Comments on: Sorting Through Michigan’s Alleged NCAA Violations

By: Joe Benjamin

Joe Benjamin — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 00:40:17 +0000

When coaches keep track of who comes to additional sessions and how much extra time is put in by a player, and punishments are handed out or playing time is reduced or eliminated, these sessions are MANDATORY, period. There is no gray in this whatsoever.

When team captains call practices at the request of their coaches in order to provide plausible deniability that the coaches were involved, and when players are punished or docked of playing time if they don’t show up or perform with gusto, these practices are also MANDATORY, period. There is no gray in this whatsoever.

If you do conclude that these are gray matters (pun!), you have to admit that they are intentionally done to circumvent the rules provided by the NCAA. Thus, the coaches are deliberately requiring that 2 to 3 times as much effort be put forth than the NCAA allots and are breaking the spirit of the rules that are intended to prohibit them from doing so. The coaches are deliberately requiring their team captains participate in a scheme that they know is designed to break or get around the spirit of the NCAA rules.

When the extra time that is required adds up to 2 and 3 times that officially allowed by the NCAA, the rules are being flaunted, the NCAA is alseep at the wheel, the compliance officers at the universities involved are negligent in not reporting the discrepancies, and the colleges have defaulted on their contractual responsibilities to the players. Players are certainly correct in reporting such abuses to those who might do something about it.

Certainly, to prohibit players from telling the truth about the requirements by threatening their status on the team or ostracizing them in any way is unamerican and smacks of tactics used by thugs and gangs. This applies to those who insist that players rally around their coaches even when the coaches are getting farther and farther away from what is proper. It is not the players who should leave the team if they won’t put up with breaking of the rules, but the coaches who requires these players override the rules to the extent that we have seen.

By: V.O.R.

V.O.R. — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 22:46:32 +0000

An interesting truth is, that “time violations” are so common in football that a football team almost have to commit some other terrible violation so the NCAA will have a reason to step in. It’s almost like not wearing seat belts, the officer will write you up for that usually if he/she stops you for something else. Every big time program can be accused of the same thing.

What is troubling is if Michigan players are saying this. If they can’t handle the training then they should leave the team. No player from any school should violate the trust of their school. If they believe what the school is doing is wrong, talk to them or ask for a release. Michigan needs to stop recruiting whimps.

By: thetruth

thetruth — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 22:09:01 +0000

I see the guys at Outback Steakhouse on Sundays quiet a bit. Not all of them but normally six or seven guys. That must be how they spend one of their hour breaks.

By: An Involuntary Round-up on Free Press report

An Involuntary Round-up on Free Press report — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 21:09:38 +0000

[...] Michigan Sports Center: Sean has a nice post rolling through the report and some of the reaction. I think [...]

By: Sean

Sean — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 19:33:56 +0000

Agreed. Winning cures everything, and there wouldn’t be this much negativity if Michigan went 9-3 last year. If they do that this year, it will all disappear.

By: Chris in NC

Chris in NC — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 19:26:28 +0000

Well written Sean. Very well indeed. I don’t think much if anything will come of this, but the attacking of RichRod continues. If he somehow pulls out a great season with this team (9-3 or so) I think the attacks will stop dead in their tracks. If we don’t get a bowl this year, they will get louder and louder.