Despite the rumors, Urban Meyer isn’t going to be the next head football coach at Michigan State. Despite logic, let’s not act like Michigan State hasn’t turned itself into a place where many would welcome him with open arms. Drawing the line at Meyer after employing Larry Nassar and Mel Tucker isn’t proof that things have changed — it’s an example of how low the bar is in East Lansing.
On Tuesday, Bernie Fratto — a FOX Sports radio national host — reported that his best mole told him that Urban Meyer would interview with Michigan State for their head coaching position. “Stay tuned. Yes, it’s real. It’s possible. He has a lot of backers, so we’ll see where this goes,” he posted.
By Wednesday, The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman took to social media to refute Fratto’s news. “About the ‘reports’ linking Urban Meyer to the Michigan State HC job… I just checked with him. There is zero truth to it with him being a candidate for it. He has no interest in that, and is happy with what he’s doing now at Fox Sports,” he posted.
Fratto then doubled down on social media inferring that Meyer was indeed in East Lansing this week.
Maybe Meyer was there and possibly interviewed. Maybe he was doing something for FOX Sports. Maybe he wasn’t there at all and this has been the latest internet rumor that was fueled by a media member posing as a journalist. Or maybe, it’s the latest example of just how bad things have gotten on that campus.
It’s not your fault if people make up lies about you. But, if you subscribe to the theory that every lie has some truth to it, it means you’ve set a foundation. And when you’ve failed at the handlings of Nassar and Tucker, the idea that Meyer could be employed by the same school isn’t too far-fetched.
“Regarding the search, we will thoroughly evaluate and do everything required to find the right individual to lead the Spartan football program,” Michigan State Alan Haller recently wrote in a public letter. “Throughout the process, I won’t be able to provide many updates. I realize that our community has a tremendous passion for Spartan football and that there’s a great desire for more information about this process. However, privacy is important to attract top-caliber candidates, most of whom are involved in their own current seasons. I expect that you will hear a lot of names and rumors. I expect to speak with many individuals throughout this process. While some are candidates, others will be resources for me as I go about my due diligence to ensure the best hire for Michigan State.”
Without getting into what’s already transpired with Tucker and Nassar — as this site has covered it extensively — the idea that Meyer would even be interested in Michigan State is a pipedream, for multiple reasons.
For one, Michigan State isn’t a “football school,” which is where Meyer has spent the majority of his collegiate career coaching i.e. Utah, Florida, and Ohio State. Two, Michigan State isn’t good enough for Meyer to consider them. Despite his morals, he’s a legendary college coach, and there has never been anything legendary about Michigan State football. And lastly — without getting into how laughable his short stint as an NFL coach was — let’s not forget what happened the last time Meyer was employed on a college campus. He was suspended and then fired retired due to “health reasons” as being a longtime domestic abuser protector is what ended his collegiate career — which is the last thing Michigan State needs in an overpaid coach immediately following an overpaid coach who was fired, with cause, for sexual harassment allegations against a rape survivor.
The world of college football is a wild place. Crazy things happen every Saturday on the field and at tailgate. Rumors running amok are a part of that, meaning that we may never know if Urban Meyer was truly in play in East Lansing. But, what we do know is that if the brass at Michigan State are bothered by the idea that someone like Meyer was tied to them, then Michigan State has to stop finding itself as a usual suspect when bad things happen on college campuses.