Tom Izzo: ‘I’ve had players in tears because of what’s written’ on Twitter

Social media has been great because it gives fans of sports, music, television, art, etc an outlet to express their opinion on just about anything under the sun. Twitter, in particular has been a popular outlet for fans of sport to express themselves in a predominantly negative manner and that has Tom Izzo having to deal with some upset Michigan State Spartans.

"“It doesn’t matter what you tweet. It’s what you read,” Izzo said on Mike & Mike on Monday. “That’s what I keep telling my guys. We can control what they tweet, to a certain extent. They’re going to get frustrated sometimes and probably say something stupid. But it’s what they read. If somebody’s writing stuff about your daughter when she’s in high school, I’ll bet you look at it a little differently. I’ve had grown men (my players) in my office in tears because of what’s being written. That’s what brings the frustration level.”"

While Izzo can control to a degree what his players say on Twitter, he can’t control what is being read. After starting the season with a win in 17 of the team’s first 18 games, the Spartans have dropped three of their last five, including a last-second loss at Wisconsin on Sunday.

It may be a good time to stay off the Internet for a few days for the Spartans to avoid having any more heartache.