By Adeniyi Precious 
Tom Izzo is a Michigan State legend. The guy has been coaching basketball there for decades, first joining as an assistant in 1983 before taking over as head coach in 1995. His loyalty to the Spartans is unquestionable. But when it comes to the NFL? That’s a different story.
Izzo has a soft spot for both the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions—two bitter NFC North rivals. Born in Michigan but raised near the Wisconsin border, Izzo started out as a Packers fan. However, when he began coaching at Michigan State, he felt the pull of the Lions, especially when his childhood friend Steve Mariucci became Detroit’s head coach in 2003.
“I still like the Packers … I still pull for them,” Izzo admitted on Up & Adams Show. But he knows he has to adjust. “Doesn’t mean that I’ve lost all my loyalty. When in Rome, do like the Romans, and I’m in Michigan. I still got my cheesehead, but I just keep it on bait.”
Lions and Packers fans don’t usually see eye to eye, but Izzo doesn’t care—he’s making his own rules.