Terry Foster: Dantonio Didn't Hang Up Fast Enough During Radio Interview
By Terry Foster
@TerryFoster971
Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio made one major mistake when he hung up on the hosts of FOX Sports Daybreak.
He didn't hang up the phone hard enough. He did not hang up the phone loud enough.
Host Mike North and Andy Furman played amateur radio when they fumbled through an eight-minute interview with Dantonio.
They began the interview by asking Dantonio if Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh was in his head? The first question? Really?
Here is a guarantee. If MSU beats Harbaugh three times in a row no one will ask Harbaugh if Dantonio is inside Harbaugh's head. And if Dantonio answered that Harbaugh was in his head he should immediately be fired.
This was a total disrespect of MSU's program. The hosts obviously knew nothing about the Spartans. Instead they ask a tired question about Connor Cook not being a captain. That story has been trampled to death.
It is time to move on.
Then Dantonio was asked if he and basketball coach Tom Izzo eat pasta together. So let me get this straight. Italians eat pasta and pizza. Do you think they'd ask Lovie Smith if he shared some fried chicken and collard greens with Tony Dungy lately?
I don't think so.
Michigan State is not as high profile and in your face as Michigan, except on the field where they win. The Wolverines have dominated the news with satellite camps and the shenanigans of Harbaugh. Meanwhile low key Dantonio has gone about the business of building a top 10 program that routinely wins 10 or more games.
They never asked about the Spartan program until North asked Dantonio if there were any injuries and who is the new kid in town behind center. When was the last time a football coach volunteered an injury report on national radio? And if you want to call a fifth-year senior the new kid in town, go for it. It was an amateur interview and Dantonio hung up.
He just didn't slam the phone down loud enough and soon enough.
(Foster can be reached at Terry.Foster@cbsradio.com)