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Dan Mullen Addresses the Jeffery Simmons Situation

It should be no surprise that Dan Mullen would be asked about Jeffery Simmons and the decision to admit him. Here's some of what was said.

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When Dan Mullen took the stage today at SEC Media Days, it was expected that he'd address the controversial decision to admit Jeffery Simmons and allow him to play on the team. Thanks to twitter, we are able to see what was said in the press conference.

One of the first questions was about why Simmons was enrolled and allowed on the team:

Another issue many were confused about was regarding the decision to let him wear the number 36, Nick Bell's old number

From there, he went on to discuss as to why the punishment was decided to be what it was.

Which this might honestly not have been a bad thing. Keeping the football team out of making decisions that would impact the entire athletic department and the university was the best way to handle this. Letting Mark Keenum and Scott Stricklin decide Simmons fate may have been the best route that MSU could have taken.

And of course, we now know the outcome of that decision and investigation.

There were a lot of tough questions regarding the situation, but at least Dan Mullen owned up a bit at the end and admitted that if something does indeed go wrong (hopefully nothing ever does), then the responsibility for Simmons' actions falls on his shoulders as his coach and the shoulders of all who went about admitting him.

This story won't likely ever go away anytime soon. And it shouldn't. It's right for the media to cover this issue, even if it is an emotionally taxing one.

Jeffery Simmons has been given a second chance, let's hope he uses it to the fullest and continues to better himself off the field.