Mark Meyers Suspended Indefinitely: Latest Details, Comments and Reaction

The Michigan State Spartans lost depth at an inopportune time in their season on Sunday.

According to Mike Griffith of MLive.com, coach Mark Dantonio announced junior safety Mark Meyers was suspended indefinitely “after a reported operating while intoxicated charge (OWI) that occurred Saturday night or early Sunday morning in East Lansing.”

Griffith pointed out the arrest was first reported by isportsweb.com, “citing Ingham County jail records that confirmed Meyers was an inmate on Sunday morning before being released later in the day on bond.”

Dantonio commented on his decision, per Griffith: “I suspended Mark Meyers for an incident last night, and he’s suspended indefinitely.”    

Meyers is the backup free safety to Montae Nicholson and also appears on special teams. He played in 13 games last season and 14 games as a redshirt freshman. He may only be a backup, but the timing is less than ideal for the Spartans to lose important depth on the defensive side of the ball.

The Oregon Ducks come to East Lansing on Saturday for one of the most anticipated nonconference games on the entire college football schedule and bring an explosive uptempo offense with them.

Eastern Washington isn’t exactly the 1985 Chicago Bears on the defensive side of the ball, but Oregon put up an astounding 731 total yards and 61 points on the board in Saturday’s win. It was business as usual for the offense considering it led the nation in total yards a season ago and finished fourth in points per game.

If the Spartans hope to make the College Football Playoff this season as one of the best teams in the country, they could use a marquee nonconference win before jumping into Big Ten play. Saturday’s showdown with the Ducks is their best chance to accomplish just that, but they will be at less than full strength on defense without Meyers.