Former Michigan State lineman Cassius Peat says he felt "blindsided" earlier this week when coaches told him he didn't have a spot on the team less than a week from when he was supposed to report to East Lansing.
Peat told the Detroit Free Press that Michigan State coaches informed him Wednesday that he shouldn't return to campus for summer workouts.
"I have respect for them, and I understand it's a business," Peat told the Free Press. "But morally, man, as a 20-year-old kid with a family, for them to do that is -- I can't even put it into words, to be honest."
Peat originally enrolled at Michigan State in 2015 and took a redshirt year during the Spartans' run to the College Football Playoff in 2015. He did not practice the following summer and was officially released from the program in August, a little more than a week before the team's 2016 season opener. Head coach Mark Dantonio said at the time that Peat wasn't suspended from the team when he missed practices in August.
In March, Peat said he planned to re-enroll at Michigan State this summer and rejoin his teammates on the football team. The former three-star prospect told the Arizona Republic that he had spent several months this winter training with his brother Andrus, a New Orleans Saints lineman.
Michigan State has lost several bodies on both the offensive and defensive lines this offseason. Three defensive linemen and one offensive linemen have left the program since the end of last season for various reasons. Another defensive lineman, Demetrius Cooper, remains suspended due to an altercation with a police officer last fall.
Michigan State did not respond to a request for comment or clarification about why Peat's status with the program has changed. Peat told the Free Press he was qualified academically to return to school and has not been in any trouble.