College Basketball

Tom Izzo speaks at vigil for shooting victims: 'We will learn to find joy once again'

Updated Feb. 15, 2023 9:20 p.m. ET

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Longtime Michigan State men's basketball coach Tom Izzo was one of many university and state dignitaries who spoke at the university's vigil Wednesday for the victims of a mass shooting on campus Monday that claimed the lives of three victims and injured five more.

Izzo spoke for more than seven minutes from prepared remarks, offering his and his family's condolences to the victims and their families, and praising students and first responders whose actions helped stem the loss of life. 

"To the families of those who were senselessly taken from us, words seem so hollow right now," Izzo said. "To the individuals currently fighting for their lives in a hospital and their families, we are praying for you."

Izzo revealed that he and his wife were able to visit some of the victims in the hospital, as did Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer and Michigan State University president Teresa Woodruff. Izzo also said that his son Steven, a walk-on basketball player on his team, was at one of the buildings impacted just 10 minutes after the shooting occurred.

He also repeatedly urged students to lean on each other and on the school for support as they process Monday's tragedy.

"I can't begin to imagine what all of you are going through," Izzo said. "But I do know that we as a campus community can offer our support both to you and to each other. Look around. Look next to you. Shake somebody's hand. Introduce yourself to somebody you don't know. That's who we are, and that's who we need to be at this time."

[Draymond Green among Michigan State alums to react to shooting]

Izzo, who noted that he was in his 40th year at Michigan State, called the university his "home."

"Virtually all of my adult life, I've been a Spartan," Izzo said. "I've seen some incredible highs and yes, unfortunately, there have been some devastating lows. But as a Spartan, we always get through it together."

But Izzo also asked students to be honest with their emotions, using his own reputation for being emotional in public.

"Whatever you're feeling, it's all valid," Izzo said. "Emotions are different for each and every person. I cry in front of my team. I cry on national TV. Don't be afraid to show your emotions. We all process trauma in a very different way. I'm just glad we're all here together tonight.

"We need each other. For 40 years I’ve always believed that at Michigan State, we are at our strongest when we’re together. In athletics, the best teams are always greater than the sum of their individual parts. The same is true of our community. … If any of you need help, please speak up. Be vulnerable. Don't be afraid."

Izzo closed with a plea for students to use their platforms to speak out against gun violence so that "other families don't have to go through what these families are going through now."

"Our hearts are heavy," Izzo said. "Our loss has been great. Our lives have been permanently changed. But with a shared commitment to help each other and a promise to remember those we have lost, we will learn to find joy once again."

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