Michigan State defenseman A.J. Sturges (above) was hospitalized following a house party brawl last two weekends ago that allegedly involved members of the MSU football team.  After the Detroit News’ Rob Parker appeared on local TV claiming MSU quarterback Kirk Cousins was involved in the fight, Parker is now retracting his statement. From Wednesday’s Detroit News :

“I was wrong. I apologize,” Parker said of the report. Parker is a sports columnist for The News, but his appearance on WDIV Channel 4 is independent of the newspaper. The information never was published by The Detroit News.

“I have reached out to the student-athlete’s family and apologized. They have accepted. I also apologize to the Michigan State community.”

Police have only said “multiple MSU student-athletes” were involved in a series of incidents during the late hours of Oct. 18 and morning of Oct. 19 that hospitalized a hockey player identified as A.J. Sturges.

Despite Parker’s mea culpa, The World Of Issac considers this latest offense just part of an established pattern of Spartan-hate on the journalist’s part.

Rob Parker’s history with MSU athletics is not pristine to say the least. From my recollection, twice in the past, he was not only wrong but severely wrong about a story.

1. He claimed MSU Sophomore Paul Davis was a done deal to the NBA and that Coach Izzo had been told. Davis’ dad came out and refuted this saying none of that was true. Davis went on to play 4 years at MSU.

2. Again, another issue with the MSU basketball program. Brandon Cotton, a player who had transferred out of MSU to University of Detroit was given an outright release. Rob Parker claimed that Izzo didn’t sign the requisite papers because he was bitter at him leaving and Cotton would not get an extra year of eligibility. The story turned out to be completely false and Cotton played till the end of his eligibility.

So it seems, outside looking in, that Parker either a) has a grudge with MSU or b) fabricates stories to get listeners/readers.