FROM THE STATE NEWS: “The nonprofit entity, Spartan Ventures, is meant to maximize revenue generation and support Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals for student athletes. Details about it have been scarce.”

FROM THE DETROIT NEWS EDITORIAL BOARD: “Trustees are charged with providing oversight of all MSU operations, but board members are being required to swear themselves to secrecy before getting answers to questions such as how Spartan Ventures will interact with the university and the role private investors will have in the decisions made about sports teams. A spokesperson for MSU says Spartan Media Ventures is a private company and owns the information the trustees are requesting. That’s disingenuous, given that SMV’s three-member board reportedly includes MSU President Kevin M. Guskiewicz and Athletic Director J. Batt. The third seat is believed to be held by Greg Williams, who, with his wife Dawn, committed $401 to the university. Of that money, $100 million will be used to purchase an 11% share of the athletic department, making the Williamses part-owners of MSU teams.” Full editorial opinion is behind a paywall here.

From The State News: “The university has said that Spartan Media Ventures would not be subject to Michigan’s Freedom of Information Act law, with the exception of documents it sends to MSU. Some trustees said they’ve struggled with getting unrestricted access to documents related to Spartan Media Ventures, which hasn’t technically been formed yet. After Friday’s board meeting, Trustee Mike Balow told The State News that documents related to Media Ventures would be given only to trustees who signed nondisclosure agreements, which he said he and Trustee Dennis Denno refused to sign.” Read more here.

Said Trustee Mike Balow-R (to the Detroit News), “I’m not even sure that’s legal.”