey-tug" and exaggerating its importance while distorting its meaning. In short, the Mainstream Media once again took a cheap shot to villify Michigan State by picking on our best coach.
But Izzo gave Valentine a hug last night and nobody noticed. They didn't notice because nobody reported on it. The same Mainstream Media that denigrated Coach Izzo for his "mistreatment" of a player ignored his public display of affection for that same player a few weeks later. It's like it didn't happen.
Or to be clear, in the media world, it's like one thing happened and the other thing didn't. Except that they both actually happened.
When will the Mainstream Media quit picking on Michigan State? Tom Izzo earned the right in many ways over many years to have a relationship with Denzel Valentine without sports reporters distorting it to the public. There is a lot of love between Izzo and his players, and that's a story you could write about every day.
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