EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State basketball coach Tom
Izzo is helping the school search for a new football coach.
But don't expect him to be on the list of candidates.
Izzo, the subject of Internet and media speculation involving
the replacement for fired football coach John L. Smith, dismissed
the idea when asked if he was being considered for the job.
"I think it was far-fetched when it started," he said.
Izzo acknowledged he has always had an interest in football.
"I've been honored that my name would even be brought up," he
said. "Anybody who knows me knows that for longer than I have been
here, football has been a love of mine beyond most normal human
beings."
Izzo said he once turned down a chance to become the defensive
backs coach at Cal State-Fullerton in the early 1980s, where Steve
Mariucci -- his longtime pal -- was coaching.
But Izzo added he already has his hands full with the basketball
program.
"I've got some business I want to finish," he said.