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Black Michigan State football players unanimous for Jon Reschke's return

Reschke had planned to transfer to another school at that time but did not, then suffered a knee injury later that spring.

CHICAGO — LJ Scott could not believe what he was reading.

His first thought?

“No,” Scott thought, “Jon didn’t say that.”

But he did, the Michigan State running back soon discovered.

The N-word. Coming from his white teammate in a text message.

Scott and Khari Willis, the two black players among the three Spartans who attended Big Ten media day Tuesday, both said they have forgiven the linebacker as coach Mark Dantonio announced the linebacker had been reinstated to the MSU roster.

“When I found out he actually said it, I’m like, ‘Yeah, he made a mistake, he was in the heat of the moment, he had his reasoning,’” Scott said. “But at the same time, everybody deserves a second chance. Jon’s too good of a player to not be doing anything. And he’s too good of a person not to be doing anything as well.

“I think we as a team, collectively, I think we made the right decision on bringing him back to the team.”

The Free Press obtained a screenshot of the text message, which listed Reschke's phone number as the sender and had the responses scribbled out. The only visible text, sent from Reschke, read: “Honestly don't know who for sure but probably (teammate's name redacted) or another s****y f*****g (N-word) with no morals,” Reschke wrote.

Senior safety Willis was unsure how he learned about that text, but he quickly got in touch with Reschke, as did Scott, back in early 2017.

“I was initially shocked,” Willis said. “I reached out to Jon, and I told him I wasn’t necessarily looking for an apology. I just told him that I forgave him, and that I knew he was going to receive a lot of heat for it. I was just trying to be there for him to let him know that, ‘Regardless of how you messed up, I got your back. And whether you’re on our team or not, I’m going to continue to have your back.’”

MSU did not make Reschke available for an interview after a Free Press request. He had issued an apology in February 2017 in which he announced he was leaving the football program after coming to a mutual agreement with MSU coach Mark Dantonio and other staff members.

Reschke had planned to transfer to another school at that time but did not, then suffered a knee injury later that spring. He has received a sixth year of eligibility to return to the Spartans for one final season.

“This is something our players have dealt with and have been talking about and making decisions on,” Dantonio said. “There’s a lot of reasons behind it. As much as anything, from a Reschke standpoint or from his standpoint, I want him to be able to finish what he started. I want him to see himself through a difficult situation and come out the other end. I don’t think he wants to end his career in that way.”

Reschke was part of the 2016 team that went 3-9. MSU rebounded to 10-3 without him a year ago, focusing on improving team chemistry from a year earlier.

So why bring back Reschke now?

“Well, we’re a different team for one. And two, the difference is, with the heat after he said it, he had to face the consequences,” Willis said. “That timeline from him being gone to him being here now, those were his consequences. … I don’t think it will be a chemistry issue, too, because we got such positive chemistry that it’s hard for one guy to mess that up. If you try to mess up the chemistry that we got going now, you’ll be out like that.”

Scott said he sent a text message to Reschke after he left the program in 2017 and told him to “keep your head up, I know you’re a great guy, you made a mistake.”

Then this spring, Dantonio brought Reschke back again with a chance to make amends. He pitched the idea to the team’s Eagle Council, Scott said. From there, they trickled word out to other teammates.

Willis said the black players on the team also met with Reschke to express their concerns and problems. None had a problem, Willis said.

“We all forgave him,” Willis said. “He talked to each and every one of us most of the time. We addressed him as a group, as black players. We addressed how we felt about it, and we kept moving.”

Reschke eventually spoke to the whole team. Tears filled his eyes, Scott said.

“I was really looking at him and watching how much this really means to him,” Scott said, “and how much he really missed us and how much he really wanted to be with this team.”

Reschke slowly reintegrated with the group, including 7-on-7 summer work. He still has more to go in the ongoing process, Dantonio said. However, his once-former teammates are once again his teammates as preseason camp approaches on Aug. 2.

“I would say it’s more about learning,” Willis said. “Learning a, how to forgive and move on, and b, learning some mistakes not to make. If you know Jon as a person, then you understand that he’s no way, shape or form like that.”

Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari.

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