“Earned, not given.”<\/p>\n
That’s a phrase that Mark Dantonio undoubtedly muttered a number of times when he was still the head coach of Michigan State football<\/a>. And it’s a phrase that has stuck with a number of his former players.<\/p>\n When it pertains to Michigan State, the label ‘Spartan Dawg’ is earned and not given. You don’t just commit to Michigan State and get that label, you commit, give 3-4 years of your playing career, and then help build the culture on and off the field. You don’t transfer at the first bag thrown at you nor do you even slightly consider taking a visit to your rival after hitting the portal — or ever.<\/p>\n The term ‘Spartan Dawg’ has lost a lot of its luster over the past few years, and former players have noticed.<\/p>\n In fact, the term ‘SD4L’ replaced it under Mel Tucker, but Tony Lippett, RJ Shelton, and Felton Davis III made sure everyone knew on Wednesday that not everyone who plays for Michigan State is automatically a ‘Spartan Dawg’.<\/p>\n No, it has to be earned.<\/p>\n So when Lippett found out that Jaden Mangham was taking a visit to Michigan next weekend after hitting the transfer portal, he didn’t hold back in his opinion on the topic: “He can go.”<\/p>\n Davis and Shelton echoed the same sentiments and even got into it a little bit with Mangham’s older brother, Jalen, who seemed to be on a social media rampage on Wednesday. The former Spartans’ opinions on the Mangham-to-Michigan visit were deemed irrelevant by Jaden’s older brother, but Davis had this to say which really opened my eyes to how bad the culture got under Tucker.<\/p>\n That\u2019s the problem for sure . We paid our dues to the OGs that came before us . They showed us the foundation what it meant to wear and be a spartan \u2026 so anything MSU is our business tbh \ud83d\ude02 https:\/\/t.co\/HxnbwSszEM<\/a><\/p>\n — Felton Davis III (@TheFreak_18) May 8, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n