Michigan State Reinstates Corey Tropp

It's been nearly two months since an ugly incident marred a Michigan State-Michigan men's hockey game. Michigan's Steve Kampfer was assaulted on the ice by Andrew Conboy and Corey Tropp of Michigan State, in response to a clean hit by Kampfer.

Conboy and Tropp were both suspended for the season by Michigan State. Conboy has since left the program and signed with Montreal, the NHL team that owned his draft rights. Tropp, meanwhile, is going to return to the team.

This is Tropp's chance to prove that this incident was indeed out-of-character, as many people believe it was.

"I feel Corey deserves to rejoin the team," noted head coach Rick Comley. "When we suspended him, we said that we would discuss his status at the end of the season. Corey paid a considerable price for his actions - actions which were out of character and not representative of how he had carried himself as a student-athlete in our program up to that point. We believe that this was an isolated incident, and it is time for him to get back with the team as we begin our preparations for next season."

Michigan State had an absolutely brutal season, and it makes sense to give Tropp a second chance. Not only has he never engaged in anything like this before, but Tropp is also a player who can help the Spartans get out of the doldrums.

MSU athletic director Mark Hollis said in the university statement that he supports Comley's decision and feels Tropp has learned from the consequences of what he did to Kampfer.