Michigan State AD Alan Haller reportedly calls out Big Ten hypocrisy over Michigan scandal

In a similar fashion to the actions of the Big Ten football coaches, the conference’s athletic directors recently participated in a video call with league commissioner Tony Petitti, as reported by multiple sources.

According to ESPN’s account of the meeting, the athletic directors urged Petitti to take action in response to the sign-stealing scandal involving Michigan football, which is currently under investigation by the NCAA. The report also highlighted an interesting point raised by one of the athletic directors during the call.

Michigan State’s Alan Haller, as stated in Pete Thamel’s report, discussed the extensive measures his team had to take in preparation for their game against Michigan on Oct. 22. The Spartans were informed by the Big Ten that the NCAA was investigating Michigan just days before the game. Haller expressed concern about the potential for players to get hurt because the Michigan players seemed to have knowledge of their plays.

In addition to this concern, Haller also pointed out the apparent double standard in the Big Ten’s actions. He highlighted the swift disciplinary actions taken by the conference against eight Michigan State football players involved in a fight after last season’s game against Michigan. Suspensions were imposed even before the conclusion of the Big Ten and legal investigations.

According to Haller, it seemed hypocritical that the conference is now waiting for the investigation into Michigan’s sign-stealing scandal to unfold, while in the past, they had acted swiftly. The circumstances may not be entirely comparable, but Haller’s point resonated.

A similar comparison can be drawn from men’s basketball, where Michigan coach Juwan Howard was suspended for the remainder of the regular season and fined $40,000 for slapping a Wisconsin assistant coach in the handshake line after a game. The suspension and the tunnel fight incident are more alike, as both went viral, with one happening on national television. The alleged sign-stealing scandal lacks a defining moment, although the purported video showing someone in Central Michigan gear on the sideline at Spartan Stadium adds weight to the claims.

Petitti was not the commissioner during these previous incidents, but Yahoo Sports reports that the Big Ten’s sportsmanship policy empowers the commissioner to take disciplinary action if a party’s actions violate the “integrity of competition” in the “competitive arena.” The policy permits standard discipline, such as a maximum of two games suspension (usually for the head of the program) and a $10,000 fine, or major discipline, which requires approval from the Big Ten executive board of presidents.

This article initially appeared on Detroit Free Press: MSU AD Alan Haller: Hypocritical how Big Ten is handling Michigan