A year and half later, Michigan State is giving Jon Reschke a second chance.
Seventeen months after the linebacker publicly apologized for using a racial slur — the Detroit Free Press reported he used the N-word in a text message conversation — the linebacker is back on the Spartans roster. Head coach Mark Dantonio confirmed the decision Tuesday, the final of the Big Ten football media days.
“For our football team and our players, they weighed in, especially our black athletes, our African-American players. They weighed in on it,” Dantonio told reporters in Chicago. “At any time, the most important thing to me is to have great chemistry on our football team. And I think that’s the thing that everybody needs to understand. To have great chemistry on our football team, I can’t allow anything in there that’s going to create a division.”
The 23-year-old Reschke reached a “mutual” decision with the MSU program to depart in February 2017 after sending a text message that the Free Press obtained Tuesday.
“Honestly don’t know who for sure but probably (teammate’s name redacted) or another s—-y f—–g (N-word) with no morals,” Reschke wrote in a response, according to the paper.
Reschke played from 2014-16, appearing in 21 games and making 99 tackles and two sacks, before sitting the 2017 season. After completing his undergraduate degree in spring 2017, Reschke had hopes to transfer and spend his final year of eligibility on another roster.
Reschke suffered a non-football injury shortly after leaving the team and ultimately did not transfer. The 11-year head coach said he checked with this year’s players, who said bringing Reschke back would not cause any issues, and Dantonio said, “Forgiveness is power.” The coach said he has largely left Reschke’s status up to the team.
He issued an apology letter in February 2017 stating he “lost control of my emotions and made an insensitive and totally regrettable comment involving a former teammate.” In his return, Reschke will not be on scholarship for his final year.
“The first step was for him to be able to complete what we call our bottom line program which has been completed,” Dantonio said. “Next step will be does he come to camp or not. But at this point in time, all indications from my players is that they want him in camp.”
Dantonio is unsure what position Reschke will play this fall or what his status is physically.
“We’re just trying to see if he can get on the field as a football player, and then we’ll make decisions,” Dantonio said. “Again, it’s a step-by-step process in every respect, not just the things we talked about but physically as well I think.”
