UM Football Recruiting - by WM Wolverine

[hack]

I've said this before and I don't think you gave it a ton of air, and I'm sure this will be as convincing for you as your posts are for me, but when the Tressel scandal broke quite a few anecdotes out of AA emerged that convinced me Michigan is cleaner than even perception. A mechanic talked about how compliance rode him to bill football players for work he'd done. They badgered a landscaping company to make sure players were being paid market rate for summer grasscutting, etc. Anecdotes at that scale aren't data, and same goes for what the HS coaches say, but for those who desire to do so you can connect quite a few dots on this and ratify the general public perception about cheating in college and about how much Michigan does it and about OSU standing out from the rest of the conference in its willingness as well. Ann Arbor has a very strong culture, which produces a clean athletics department and annoying, sanctimonious Michigan fans.

This isn't to say that Michigan on the whole is a morally superior institution to others. It's athletics department likely is compared with most P5 peers, but as an institution the sickness lies elsewhere. Michigan is all about financial engineering. If Michigan is ever caught in a scandal involving money I'd bet good money it will be an accounting scandal, and possibly within the AD. I wouldn't be surprised if Brandon was cooking the books.

[iam416]

Ah, yes. I also remember the Thad Matta cheats out his ass mantra, too. In any event, you know when M fans are wailing and gnashing their teeth over refereeing or cheating that all is right is the world.

Incidentally, Ohio State got hosed by the officials against M. Probably cost them a trip into the 70s.

[hack]

Matta played in the grey zone more than any other coach in the conference, from what I heard from two separate HS basketball coaches. For what it's worth. Which, for an OSU fan, maybe worth a lot less than for a Michigan fan. We have different cultures.

As I said these anecdotes are not data, but you have a number of dots here to connect, if you wish to do so, and you can come to a reasonble guesstimate here. Obviously there's no way to be sure. But the FBI investigation could become the biggest dot fairly soon, if the rumours were true as of last Feb. that Michigan was the only ranked team at the time not implicated.

[Hannibal]

The only reason why the Fab Five fiasco even happened is because of an FBI investigation that was completely unrelated to basketball.

[hack]

The Tressell/Webber stories are just such a clear illustration of how the culture differs in Columbus and Ann Arbor. A generation later Webber still isn't a part of things in AA -- the basketball program stayed at arm's length when Harbaugh brought him in as an honorary captain this year. A year after Tressel did something you'd think would have brought shame to OSU, they gave him a hero's welcome on the field. Our cultures are just very different.

[iam416]

But the FBI investigation could become the biggest dot fairly soon, if the rumours were true as of last Feb. that Michigan was the only ranked team at the time not implicated.

Ohio State was not implicated. But that won't change your mind.

[iam416]

Oh, hack's greatest hits. So early in the offseason, too. The surest sign that M is in the shitter.

[hack]

The formal ten-year disassociation with the university expired five years ago, but it looks like there's not much interest from either side. Harbaugh brought him back presumably as a recruiting tool, and he did not associate with the basketball program while there. That's soft stuff. The FBI stuff is hard stuff. We'll see how it shakes out, but the implication was against everyone in the top 25 save for Michigan, IIRC. All that's speculation right now. If that plays out, it's going to be harder and harder to continue asserting that Michigan is not one of the few schools that stands apart on compliance.

[iam416]

YD'tRC. Well, actually, maybe you do because I haven't a clue who your nutjobs sources are. There's gads of reporting on it, but the Wiki page does a decent job of collecting the allegations: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017%E...uption_scandal

And, in any event, again, it won't change your mind about Ohio State and Matta one lick.

[hack]

We'll see. As this stuff isn't transparent, all we can do is go by what we know and gauge the value of the unverified stuff. Obviously the Miles Bridges-level stuff isn't on the same level, nor is Wikipedia exhaustive, but Michigan doesn't even do that. If OSU isn't implicated, then that's a relevant data point too. It could very well be that those ``holy shit everybody's in on this" statements were hyperbole. Entirely reasonable to suggest that.

Doesn't change the fact that the both of you are here like moth to flame and ready to ignore what little we do know and can rationally apply to the question at hand. If you think it's nonsense, well, nobody's forcing you to waste your time engaging with it. Although, as has been said, AA is making a very powerful argument here, and that could bear fruit very soon.

[iam416]

You have to understand -- "connect the dots" is trademark hack.

BTW, AA, YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO WIN CLEAN!

[hack]

This is all very convincing. Time well spent, gents.

[hack]

I'm almost flipped. Keep at it.

[hack]

I hope you'll be using your best prose.

[WingsFan]

I like Kstat, I really do.

Some think he can be really annoying, but hes a good guy at heart. Very shy without a keyboard, but overall a good guy. Now when he called me a white supremacist did I get upset? No, not at all. I know that he was hurt by what I posted and that is the total opposite of me.

And when he was banned from the Detroit Tigers world crossing forum many many years ago - who defended him? Me (only me). Non the less he was kick out permanently. Now I will say this, he never needed anyone riding shotgun, but - when triggered - yes he did (and still) has to, must, no matter what - get the last word - always, just get that last word in.

Because you know that makes that person right.