Joe Moorhead comments on post-practice altercation involving QB Garrett Shrader
It’s official: Tommy Stevens will start at quarterback for Mississippi State in the Music City Bowl.
Bulldogs head coach Joe Moorhead confirmed that Stevens would start while speaking with the media on Thursday. He also said that Garrett Shrader, who was originally expected to start, is “doubtful to out” with an upper-body injury.
It was previously reported that Shrader suffered that injury during a post-practice altercation with a teammate. Moorhead said no players would be suspended for Monday’s game.
“We’re masters at dealing with adversity this season,” Moorhead told the media. “This is just another opportunity for us to get better.”
Stevens has passed for 934 yards, nine touchdowns and five interceptions in eight games for the Bulldogs this season. Moorhead stated that Keytaon Thompson would serve as Stevens’ backup in the Music City Bowl.
Although Shrader won’t play again this season, the true freshman had a solid first year at Mississippi State. He passed for 1,170 yards, eight touchdowns and five interceptions in 10 games.
Mississippi State and Louisville are set to kick off at 4 p.m. ET on Monday on ESPN.
“We’re masters at dealing with adversity this season,” Moorhead told the media. “This is just another opportunity for us to get better.”
Sorry, Joe. You can put lipstick on a pig but its still a pig.
I found it funny, that Joe couldn’t even own up to the fact he sent Schader home…so no its “not doubtful to out” he is out and at home in NC.
LongBeach…great line ! I love it. this guy has zero control of his players…and MSU is still paying him ?
Isn’t the guys orbital bone broken? WTH man?
I expect to see KT before the 1st quarter ends…we’ll be lucky if Stevens even makes it to the field without getting hurt.
^ I hope so!
Unfortunately JoMo would rather forfeit than play Thompson!!
Yes it is and Schrader was sent home. Gay is still going and getting bowl swag. Is shows the complete lack of integrity by our HC and highlights the total lack of discipline our players have under Joe.
“This is just another opportunity for us to get better.”
Indeed it is, Joe. Just admit that you’re drowning in shallow water and resign so State can get a competent head coach and “get better”.
He’s not going to resign. Moorehead hasn’t a good gig that pays good and he’s going to milk it. My question is, why does Cohen keep giving Moorehead contract extensions instead of doing his job and firing Moorehead? Quite frankly, all that’s happened should be cause to fire Moorehead without a buyout. Does Moorehead have to literally set fire to the building to get his walking papers? Apparently destroying the FB program isn’t enough by itself. What the hell is wrong with Cohen?
If Moorhead isn’t publicly admonished and fined or fired for allowing the situation to occur and then not following title IX protocols, then it may be time to find an AD who wants to run a tight ship and have winning but disciplined programs. Gay shouldn’t be in Nashville with the team. He should be in Starkville waiting for his university disciplinary hearing to see if he is expelled from the university. Gay has done more to hurt the team this year than help it. Moorhead keeps facilitating his bad boy behavior…Gay only gets punished when Joe is forced from above to do so.
I agree that Gay should be punished and shouldn’t be playing in the bowl game. As an African American man who matriculated through Starkville in the 80’s there were several occasions I had to put the credo “Sticks and Stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me” to the test. If the rumor is true, I’m disappointed that Gay struck and injured someone that is both a teammate and a vital component to the success of his team. There is no validation of JoMo’s decisions to let Gay play and send Shrader home in my book; but this pattern is consistent with Shrader’s rumored use of a derogative which led to the punch as witnessed by several other players (i.e. off-setting penalties because both parties were in the wrong and the injury is not reviewable -AND- with an injured Shrader being sent home and Gay being allowed to play there is no reason for any players witness to the incident saying anything).
I’m curious how JoMo would have played this had Mr. Gay been man enough to just report whatever statement(s) he found to be offensive or derogatory to the coaching staff (which probably would have been accompanied by a few complaints logged by other players). Possibly a team apology by Shrader (which will probably still happen if the rumor is true and JoMo wants Shrader to be the future leader he sees him to be) and maybe he would have sat out the first offensive series of the bowl game. When this type of incident occurred for the Hurricanes, Seminoles and USC Trojans they kept their HC because they were winning. I would prefer State foster a Clean Winning Program, but if we’re not winning we better be Clean!
I’m not sure I understand your point vis-à-vis off-setting penalties. Are you saying it’s ok to respond to someone insulting you with physical violence, or did I miss the point?
@BillBrocius I’m definitely not saying it’s okay to respond to insults with violence and I stated above that “I’m disappointed that Gay struck and injured someone….”. My point was that JoMo’s decisions concerning this altercation (i.e. allowing Gay to play and sending Shrader home) comes across like he is awarding off-setting penalties to each such that neither party will be disciplined for their part. So nothing “formal” has to be escalated or put on the record concerning Shrader’s part in the incident, and nothing “formal” is put on Gay’s record and he receives no punishment for the injury he inflicted to his teammate.
I emphasize the word “formal” because injured players and even teammates that have chosen to sit out their team’s bowl games in preparation for the draft are routinely seen on the sideline with their teams at the game; so the optics of Shrader being sent home versus being there with his team comes across as a form of punishment. On the other hand, regardless of his upside, Gay’s self-inflicted limited availability and productivity throughout the 2019 do not warrant JoMo’s decision to play him in the bowl game; so the optics of Gay getting to play in the bowl game versus, at a minimum, being in his hometown of Starkville Ms. Comes across as the powers that be attempting to appease others that may have been offended and keep any locker room dissension on the down low. Again, I am not saying it’s okay to respond to insults with violence; but I am saying that the decision making and the optics being broadcast from the head coach of my alma mater stinks!
I did miss your point, and you explained it very well in your reply. I agree with you. It’s a bad look for the coach and the administration.
Seems like 100% of MSU fans want Moorhead gone, but Cohen still has not fired him ? He needs to grow-a-pair and do the
right thing…dump the chump.
Honestly this is disappointing to me. I wanted to see you guys destroy UL. Hopefully the team can pull together and still take down the cards.
We did it before with an interim head coach when Louisville had Lamar Jackson. Why are we out of this game now?
Neither Shrader nor Stevens is a good quarterback.
Sorry but this is a catastrophic failure of leadership by JoeBlows. You have a fight that injuries your starting QB and no one gets punished. Willie Gay is being rewarded for conduct detrimental to the team and Joe is non-verbally telling all the current players, if you are a star there is no punishment for conduct detrimental to the team. This act alone should have triggered a university discipline hearing for Gay and along with his previous cheating caused his expulsion from Miss State. So since Joe can’t own up to the real deal, makes one wonder if he even followed the mandatory reporting requirements. Folks this is not the type of man we need at the helm of our football team.
This is not a good look for the SEC.
Ya think. Its getting to the point the SEC commissioner may start asking questions to AD Cohen about what the hell is going on at Miss State.
This is just the same look given to the SEC from Jennings curb stomping the helmetless Vandy player and only getting suspended for a half of the bowl game
Listen I’m not a JoMo fan at all but let’s not be unrealistic and act like there’s not fights on football teams! Happens all the time…I was watching 30 for 30 and Dika’s Super Bowl Bears team were getting in fights between offensive and defensive players regularly at practice. Type A personalities in a physical contact sport will equate to fighting. I hate that Shrader got rocked maybe he will keep his hands up next time he makes a smart comment…
Dr_Bully: Are you saying Garrett Shrader made a racial comment or slur to Willie Gay? I find that very hard to believe. Do you claim to have knowledge from current Bulldog team members that this is what precipitated the fight?
weird
In 2010, 2 Bulldog basketball teammates threw fists at each other outside of practice. Then-Bulldog-basketball coach Rick Stansbury, and then-Athletic Director Scott Stricklin, immediately reacted. AD Stricklin stated, “The actions that took place in Hawaii were embarrassing to all of us who love Mississippi State. This behavior will not be tolerated.” Coach Stansbury’s statement included, “In my 13 years as a head coach, we’ve never had anything like this happen before, I am very disappointed . . . and in no way does it reflect the overall picture of our program.” Both players were promptly suspended indefinitely, and sent back to campus from the location where the team was to play. In the aftermath, one player rejoined the team and finished his career on campus, but the other — a team captain — never again took the court for the Bulldogs, Thereafter, Stansbury stated, “Hopefully, by sending [both players] home following the incident, a strong message was sent that this type of behavior is unacceptable.” In turn, AD Stricklin stated, “We expect all of our student-athletes to represent themselves, our university, athletic program, fans and alumni in a first-class manner at all times. Hopefully, the disciplinary action that was taken sends a strong message to these young men, and all of our student-athletes, that inappropriate behavior will not be tolerated.” And, both players issued public apologies. It is simply NOT commonplace and NOT accepted that teammates will settle their differences outside of practice with physical combat, much less that one teammate causes serious bodily injury to another jeopardizing his well-being, and crippling his team’s performance. It is shocking as Stricklin and Stansbury’s bygone statements imply, and as I feel now. Certainly one, perhaps both, of Shrader and Gay must be immediately disciplined and the basic nature of the discipline made public. What mother and father would permit, and what high school coach would recommend, that their kid join into such bedlam? Here, since AD Cohen apparently won’t intervene and ensure transparency and accountability given this head coach’s feet of clay, it is up to university Pres. Keenum. And the university’s student conduct and discipline process, if not law enforcement, should become engaged.
Did you read Dr. Bully’s post? The basketball fist-a-cuffs were between a man and a child of the same color, on TV and at a game. The insinuation by Dr. Bully is that our QB called Gay a racial slur. Big difference.
I assume what caused Shrader’s orbital fracture wasn’t racial, and that there was nothing racial about the basketball teammates’ (man and child?) exchange of punches. I don’t doubt there are distinctions between the incidents, but action taken by university employees in each, and how the players and university employees interacted with the public, are easily subject to comparison.