M-Borg vs. THE Flavortown U Thread, Orig. by Buckeye Paul, absconded w/by talent.

[Mike]

The whining and denial that has greeted this scandal is one of the most annoying aspects of the whole thing.

Bingo.

[Jeff Buchanan]

...... oh, and did I mention that in nearly 5 decades of watching Michigan football, the last one - the Millennium - has been one of the hardest. That I had to live with unremitting smack from osu fans and suffer through a decade of on field embarrassment at the hands of a football team that now turns out to be a team of players on the take coached by cheaters and liars makes the current circumstances for osu very enjoyable.

Most of the pain of the tressel era has to do with the dominance of osu football over Michigan and the bright light of success shining on that program. There's a pretty good chance that osu's success on the football field - not just against Michigan - was achieved by unfairly gaining a competitive advantage.

I'll admit this is speculative but if big time HS talent was attracted to osu by a culture of pay for play that tressel probably looked the other way at, all of their on the field achievements gained by reeling in some of the nation's best talent because these types of kids were attracted to this (Herbstreit and Speilman allude to this), renders those accomplishments meaningless.

Speculative or not, IMO, osu and its football program will, both historically and going forward, be looked at skeptically by sports fans and the sports press nationwide.

This is good, righteous and in accordance with the natural laws of the universe.

[Jeff Buchanan]

the problem the bigTen will have with OSU is IF the NCAA punishes them hard, the perception of the conference nationally will be the BigTen is down. Like it or not, Michigan being town hurt the conference reputation. OSU being down will do the same.

In who's eyes? SEC fandom? The Sport's press made up of ABC/Disney/ESPN talking heads?

Who cares about them.

Look, the B10 has for decades been a conference that has placed a high value on the academic standing and quality of it's member institutions. Only in, say, the last 15-20 years, has the amount of money that can be made from football and basketball, influenced decisions made about these two sports.

I'd like to see less emphasis on money making and more on academics but that isn't likely to happen in the sea of green that's flowing into the hands of the deciders in Chicago and into the athletic departments that bust their butts to comply with Title IX.

In a way, the money has its benefits in that it does make for nice facilities for student athletes and funds all the minor sports that would not be played at the college level if it was not for that money.

But at some point, and I think it is now, the B10 conference has to take a stand against the misbehavior of CFB coaches like jim tressel. If the NCAA doesn't do it, Jim Delaney should; he has a perfect opportunity to raise the bar for integrity in college sports by dishing out some tough penalties for osu maybe even in conjunction with whatever meager sanctions the NCAA might come up with.

Jim, the cameras are running.

[Mike]

Don't hold your breath for Delaney to do the right thing.

[Jeff Buchanan]

Yeah, kind of like when GM's CEO, Rick Wagoner, went to Washington aboard a corporate jet and pulled up in a chauffeured limo to testify before congress that GM needed a gazillion dollars from the tax payers to bail them out.

I don't think some of these guys like this really get it and Delaney may very well be one of them. Doesn't hurt to call him out, though. I'm sure he's reading this board.

[entropy]

In who's eyes? SEC fandom? The Sport's press made up of ABC/Disney/ESPN talking heads?

Who cares about them.

Look, the B10 has for decades been a conference that has placed a high value on the academic standing and quality of it's member institutions. Only in, say, the last 15-20 years, has the amount of money that can be made from football and basketball, influenced decisions made about these two sports.

I'd like to see less emphasis on money making and more on academics but that isn't likely to happen in the sea of green that's flowing into the hands of the deciders in Chicago and into the athletic departments that bust their butts to comply with Title IX.

In a way, the money has its benefits in that it does make for nice facilities for student athletes and funds all the minor sports that would not be played at the college level if it was not for that money.

But at some point, and I think it is now, the B10 conference has to take a stand against the misbehavior of CFB coaches like jim tressel. If the NCAA doesn't do it, Jim Delaney should; he has a perfect opportunity to raise the bar for integrity in college sports by dishing out some tough penalties for osu maybe even in conjunction with whatever meager sanctions the NCAA might come up with.

Jim, the cameras are running.

what we want doesn't equate to reality. Brand is important. It not only impacts the $$$ (yes, that can be a dirty word), but also recruiting, exposure, coaching, etc.

[Optimus Prime]

DSL,

Received this today from the University of Michigan. You see, there is tremendous responsibility that goes with being the greatest, most successful College Football Program in America and essentially it starts with each individual. It's obviously way too late for "resigned in disgrace" Coach Tressel, but perhaps you may benefit from the following wisdom. No longer use these salient points as punchlines in your favorite gay bar but rather try to take them to heart, perhaps eventually you just might "get it".

Your Pal, OP


Dear Michigan Fans:

We thank you for being our most loyal fans, spectators, and supporters. As a University of Michigan season ticket holder, a UM alumnus or a member of any booster organization, you are by NCAA definition a representative of UM’s athletics interests. UM is held responsible for anything you do related to UM’s prospects and/or our current student-athletes.

The NCAA has strictly limited the role you, as a Michigan Fan, may take with regard to prospects and student-athletes. The penalties for breaking those rules, whether by accident or intentional, can be severe. Any infraction will jeopardize a prospect or student-athletes opportunity to attend and compete for UM no matter how minor it may seem. In addition, you might expose UM to NCAA sanctions, and you could be disassociated from the program.

University of Michigan’s athletics programs value your continued support. The best message you can take from this information is to ask someone who is knowledgeable about NCAA rules before taking any action with a recruit or a student-athlete. The rules are complicated, and there are far too many to mention in this e-mail. Therefore, if you have any questions do not hesitate to contact the Compliance Services Office at (734)-615-7341 or by e-mail at compliance@umich.edu.

GO BLUE!!!

Elizabeth Heinrich, Interim Chief of Compliance


The Top 10 Things Fans & Friends of Michigan Athletics Should Know:


1. ALWAYS ASK BEFORE YOU ACT! Breaking NCAA rules can render prospects and student-athletes ineligible for competition at the University of Michigan. The NCAA holds the University of Michigan accountable for the actions of its fans and friends.

2. You MAY NOT make recruiting contacts with prospects, their relatives or legal guardians. A prospective student-athlete is a student who has started classes for the ninth grade (7th grade for Men’s Basketball) or above. This prohibition includes written and telephone communications.

3. You MAY NOT contact a prospect’s coach, principal, or counselor in an attempt to evaluate the prospect.

4. You MAY send newspaper clippings and other information about talented prospects to the Michigan coaching staff. Also, you MAY continue established relationships with friends and neighbors whose children are prospects or current student-athletes, provided the relationship pre-dates reaching prospect status and is not based on their status as an athlete.

5. You MAY attend high school or junior college competitions provided no contact occurs with the prospect or the prospect’s relatives.

6. You MAY NOT entertain any coach from a junior or senior high school, preparatory school, or junior college or provide them with tickets or any other type of benefit.

7. You MAY NOT become involved in arranging for a prospect, a Michigan student-athlete or their family to receive gifts, money or financial benefits of any kind.

8. You MAY NOT provide transportation to a prospect, student-athlete or their friends and family. Also, you MAY NOT spend funds to entertain prospects, student-athletes or their friends and family.

9. You MAY employ a student-athlete provided you are paying them only for the work they actually perform, paying the going rate for similar services, are not paying them or providing perks based on their status as a student-athlete and the employment has been approved by the Compliance Services Office.

10.You MAY NOT use a photo or name of a student-athlete for commercial purposes or sell student-athlete memorabilia.

Thank You For Your Support!

The University of Michigan Compliance Services Office (CSO)
1000 S. State St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
734-615-7341
compliance@umich.edu

[Pasadena Blue]

I hope Luke Fickell doesn't dismiss me.

signed,

Gordon Gee

[hack]

LOL, I got that too. I didn't know I was a booster! It's good of them to let me know I am allowed to go see HS sports!

[lineygoblue]

You are a booster if you are paying the seat license.

[Hannibal]

Don't hold your breath for Delaney to do the right thing.

I'll be surprised if Delaney does something besides take a back seat and stay out of the mess. Privately, I think that every AD other than Gene Smith is delighted right now. If Delaney tries to get OSU off with a light punishment, he will be going against the wishes of 11 out of 12 ADs in the conference. The "cash cow"/money argument is debateable. If OSU is down for three or four years, Michigan, Penn State, Nebraska, Wisky, or MSU will step in to fill that void. It is already happening with recruiting. If OSU hadn't cheated last year, MSU would have gone to the Rose Bowl, everyone else would have gotten shifted up one bowl slot, and the lost money for the conference would have ultimately been whatever Northwestern made for their shit bowl.

I would argue that the real "cash cow" for the NCAA is not OSU, USC, or any one university. It is the perception that the playing field is level and that the athletes are amateurs. Nothing is worth protecting more than that. If anything is going to threaten the value of TV contracts in the future, it will be the fans giving up on the sport because it lacks integrity.

[Jeff Buchanan]

I would argue that the real "cash cow" for the NCAA is not OSU, USC, or any one university. It is the perception that the playing field is level and that the athletes are amateurs. Nothing is worth protecting more than that. If anything is going to threaten the value of TV contracts in the future, it will be the fans giving up on the sport because it lacks integrity.

This.

Others have mentioned the value of the B10 brand and the brand of each member institution. That is hugely important and each university has to walk its own tightrope involving the brand with regards to invading commercialism and rule breaking.

I like where Michigan is on that tightrope right now.

[Hannibal]

The dealership story has been around for over a month and since the state agency cleared the dealership of fraud weeks ago, I've heard basically no details since. Despite the persistent digging of media outlets like ESPN. No one's investigated? The media is constantly investigating and their resources are probably greater than the NCAA itself.

The media doesn't have much more work to do for OSU, unless there is a brand new story. The media and the blogosphere have uncovered more than enough shenanigans for anyone with a sense of reason to realize that the vehicles, Dennis Talbot, and players in addition to the Tat 5 need to be formally investigated. I see no point in any news outlets contacting players and their families to ask them how they financed their vehicles or whether they associated with Dennis Talbot. At this point, I doubt that anyone else will talk to SI, ESPN, or Yahoo, having seen how it makes them persona non grata in Columbus. I have heard nothing about any formal investigation into these matters by the NCAA, which is the only body that ultimately matters. If the NCAA chooses to ignore all of this (and they may), it will be because they chose to ignore some pretty obvious violations, not because OSU is innocent of them.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Correct. Even if the NCAA clears us, you will continue to insist we're guilty. Just like the Troy Smith/Steve McNair thing from 6 years ago. Didn't matter that the NCAA cleared him, you continued to beat the drum that cheating had occured and goddamn the NCAA and life ain't fair

[Jeff Buchanan]

I don't disagree with that view, DSL. But I don't agree with the implication you make that NCAA violations at osu aren't more wide spread. The mantra of osu fans and of the osu administration has been ..... contained, due to tressel and a handfull of players, nothing more to see. Maybe osu's biggest problem is the PR effort by smith and gee. Nobody, including me, trusts them. Both of them, as evidenced by what they say and how actions have been taken, sound like they are slow-playing the NCAA and working to cover stuff up; that is not just my view, that view being shaded by my Maze colored glasses. It is a widely held view by everyone I here disscusssing it.

IMO, the NCAA is likely to demonstrate over the next few months that they are completely incapable of appropriately managing compliance with the rules they are charted to enforce.

I'm not certain it is entirely their fault. Frankly, I think the President's share a big part of the blame here for the kind of bad behavior we are seeing at specific institutions. One has to ask, who is minding the store at these schools.