– Defending champion Ferris State will play a Division II football playoff game Saturday without its coach because he has been suspended for players lighting cigars in the locker room after winning a national title last year.
“Self-pity’s the greatest form of self-destruction, so I just got to suck it up and be a big boy,” coach Tony Annese told WOOD-TV.
The Bulldogs will travel 60 miles in Michigan to play in-state rival Grand Valley State.
Annese’s one-game playoff suspension isn’t a total surprise; it was announced by the NCAA earlier this year.
“Technically speaking, I can be at the game. Just got to buy my own ticket. So I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” he said.
In addition, Ferris State had to pay a $2,500 fine and $15,383 in cleaning and repair expenses. The McKinney, Texas, school district, where the 2022 championship game was played, has a strict no-tobacco policy.
The Bulldogs beat Colorado Mines 41-14 for their second consecutive Division II championship.
Annese can prepare his team this week, but he can’t communicate with players during the game.