A day after Michigan State announced its plan to move on from Alan Haller, the outgoing athletic director released a statement on his impending departure Friday.

In the statement, Haller alluded to a rift between himself and people in “positions of significant influence” that caused his firing.

“Throughout my career, I have consistently spoken up when I believed something was not right—always guided by a commitment to protect students and uphold the best interests of the University. At times, those decisions have not aligned with individuals in positions of significant influence,” Haller wrote.

Haller’s statement was released through Blanchard & Walker, PLLC, based in Ann Arbor.

Haller, 54, has been Michigan State’s athletic director since September 2021. On Thursday, Michigan State announced his last day will be May 11.

Haller says he is “proud” of his record as an athletic director. That includes bringing on a number of the school’s current coaches, including football coach Jonathan Smith, women’s basketball coach Robyn Fralick and hockey coach Adam Nightingale.

“Although I am deeply saddened to be leaving the University, I am proud of my record and the lasting impact of my work,” Haller’s statement continued. “As I continue to process this decision, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to the Spartan community for their unwavering support.”

Haller, a Lansing native and J.W. Sexton High School graduate, ran track at Michigan State and played football for coach George Perles from 1988 to 1991 before a brief NFL career spent mostly playing special teams. He returned to East Lansing after his football career, joining Michigan State’s Department of Police and Public Safety for 13 years.

In 2010, Haller stepped into an associate athletic director role with the athletic department. Before that, he had served on the committee that hired Mark Dantonio to coach football in 2006. In 2015, he earned a promotion to senior associate athletic director and became chief of staff in 2017. In 2021, Haller succeeded Bill Beekman as athletic director as his predecessor stepped into a role in the MSU president’s office.

“Serving as Vice President and Director of Athletics at Michigan State University has been one of the greatest honors of my life,” Haller said. “For 32 years, I have been a Spartan — first as a student-athlete in track and football, then as a Police Officer, and later in various leadership roles within Spartan Athletics.

“To the student-athletes: THANK YOU for allowing me the privilege of serving as your athletic director. It has been an incredible journey — and yes, it has been FUN! Supporting your success has never been just a job; it was my responsibility and my joy to help create an environment where you could thrive and become the best version of yourselves.”

Haller navigated multiple scandals with Michigan State, including the fallout of the 2022 Michigan-Michigan State tunnel fight that saw seven Spartan football players face criminal charges. In his first year as athletic director, Haller signed former football coach Mel Tucker to a 10-year, $95 million extension that made him the highest paid Black coach in college football history. Michigan State did not have to pay the full contract after firing Tucker for cause amid a sexual misconduct scandal after rape survivor and activist Brenda Tracy accused him of sexual harassing her over the phone in April 2022.

Haller was also associate athletic director in 2014, when the first of more than 300 claims of sexual abuse against former gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar came to light. Michigan State paid a $500 million settlement, while Nasser was sentenced to life in prison.

Michigan State is currently under an NCAA investigation for recruiting violations during the Tucker era, The Detroit News reported April 2.

“I am deeply grateful to my colleagues who stood alongside me,” Haller continued. “Together, we navigated some of the most difficult challenges in our history and celebrated some of our most meaningful victories. Leading Spartan Athletics through both has been a highlight of my professional life. My parents taught me that our actions should always be motivated by love. Serving this University and this community has been, for me, an act of love. I remain a proud Spartan.”

Haller’s departure comes at a pivotal time in college athletics. A number of changes shaped Haller’s time at Michigan State, including the advent of the transfer portal, as well as name, image and likeness (NIL) rights for athletes.

With the ongoing House v. NCAA settlement putting into effect roster limits and the distribution of $20.5 million in revenue sharing, President Kevin Guskiewicz says the university is seeking a successor who “can best navigate the changing landscape of collegiate athletics while working closely with both internal and external stakeholders to move Michigan State forward as a leader among the Power Four institutions.”

The past three seasons have seen a downturn for Michigan State football with a combined 14-22 record, including a 5-7 (3-6 Big Ten) finish in Smith’s first season leading the Spartans. As the athletic department’s biggest sport, national competitiveness in that sport is a major priority.

One of the criticisms of Haller as an athletic director was Michigan State’s ineffectiveness in raising funds for NIL, an area that has affected recruiting in the school’s biggest sports of football and men’s basketball.

Tom Izzo, who will serve as co-interim athletic director alongside deputy athletic director Jennifer Smith, led the men’s basketball team to a 30-7 record, 17-3 conference record and a Big Ten championship before marching to the Elite Eight with a team driven by depth over star power.

Friday, Michigan State donor Jim Heos told WILX Channel 10 that while he liked Haller as an athletic director, he saw weakness in how Michigan State approached the modern college sports landscape under Haller’s guidance.

“I’m not surprised given the trajectory of the level of giving to the athletic department, Heos said. “All you gotta do is look at what’s going on with players that are coming via the transfer portal. It just seems like we can’t compete because we don’t have enough money.”

INDIANAPOLIS — It only took warmups for Michigan State coach Tom Izzo to get a feeling about Friday’s Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal against Oregon. Against an eight seed Ducks team riding an eight-game win streak, he expected his first-seed Spartans to have their hands full. He even went back to the locker room and told assistant coach Doug Wojcik, “we’re in trouble.”

“They don’t miss a shot,” Izzo said. “They’re big, they’re strong.”

Now, they’re eliminated from the Big Ten Tournament. Because as much as Izzo’s warning came to fruition at times Friday afternoon at Indianapolis’ Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Michigan State stayed in front of Oregon in a decisive 74-64 win to open up its Big Ten Tournament run. Paced by four players scoring in double digits and strong work on defense and the glass, the Spartans opened one-and-done play with a win.

Michigan State will play Wisconsin in the Big Ten semifinal 1 p.m. Saturday (CBS). Friday’s win over Oregon is its 12th Quad 1 win of the season, boosting its case for a 1-seed on Selection Sunday.

Izzo’s warning about Oregon made sense. One only had to look back to the last time these teams played to see why. In the win Feb. 8 when Izzo tied Indiana great Bob Knight’s career Big Ten wins record, Michigan State (27-5) trailed by 14 at halftime before mounting a major comeback. Oregon (24-9) hadn’t lost since.

This time, Michigan State got off to a better start. It scored the first eight points to take control before a 9-2 Oregon run brought the game right back. The first half proved a war of attrition, with each team grinding out offense in the halfcourt and battling for defensive stops. The shot clock bled down on many possessions.

Jeremy Fears Jr. — who watched the last meeting with Oregon from his couch because he was sick — played a big role with his playmaking, but also his defense on Oregon guard Jackson Shelstad. The same could be said for center Carson Cooper off the bench, who heard a friendly crowd shout “Coop” when he drew a first-half charge on the baseline. Michigan State guards Jaden Akins, Tre Holloman and Jase Richardson all found ways to score from midrange, finding space in Oregon’s coverage.

“We knew they were going to be really aggressive, pressing us and denying us,” Akins said. “So we got a couple back doors to happen, which led to Coen (Carr)’s dunk at the end. … I feel like they were playing drop coverage, so we just tried to do our best to do damage in the midrange.”

It took until the final three minutes for Michigan State to pull away. After a corner 3 from Carr, his team outscored Oregon 18-7 in the final six minutes of the half to take a 42-32 lead.

Michigan State wasn’t so crisp to start the second half. An overshot 3 from Fears turned over the first possession with a shot-clock violation. A travel from Fears turned over the next. Szymon Zapala fouled away the third possession before Kohler turned over the fifth. As Oregon’s TJ Bamba scored on the break as part of 15 points off turnovers, Michigan State’s lead fell to just four points.

Just as the game got out of control, Michigan State seized control. Frankie Fidler drew first blood of a 15-0 run off the bench, adding a 3 later in the sequence. Richardson nailed a 3 to take a 57-43 lead at 10:47 before scoring a midrange off one leg right after.

Richardson led Michigan State with 17 points on 4-for-13 shooting. It’s the most he’s ever shot the ball in the game, a milestone for a player whose first start came 10 games ago against Oregon. Such an upgrade in role came with hiccups, however, as he shot well below his season average.

“He’s just very efficient, very intelligent,” Izzo said. “And I think he knows he’s gotta do some things when we get stagnant and talks to me about moving the ball more. I talked to him tonight when he said, ‘I’m not shooting well.’ I said, ‘Let me worry about that. You just keep doing your job.”

Richardson left the game with 51 seconds to play after Bamba’s knee collided with his head and neck, knocking him to the ground. He split his free throws before subbing out, but said after the game he’ll play in Saturday’s semifinal.

As much as Richardson, Coen Carr factored in heavily during this run — not only for his putback dunk early in it, but especially his strong rebounding and defensive play. Carr tied a career-high with eight rebounds, including five during the run.

“Coen grew up today,” Izzo said. “I mean, in a lot of ways. It wasn’t just hitting a 3. Some of those rebounds he got. Some of the defensive stops, guarding guards. … He proved what I believe about Coen Carr: that as that shot keeps coming, he’s gonna be a special player.”

As much as any dunk or defensive stop, Carr’s rebounds secured possessions that kept Oregon from mounting a comeback.

“That’s one thing that they want me to do is go in there and rebound like an animal,” Carr said.  “So when I go in and do that, I get extra opportunities for my team.”

The offense cooled after the run, but Michigan State’s defensive play didn’t wane. After going nearly six minutes without a bucket during the Spartans’ run, Oregon went 3:32 without a field goal right after. Bittle broke the slump with a jumper, part of a 22-point performance that led the game. And though Shelstad found his groove in the final five minutes, Oregon never drew within eight points down the stretch.