On Monday, No. 12 Michigan State came out ready to play and destroyed USC 80-51. However, the game was disrupted when head coach Tom Izzo had former player Paul Davis ejected from the stands for calling out the referees.
Later, Izzo said he was “ticked off” by Davis' actions toward the referees, particularly toward referee Jeff Anderson, whom he was hurling verbal insults at.
On Tuesday, Davis officially issued an apology for his actions, per Jacob Cotsonika of Sports Illustrated. Furthermore, Davis was front and center with Izzo at his side before the media, per Andrew Brewster of Spartan Wire.
“Yesterday shouldn’t have happened, but today should have happened.” Apologized to the refs and said he spoke with Jeff Anderson this morning as well. Also apologized to MSU players for being a distraction from their season.” Davis said per Chris Solari of the Detroit Free Press.
Paul Davis offered an apology after being ejected from the stands during last night’s game vs. USC: pic.twitter.com/4SDA5MSeO7
— Jacob Cotsonika (@jacobcotsonika) January 6, 2026
Davis, 41, played for Michigan State from 2002-2006. He joined the team two years after the Spartans won the National Championship. In 2005, Davis helped lead Michigan State to the Final Four.
Later on, Davis was drafted by the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2006 NBA Draft. Since 1995, Izzo has been the head coach at Michigan State. He has led them to eight Final Fours, 11 Big Ten regular-season championships, and six Big Ten conference tournament titles.
On Thursday, the Spartans will take on Northwestern. Currently, they hold a record of 13-2 and 3-1 in the Big Ten.
Last season, the Spartans finished 30-7 and won the Big Ten regular-season title. Eventually, they made it to the Elite Eight before losing to Auburn 70-64.
