Mel Tucker took the podium on Monday following the team’s game against Michigan on Saturday and ahead of the upcoming game against the Illinois Fighting Illini.
There was a lot to discuss for Mel Tucker in this press conference, including the fallout from the altercation with the University of Michigan and how his team will bounce back this weekend against Illinois.
See everything Mel Tucker had to say in his weekly press conference:
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Mel Tucker begins his presser by saying “the incident involving a small group of our players do not represent our culture.”
He says he made a decision to suspend players based on what he saw in the videos. The players will not be able to attend practices, meetings or games.
— Graham Couch (@Graham_Couch) October 31, 2022
Mel Tucker was asked how he determined the punishment of suspending four players.
He reviewed the video evidence and all the other information he had available to him and made the decision.
“You know there was a lot that went in to it.”
— Audrey Dahlgren (@AudreyDahlgren) October 31, 2022
Tucker on the actions of Saturday: "They are unacceptable. It's also very important to say we honor the traditions of the Big Ten conference, including the MSU-Michigan rivalry game." Says "we are very sorry to both universities" alums, fans, etc.
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) October 31, 2022
Tucker: "Out of the respect for our respect for the integrity of the investigation. It would be irresponsible for me to comment further."
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) October 31, 2022
Tucker says he was one of the last from MSU coming off the field and all of the players were ahead of him. "I was pulling up the rear." Said he was made aware after he addressed the team on what happened before his press conference, gathered info Sunday morning.
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) October 31, 2022
Tucker: "Obviously, we're sorry for what happened. We're moving forward the best we can."
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) October 31, 2022
Tucker: "Obviously, we're sorry for what happened. We're moving forward the best we can."
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) October 31, 2022
Tucker said he addressed his team today before practice about the incident then moved on to Illinois.
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) October 31, 2022
Tucker said there are investigations going on with the fan who reached down and touched him in the head as he entered the Michigan Stadium tunnel.
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) October 31, 2022
Tucker: "We're laser-focused on Illinois. That was a big part of our message this morning."
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) October 31, 2022
Tucker: "We're choosing to move forward and work every day to get better in everything that we're doing. There's actually no other choice to be made with how we proceed."
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) October 31, 2022
Tucker: "In coaching, like in life, there's always things that come up." Says he always "believes in doing the right thing and taking the right next step."
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) October 31, 2022
Tucker says MSU had a "very focused practice today, the meetings were clean and crisp." Calls it one of the best practices of the season.
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) October 31, 2022
Tucker on replacing Grose and Young, calls it a "next-man-up mentality for us."
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) October 31, 2022
Tucker: "We're not here to make any excuses about the behaviors. We're gonna be accountable and transparent. … We're gonna continue to learn as we go and work every single day to get better."
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) October 31, 2022
Tucker says he sees MSU's defense improving the past two games.
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) October 31, 2022
Tucker says they're playing better on defense because of all the work they've put in and getting injured players back.
— Matt Wenzel (@mwenzel2) October 31, 2022
Tucker on MSU's offense says he didn't see structural problems in the second half, feels it was physical or mental errors that hurt the Spartans.
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) October 31, 2022
Mel Tucker hasn’t watched any Illinois film.
“I have not watched one play. I have some catching up to do.”
His staff has and he’s relying on them right now and he hasn’t due to “priorities.”
We all know what those are.
— Audrey Dahlgren (@AudreyDahlgren) October 31, 2022
