EAST LANSING — Michigan State Spartans men's basketball head coach Tom Izzo expressed frustration regarding the departure of university President Kevin Guskiewicz in June 2026. Guskiewicz announced his move to Clemson University on May 27, 2026, after serving as Michigan State president for two years.

In a May 27 letter to the Spartan community, Guskiewicz cited an "unsustainable situation" created by differing perspectives among board members as a factor in his departure. He wrote, "At times, too much energy has been spent revisiting past conflicts and internal disagreements rather than focusing collectively on the opportunities and aspirations ahead of us." Guskiewicz also stated, "While I firmly believe we are all better when there is a diversity of viewpoints informing decisions, our ability to make meaningful progress is hampered when disagreements move from offering alternative perspectives into publicly undermining decisions and putting personal interests above the best interests of the university and our faculty, staff and students." He further noted, "What is perhaps most troubling is the actions of some to abuse their access to privileged and confidential information to mispresent facts, manipulate situations and selectively use and leak that information to promote personal agendas."

Izzo commented on the situation, stating, "He said it, we know the reasons, and I'm ashamed and disgusted, hurt." He added, "This is self-inflicted."

Guskiewicz will remain in East Lansing until an interim or permanent replacement is found, and he will work on an interim basis for athletic director J Batt before leaving for Clemson. The Michigan State Board of Trustees previously voted 5-3 to approve a policy restricting members from publicly dissenting against board decisions, a policy Guskiewicz supported. Two board members voted against the policy. The university is now seeking its fourth president since 2022 and its fourth athletic director since 2021. Tom Izzo has been the head coach of the men's basketball team since 1995.

No independent assessment of Tom Izzo’s claims was available.