MSU Red Cedar Message Board

I was able to research and find that Taylor Lewan has a history of cheap shots as does his teammate Craig Roh that dates back to high school. I have them listed under Articles one and two, and have provided video evidence of Wolverine cheap shots. As you read, you will clearly see that Taylor Lewan is deserving of a consequence as well, and I also provided a list of of Michigan indiscretions that are being over-looked.

ARTICLES:
ARTICLE ONE: UM’s Taylor Lewan Talks and admits he is a cheap shot artist:
http://www.annarbor.com/sports/um-football/taylor-lewan-story/

“Craig’s a subtle punch-in-the-stomach kind of guy,” he said.
Not that Lewan is above landing a cheap shot against his friendly rival.
“I am the cheap shot,” he said.
He smiles. “I’m blatant about it.”

There’s nothing understated about the gregarious, 6-foot-6, 294-pound redshirt freshman, who expects to make his fifth consecutive start at left tackle Saturday against Penn State (8 p.m., ESPN).

Off the field, he spins stories about his teammates that keep a group of reporters howling with laughter.
On the field, he captures opponents’ attention with a self-described nasty, defensive-minded streak that he melds with a receiver’s flair for the dramatic.

“My job is to piss people off,” he said.
It’s an approach that sometimes invites trouble. Against Iowa two weeks ago, officials flagged Lewan for two false starts and a personal foul - all in the first half - before Rodriguez benched him.

Against Indiana, officials penalized him for a personal foul immediately following Denard Robinson’s game-winning touchdown.

They claimed he stepped on a Hoosier laying on the ground; Lewan maintains someone from the bottom of the pile grabbed his leg and tripped him. Either way, Rodriguez marched onto the field to whisk the left tackle away before the situation escalated.

Watching the tempest unfold on television, Charlie Ragle, Lewan’s high school coach at Chaparral, laughed.

“I’ve got a half-dozen stories like that,” he said. Against Apache Junction High School his senior year, officials flagged Lewan for multiple holds and false starts. When Lewan “said something stupid” back to the referee, Ragle grabbed him by the facemask and escorted him off the field.
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ARTICLE TWO: In fact, last year UM's Craig Roh called his OWN teammate Taylor Lewan a "dirty player" and said he was glad he was on his team. Lewan also stomped a defenseless Indiana player last year. So Lewan has a reputation as a dirty player as you can tell from these following quotes:

http://www.annarbor.com/sports/um-football/nasty-taylor-lewan-is-ready-to-contribute-at-left-tackle-for-michigan/

“He is, just, dirty sometimes, which is what a Big Ten offensive lineman should be like,” Roh said. “Just a nasty guy, a guy that you’re like, ‘I don’t want to go against him again.’ And I never hear someone on the defense saying, ‘Oh, Taylor’s just a really nice guy to go against.’ Everyone is like, ‘He’s holding me, he’s knocking me over when the play is over.’

Wolverine Cheap Shot Video’s

1.Wolverine Taylor Lewan pins shoves MSU’s Gholston to ground by facemask---no penalty
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMqbRgOGq24
2. Wolverine Craig Roh of Michigan Facemasks MSU’s Ed Baker in 2011—no penalty:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJDIeM1yBxw&feature=autoplay&list=SPF5D1DA3F3D362A72&lf=list_related&playnext=4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0A3Ta3Au3E&NR=1
3. Michigan Wolverines facemask Spartan’s Ed Baker in 2010, no penalty:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJDIeM1yBxw
4. Michigan Wolverine Matthews kicks Oregon player—no penalty:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEFvus0rGs8&feature=related
5. Michigan Wolverine Player Jonas Mouton injures Notre Dame player, no penalty:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoe-g80tPGY
6. Michigan Wolverine Woodley Clothelines PSU player—no penalty---
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVvG-GE8k1U&feature=related
7. Northwestern’s Dan Persa has helmet ripped off by Wolverine Kovac’s, no penalty in 2011…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxEJsaqY0_o
8. Michigan Wolverine Charles Woodson fights Ohio State’ s David Boston, no suspension…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-omw2lvx30

9. No.7 of the Wolverines punches a Notre Dame player (3:55 on video, 4:51 of 3rd quarter)---no penalty--2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypkQACgj4zA
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MICHIGAN WOLVERINE INDISCRETIONS IN THE GAME AND BEYOND THAT HAVE GONE UNNOTICED:

1. Jeremy Gallon body-slammed Johnny Adams to the ground.
2. Taylor Lewan held Gholston to the ground by his face mask.
3. Taylor Lewan grabbed the face mask of a Spartan defender on the 4th and inches play where Adam sacked their QB.
4. Carvin Johnson was called for a personal foul.
5. Jordan Kovacs used a shoulder to nudge Edwin Baker over the UM bench after Woolfolk had pushed Baker out of bounds.
6. Craig Roh grabbed the facemask of Edwin Baker on running play.
7. UM exhibited poor sportsmanship by not shaking hands at the end of the game.
8. Taylor Lewan used inflammatory language to create the situation, and has history of cheap shots.
9. Taylor Lewan stopped on the leg of an Indiana Hoosier and drew a personal foul.
10. Taylor Lewan's high school coach Charlie Ragle said "he had a half-dozen stories" about Lewan that were similar to the Indiana incident.
11. Taylor Lewan said, "I am the cheap shot, and I am blatant about it.It's my job to piss people off."
12. Taylor Lewan also drew a personal foul against Iowa.
13. Craig Roh accused his teammate of being a dirty player..."Everyone (he goes against) says "He's holding me and knocking me down after the play is over."
14. Taylor Lewan accused Craig Roh of being a dirty player, "Craig's a subtle punch in the stomach kind of guy."
15. Both Taylor Lewan and Craig Roh have along history of bragging about cheap shots and have done so since playing together in high school.

What’s really going on here….
So look at what we are dealing with from the above quotes---one UM player calling his own teammate a dirty player.

Let's not also forget UM’s Gallon body-slamming MSU’s Adams to the turf. Or Hemingway pushing our DB to the ground on a missed offensive pass interference call. Or about UM’s Carvin Johnson of Michigan getting a personal foul on a MSU kick return. Rough play? It is football. Is UM under the same scrutiny?

Michigan should have been happy, those penalties kept them in the game. So were Spartans happy about those penalties? No. Any good fan knows emotions are high and play is very physical. Thank goodness Jordan Kovacs recognized that when asked about the way the Spartans play:"No, I don't," Michigan safety Jordan Kovacs said when he was asked if the Spartans played dirty. "I've played in this game before so I know how it goes. … I think they were definitely more physical. They pounded us and ate us up."

So even the UM players and coaches don't think it was dirty and nothing more than the emotions of the game. Just like Taylor Lewan shouldn't have shoved Gholston's face-mask into the ground. Is UM going to have a meeting or scrutinized about that? Every football expert I have listened to says you need to talk to the kid and that's it. These are people who understand football.

I strongly believe that Gholston just got caught up in the emotion of the game and deserves NO punishment per se other than he needs to be talked to about what happened. Let not also forget that the Big Ten refs allowed him to continue in the game, the ref saw what actually happened and he was already penalized for 15-yards. There is no need for double jeopardy or "extra" punishment in a heated rival game. I also know there was mitigating and premeditated circumstances which I will mention shortly, but let's not forget what actually happened:

Yes, Gholston was over aggressive and got caught up in emotion when he twisted Denard Robinson’s face-mask, no doubt about it and I am not condoning that. He also received a 15-yard penalty for that. He shouldn't have done that--but that motion was brief and he let go of his mask and was punished.

However, UM's LT Taylor Lewan later held Gholston down to the ground by the face mask in retaliation before Gholston reached up and slapped him. Let's be clear, even UM announcer Frank Beckmann called it a slap, NOT a punch in his call of the game. Regardless---BOTH players should have gotten penalties on this particular play. However, like a hockey fight, the refs saw the 2nd guy and not the initial reaction. My understanding is that there were also strong inflammatory words exchanged and directed at Gholston throughout the game by Michigan players, and here is the clear point---- Taylor Lewan has had a history of cheap shots against Indiana, Iowa, and now Michigan State, and had several incidents in high school.

However--If Gholston gets a game suspension, shouldn't Lewan get suspended for constantly provoking these incidents?