MSU Coach Seemingly Takes Jab at Rival Michigan's Sign-Stealing Scandal

Michigan State is one of many schools implementing helmet communication in the wake of the NCAA's new rule allowing them to do so. Michigan's sign-stealing scandal is largely credited to the rule's passing...

Michigan State defensive coordinator Joe Rossi / Michael France

Defensive coordinator Joe Rossi is one of many this season who will have to adjust to the NCAA's new rules allowing helmet communication. Michigan State's staff has been mum on who exactly will have the green dot on defense, but there have been hints that it will likely be the middle linebacker position.

Rossi spoke to reporters on Tuesday, just days before the Spartans' season opener against Tom Herman's Florida Atlantic. He outlined the Spartans' plan for using the green dot and emphasized the numerous contingencies they have taken to get signals in to their players.

In doing so, it seemed like Rossi took a slight jab against Michigan, the Spartans' in-state rival. Michigan is still embroiled in a sign-stealing scandal involving former staffer Connor Stalions, who allegedly went to great lengths to "decipher" opposing teams signs illegally.

"If the green dot gets injured in the middle of the drive, you may not get a green dot in," Rossi said. "That's just the nature of the beast, and you'd rather have zero than have two because we don't want to get a penalty. ... There's lots of stuff going on, there's boards, there is signals, there is heiroglyphics, there is cards. You know, we've seen it last year, the extent that people go to to try to cheat. So we want to make sure that we're able to, you know, have a variety of ways to get the signals in, whether it's the earpiece whether it's the cards whether it's smoke signals. Whatever we gotta do."

In a past presser, Rossi inferred that the green dot would go to a linebacker or a position that sees the middle of the field.

"And I'm just telling you that we're rotating that through," Rossi had said. "We'll ultimately make a decision on who it's going to be a little bit later. I'm still feeling it out. It's my third day doing it. We did it in the spring a little bit, but now it's really really, you got the exact equipment that you're going to be using. In the spring, it was a little bit of 'Make it work because you found out right before spring ball.' Now, it's like, 'Hey, we got the equipment that we're going to be using,' so we're kinda feeling it out."

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