Commissioner Dantonio sparks draft controversy

EAST LANSING - Johnny Adams went No.1, but it was Commissioner Dantonio that made the biggest splash at Michigan State's 2011 spring player draft.

Wednesday afternoon, after all the picks had been made, Dantonio - always the draft commissioner - surveyed the draft board one last time to make sure no mistakes had been made. Players are allowed to draft who they see fit, even if the coaches would have chosen differently, but Dantonio still wants to make sure that the scrimmage is a beneficial practice and it's often the players further down the draft board that still need the most evaluation.

The dilemma arose when Dantonio realized that the green team had six defensive backs on their roster, while the white team only had four.

What transpired was the biggest uproar of the day.

Casually moving one DB from the green team to the white, Dantonio said calmly, 'Move Lippett to White'. The green team erupted like Jets fans at Radio City Music Hall. And after some serious pleading from senior safety Trenton Robinson, Dantonio moved Tony Lippett back to the team who had drafted him, restoring order in the Skandalaris meeting room. Looks like Goodell's job is safe for now.

Comparoni breaks down the draft surprisesThe Green-White game will take place Saturday, April 30 at 1:30 p.m. in Spartan Stadium. As has been the case since Dantonio arrived, the winning team will be served steak by the losing team (who will dine on pork-and-beans).

It's Dantonio-era traditions like this and the player draft that he says instills a competitiveness into an intrasquad scrimmage while at the same time brings unity.