Michigan State coach Tom Izzo believes social media set the climate for the Marcus Smart meltdown.
The Oklahoma State star guard is set to serve a three-game suspension for shoving heckling Texas Tech fan Jeff Orr during the two team's Big 12 Conference showdown last Saturday. Smart later alleged Orr called him the N-word, but either way Izzo is convinced the incident could have been avoided if it were not for the pratfalls of social media.
"I'm a social media basher," Izzo told USA TODAY Sports. "I hate it. I don't think there's any question that everything's changed in the last three years because kids are going into these events - you never get away from it - you go there and you get chewed on and that's normal and you can take that and you get on the bus and you get chewed on by their fans or your fans. Telling a kid not to read it, is telling a kid not to breathe."
Izzo also told the newspaper he regularly talks to his players about being careful when it comes to opposing fans, but some things have simply grown out of control.
"I think it's created a whole new problem," he added. "I don't think fans are much different than they were, except maybe they're so ignorant on Twitter, that now they figure they can do a little more face-to-face. But most love hiding behind a keyboard."
He later added of Smart "I think the buildup, if you read anything into this it talked about how he was getting killed on Twitter. That pressure got to him. 'Cause that kid's a helluva kid, I know him a little bit myself. Uncharacteristic of him."
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