Posted by Tom Fornelli

Michigan State tight end Dion Sims has pled guilty to charges stemming from his arrest after being involved in a computer theft ring.  To refresh your memory, Sims, along with others, were stealing computers and laptops from Detroit public schools to sell them.   Some criminals like to steal from the rich to give to the poor, Sims and his buddies like to take from kids and keep the money for themselves.

The charges Sims faced were considered a five-year felony, but thanks to his cooperation and lack of a criminal record, his conviction could be expunged from the record.

"He did not buy the computers or sell them," said Sims' lawyer, Steve Fishman. "He pled guilty to being the middleman."

The deal calls for Sims to cooperate with investigators and give "truthful testimony" against others charged in the scheme that allegedly took and resold more than $158,000 worth of computers intended for use by students in the troubled district.

"This isn't because he's an athlete," Fishman said about the plea deal. "Anybody in his situation, with his age, his clean record and the cooperation he has already given the prosecution is entitled to get this break."

Sims is not expected to return to the Spartans this season, but the possibility that he may return to the team next year remains.  Provided he doesn't find some kindergartners with iPods he can sell before then.

Posted by Adam Jacobi

So Minnesota hires Mark Mangino as a consultant, and the very first news out of Minneapolis just hours later? Wideout/kick return specialist Troy Stoudermire is suspended for "conduct detrimental to the team." Are the two events related? There's no telling as yet, so that just means we're going to have to speculate. And speculate recklessly, at that.

So we wonder: what exactly did Stoudermire do to get suspended indefinitely?

• Cracked a fusillade of fat jokes at Mangino
• Pulled a Dion Sims, but with the entire team's helmets
• Knowingly and willingly participated in the Gophers' 41-38 loss to South Dakota
• Liquid Heat in the jockstraps
• Printed Motivational Tourette's bingo cards for his teammates for use at team meetings
• Begged Lane Kiffin after USC's 32-21 win at Minnesota to "take me home with you"
• Refuses to open an account at TCF Bank, stadium name be damned

Posted by Adam Jacobi

There's insane news from the land of Sparta today, as Michigan State tight end Dion Sims is one of 10 people implicated in a theft ring involving over 100 laptops stolen from -- of all places -- the Detroit Public School System :

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy and Detroit Public Schools officials today announced felony charges against a Michigan State University football player and nine others allegedly involved in a crime ring that stole and sold more than $158,000 in laptop computers last school year.

Dion Sims, 19, a player for the Spartans, is accused of receiving and concealing stolen property, a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

Internal tracking devices led officials to stolen DPS computers in seven other states, Canada and the United Arab Emirates, according to the investigation that involved several law enforcement agencies.

The ring was involved in the theft of about 104 DPS laptops that were stolen last school year and sold on eBay, Craigslist and to friends. 

Mark Dantonio has yet to issue a comment, mainly because he's recovering from a postgame heart attack . But wait a second: what if Dantonio's heart attack wasn't the result of anything that happened during the game at all, but just receiving word about the scope and scale of the investigation against his sophomore tight end? Hey, we don't know.

But regardless of how long it takes MSU to comment on the situation, if the allegations are even partly true, Sims has got to be gone, gone, gone. There's messed up, very messed up, and "stealing over 100 laptops from schools" messed up.