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Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo has been known to get visibly angry with his players during his years in East Lansing, but what happened Monday night against USC was different.
Izzo unleashed his frustration on a former player.
During the Spartans’ 80-51 blowout of the Trojans, Izzo was seen unloading on former Michigan State center Paul Davis, who played for the team from 2002 to 2006, after he caused a disturbance in the stands.
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Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans reacts to a call during a game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the first half at Pinnacle Bank Arena on January 2, 2026, in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Steven Branscombe/Getty Images)
Referees singled out Davis, who was a spectator, from his courtside seat after he was among many in the building who disagreed with a call in the second half. Davis stood up and yelled at referee Jeffrey Anderson.
Anderson responded with a loud whistle, stopping play and pointing at Davis. Anderson then approached Izzo to explain what happened, and the 70-year-old coach became furious.
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First, he gestured toward Davis and it was clear he asked his former center, “What the fuck are you doing?”
Davis was greeted by someone who asked him to leave his seat, and that’s when Izzo went crazy. He yelled “Get out of here!” to Davis, who appeared to gesture toward Izzo, perhaps apologizing for disrupting the game.
Izzo was asked about Davis’ ejection after the game.
“What he said, he should never say it anywhere in the world,” Izzo responded when asked what happened. “That bothered me. So, just because it’s been 25 or 20 years, I’m going to have to call him tomorrow and tell him what I thought about it. And you know what he’ll say? ‘I was wrong, coach. I’m sorry.'”
Izzo quickly clarified that what Davis said “wasn’t a racial thing” and “wasn’t a sexual thing.”
Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo protests a call that benefited the Iowa Hawkeyes during the first half at the Jack Breslin Student Events Center on Dec. 2, 2025. (Dale Young/Image Images)
“It was a mistake to say and I’ll leave it at that.”
Davis later met with reporters Tuesday and apologized for his actions.
“I’m not here to make excuses. I’m here to take responsibility, to own it,” Davis said. It was a mistake that will never happen again. “It was a mistake that’s not me, but unfortunately last night it was.”
Izzo said Davis was one of his “favorite guys” during his time playing for the Spartans. He had a breakout sophomore campaign with 15.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and two assists per game in 30 starts for Izzo during the 2003-04 season.
Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans reacts during a game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the second half at Pinnacle Bank Arena on January 2, 2026, in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Steven Branscombe/Getty Images)
As a senior, Davis averaged a career-high 17.5 points in 33 games.
The Los Angeles Clippers selected him in the second round of the 2006 NBA Draft. Davis played only four seasons in the league, the last with the Washington Wizards.
