With all the controversy surrounding Michigan athletics lately, it’s a sure bet Woody Hayes is smiling down from heaven.
Coach John Beilein’s men’s basketball team, a preseason sleeper to win the Big Ten and ranked No. 15 in the preseason AP poll, is 13-15 on the year. After reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season, the Wolverines’ current campaign has been marred by poor shooting, inconsistent play and player insubordination. Junior guard Manny Harris, the team’s leader in scoring and assists, was suspended for his team’s Jan. 23 game against Purdue following an incident in practice.
The two-time defending Big Ten Champion Wolverine men’s swimming and diving team was upset by Ohio State last weekend at the Big Ten Tournament, their first loss to OSU in the tournament since 1978. The favored Maize and Blue allowed the Buckeyes to score the second most points in Big Ten Championship history and win their first conference crown since 1956.
If that wasn’t enough, the football program, the crowning jewel of Michigan athletics, is under NCAA investigation.
The NCAA accused Michigan and coach Rich Rodriguez of five major rule violations.
On Feb. 22, the NCAA said Rodriguez “failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance within the football program,” and blamed the athletic department for not making sure the football program was in compliance with NCAA regulations.
The report also said Rodriguez was negligent of his staff and the accused violations they were committing. Furthermore, the report says Rodriguez was ignorant of whether or not his players were following NCAA rules, specifically those which govern the time allotted for practice and football-related activities.
These allegations by the NCAA stem from August 2009 reports. According to these reports, players on the 2008 and 2009 teams told the Detroit Free Press that the amount of time they spend on football activities during the season and in the offseason exceeds NCAA limits.
One anonymous player said that in-season Sundays were spent at the football facility from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., with a one-hour lunch. For those of you who are mathematically challenged like myself, that’s an 11-hour day. The NCAA daily maximum is four hours; the weekly maximum is 20.
A complementary letter from the NCAA to Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman dictated that Michigan “should understand that all of the alleged violations set forth in the document” are considered to be “potential major violations of NCAA legislation, unless designated as secondary.”
Coleman, believe it or not, may actually have a more serious issue to deal with. When the University of Michigan Board of Regents met last month in Coleman’s office for an update on the NCAA investigation of the football program, they did so behind closed doors.
Shutting out the media and the public isn’t permissible in most cases, at least according to a lawsuit filed by a Michigan alumnus.
The suit accuses the Michigan Board of Regents of violating the Michigan Open Meetings Act, which places restrictions on how and why such public bodies can meet in private. Robert Davis, the plaintiff who also claims he “lives for UM football and basketball,” told The Detroit Free Press that he simply wants, “university officials to follow the same rules that they hold the student-athletes to.” Now there’s a novel concept.
Look, I’m not trying to bash Michigan. The issues facing a few of their athletic programs are quite serious. Lawsuits and NCAA investigations are no laughing matter. However, I’d be willing to bet my OSU football tickets that at least five or six, and perhaps as many as 10, elite college football programs surpass NCAA practice limits on a regular basis.
Maybe Michigan was snake-bitten by a few bad apples disgruntled with playing time. Maybe the rumors that Rodriguez rubs his players the wrong way because he constantly berates them are true, compelling them to vent to the media. Either way, it seems as if a few souls at Michigan could use a life lesson.
When OSU offensive guard Justin Boren transferred from UM after his sophomore season, he claimed the football program’s “family values had eroded,” under Rodriguez.
Growing up, one value my mother instilled in me was that honesty is always the best policy. I hope Michigan makes that phrase their motto in the coming months. Otherwise, their athletic programs will fall further from grace.
