During his weekly press conference today, Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio was asked about the status of senior cornerback Chris L. Rucker. Dantonio refused to address the situation and also declined to answer a question about a "zero tolerance" statement he previously made.
"In both cases, I'll just not answer your question," Dantonio said. "How about that?"
Rucker missed Michigan State's last two games because of a suspension related to his drunken driving arrest. A plea bargain got the charge reduced to reckless driving, but Rucker is spending some time in jail because he violated his probation. He is set to get out Thursday, so is it possible he could play against Iowa on Saturday? It's unclear because Dantonio declined to comment, but it sounds like the door is at the very least open to the possibility.
This is just speculation on my part, but if Dantonio were going to kick Rucker off the team, he would have done it by now. And if Rucker were for sure suspended for at least one more game, that announcement would have likely been made by now. I don't know if he will actually play considering he's been away from the team for a couple weeks, but Dantonio seems to be considering reinstating his starting senior cornerback for Saturday's game. Although discipline is important, I don't know if I could blame him for making the move considering the magnitude of the Iowa game. I guess we will have to wait and see what happens for sure before making a judgment one way or the other, though.