EAST LANSING, Mich. — Former Michigan State and NBA player Paul Davis apologized for verbally abusing an official at the Breslin Center and being removed from his seat during the 12th-ranked Spartans’ 80-51 victory over USC on Monday.

Davis addressed his actions with reporters and expressed remorse Tuesday, less than 24 hours after an official pointed him out and asked for him to be escorted from his seat near the court.

“I’m up here to take accountability — to own it,” he told reporters before coach Tom Izzo’s news conference.

Davis said he apologized to official Jeffrey Anderson during a call Tuesday.

“Short conversation, but an amazing conversation,” Davis said. “Amazing guy.”

Davis said he was sorry for being a distraction for Michigan State’s players during their strong start this season and for taking away from USC’s experience. Davis also apologized to Michigan State fans at the game and watching on television, the university, along with parents and kids for not being a role model.

Davis called Izzo several hours after the game and wanted to publicly address his mistake.

“It kind of went global,” said Izzo, who coached Davis when he played for the Spartans 20 years ago.

With six-plus minutes left and the Spartans leading the Trojans 67-46, television cameras showed Izzo shouting across the court at Davis after the officials stopped the game.

“What are you doing?” Izzo screamed.

Izzo said after the game that Davis was one of his favorite guys.

“He’s always calling and doing things, but what he said, he should never say in the world,” Izzo said. “That ticked me off.”

The 41-year-old Davis played for Michigan State from 2002 to 2006 and was a three-year starter. He had career averages of 13.2 points and 7 rebounds, including 17.5 points and 9.1 rebounds his senior season.

“You’re a basketball player when you’re here, and you’re an ambassador when you leave,” Davis said.

Davis played in the NBA with the LA Clippers from 2006 to 2009 and the Washington Wizards in 2009-10.

Ousmane Dembélé is going to reject a new contract offer from Paris Saint-Germain, and Arsenal have their eye on Newcastle defender Tino Livramento. Join us for the latest transfer news and rumors from around the globe.

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TRENDING RUMORS

– Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé is set to reject Paris Saint-Germain‘s contract extension offer, as per Footmercato. Despite being offered a new deal which would see him earn €30m per year, the forward is holding out for double that amount. Dembélé, 28, is entering the final two years of his current PSG contract this summer, which may draw the attention of clubs around Europe.

– Arsenal are plotting to sign Newcastle United full-back Tino Livramento next summer, according to The Sun. Manchester City are also reported to be monitoring the 23-year-old, although it remains to be seen how concrete their interest is. Livramento is entering the final two years of his deal at Newcastle, with the club set to prioritize extending that in the coming months. A £60m valuation has previously been mooted for the England international, who is likely to feature at this summer’s World Cup.

– England midfielder Georgia Stanway will leave Bayern Munich at the end of the season, she has announced. Stanway, who has 87 England caps, joined Bayern from Manchester City in 2022 and has won three league titles in Germany, as well as two European Championships with the Lionesses. “The decision to leave was incredibly difficult. I definitely didn’t make it lightly. I’ve made friends and memories here that will last a lifetime, and I’ve been able to develop enormously as both a player and a person.”

– Aston Villa are exploring the idea of signing Atletico Madrid midfielder Conor Gallagher this month, TalkSPORT has revealed. The former Chelsea star would welcome a return to the Premier League, having started just four La Liga games this season. Villa are open to the idea of signing him on loan with a future permanent transfer clause, a deal that would satisfy any short-term PSR concerns. Gallagher has been in Madrid since the summer of 2024 and has almost four years remaining on his current deal.

– Marcus Rashford has already informed Barcelona of his desire to stay at the club beyond this season, according to Fabrizio Romano. While no formal agreement between the two parties is in place just yet, Barca are said to be “very happy” with the England international’s contributions. The Catalan giants have the option to sign Rashford permanently from Manchester United for around €30m this summer.

OTHER RUMORS

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– Hungary midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai, 25, has reached an agreement in principle to extend his contract at Liverpool, rejecting interest from Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. (CaughtOffside)

– Atalanta forward Daniel Maldini is a January option for Juventus. The Italy international is viewed as a potential back-up for Kenan Yıldız. (Matteo Moretto)

– Rangers have enquired about the possibility of signing Sunderland duo Dan Neil and Romaine Mundle. Sunderland are open to letting the latter leave on loan this month, with Espanyol and Club Brugge also keen. (Sky Sports)

– Everton are tracking Genoa’s Brook Norton-Cuffy and Bologna’s Emil Holm as they target a new right-back signing. A new winter arrival would likely see Nathan Patterson leave the club on loan. (Sky Sports)

– Al Hilal are closing in on a deal to sign former Arsenal defender Pablo Marí in a €2m deal. (Fabrizio Romano)

– Manchester City have agreed a deal to sign Scottish wonderkid Keir McMeekin from Hearts. (Fabrizio Romano)

– Stuttgart striker Jovan Milošević is on the verge of joining Werder Bremen on loan until the end of the season, with a medical set to take place this weekend. (Sky Germany)

– Atlanta United are advancing on a deal to acquire left-back Elías Báez from San Lorenzo for a fee in the region of $3 million. (Tom Bogert)

– Thomas Tuchel, Carlo Ancelotti and Mauricio Pochettino are all on Manchester United’s managerial shortlist to replace Ruben Amorim. (Daily Mirror)

U.S. figure skating stars Madison Chock and Evan Bates made history on Saturday with their record-setting seventh U.S. Figure Skating title in their final competition before the Milan Cortina Olympics.

The three-time reigning world champions, performing a flamenco-style dance to a version of the Rolling Stones hit “Paint It Black” from the dystopian sci-fi Western show “Westworld,” produced a season-best free skate and finished with 228.87 points.

“The feeling that we got from the audience today was unlike anything I’ve ever felt before,” Chock said.

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They’ll be the heavy favorites to win gold next month in Italy.

“I felt so much love and joy,” Chock continued, “and I’m so grateful for this moment.”

U.S. Figure Skating will announce its selections on Sunday.

Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik were second with 213.65 points and Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko were third with 206.95, making those two pairs the likely choices to join Chock and Bates on the American squad for the upcoming Winter Games.

The men’s medals also were to be decided on Saturday, though two-time world champion Ilia Malinin had built such a lead after his short program that the self-styled “Quad God” would have to stumble mightily to miss out on a fourth consecutive title.

The U.S. also has qualified the maximum of three men’s spots for the Winter Games, and competition is tight between second-place Tomoko Hiwatashi, fan favorite Jason Brown, Andrew Torgashev and Maxim Naumov to round out the nationals podium.

The last time Chock and Bates competed in the Olympics in 2022 in Beijing, they watched their gold initially go to an opponent who was later disqualified for doping violations.

Chock and Bates initially had to settle for team silver with their American teammates on the podium at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. Team Russia and Kamila Valieva, who was 15 at the time, stood above them with their gold medals. 

It wasn’t until the end of January 2024, when the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) found Valieva guilty of an anti-doping rule violation, when Chock, Bates and the U.S. were declared the rightful 2022 gold medalists. 

UN URGES COUNTRIES TO HONOR TRUCE DURING WINTER OLYMPICS, NOT DENY VISAS TO ANY NATION’S ATHLETES

Madison Chock and Evan Bates compete in championship ice dance at the U.S. figure skating championships Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio.  (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Valieva tested positive for trimetazidine, a banned substance, during an anti-doping test at the Russian Figure Skating Championships in December 2021. She was suspended for four years and stripped of all competitive results since that date.

Chock and Bates spoke about what their message to Valieva would be today during an interview at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee media summit in October. 

“It’s hard to, I think, imagine what a 15-year-old has gone through and under that kind of situation,” Bates said. “And I know how stressful it is, being an elite athlete as an adult, as a 36-year-old. And I think that grace should be given to humans across the board. And we can never really know the full situation, at least from our point of view. … I genuinely don’t know what I would say to her.”

Chock added, “I would just wish her well like as I would. I think life is short. And, at the end of the day, we’re all human just going through our own human experience together. And regardless of what someone has or hasn’t done and how it has affected you, I think it’s important to remember we’re humans as a collective, and we’re all here for this, our one moment on earth, at the same time. And I just wish people to have healthy, happy lives, full of people that love them.”

Chock and Bates had to wait more than two years after the initial Olympics to get their rightful gold medals, and they were finally presented with them during a ceremony at the Paris Olympics last summer.

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Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the USA perform in the Gala Exhibition during the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final Nagoya at IG Arena on December 07, 2025 in Nagoya, Japan.  (Atsushi Tomura – International Skating Union/International Skating Union via Getty Images)

Chock, Bates and teammates Karen Chen, Nathan Chen, Zachary Donohue, Brandon Frazier, Madison Hubbell, Alexa Knierim and Vincent Zhou were given a specialized gold medal ceremony to receive the medals in front of more than 13,000 fans. 

Chock and Bates became the first ice dancers to win three consecutive world championships in nearly three decades in March when they defeated Canadian rivals Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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