UPDATE: Uh-oh! CMU, EMU and now WMU in big trouble thanks to Rich Rod!

Re: Uh-oh! Cental Michigan, or some other smaller football program, in trouble

David Aldridge just sat up in bed and has no idea why.

 

Re: Uh-oh! Cental Michigan, or some other smaller football program, in trouble

I was listening to ESPN radio today. One of their guests was host of a radio show and editor for a fanboi site known as GoBlueWolverine.com. He disparaged the Freep report. According to this fellow, the players' claims of rules violations stemmed from the players' ignorance of the rules. In other words, there were no violations. The players, he said, counted time in the training room in their calculation of the hours and such time doesn't count, according to the rules.
Sorry, pal. Nowhere in the Freep story do any players mention training/rehab time in their estimates.

In short, a pathetic fanboi defense and blame-the-messenger session. I'm trying to find a link to the radio broadcast.

 

Re: Uh-oh! Cental Michigan, or some other smaller football program, in trouble

I guess the editor of RichRodisGod.com was busy so they went with the next-closest objective source.

 

Re: Uh-oh! Cental Michigan, or some other smaller football program, in trouble

Well at least now we know why Michigan was sliding into mediocrity under Lloyd Carr -- he was recruiting a bunch of pussies.

I mean, my God, first the kid leaves to go to OSU because RichRod swore at him and then a couple more transfer and whine that the conditioning program was too hard, now these fucking babies are upset because they have to earn their free education.

Give me a damn break.

And until there is a player who is on the team and ON THE RECORD (so we can verify he was indeed a starter and not some disgruntled whiner), this is a chickenshit story by a newspaper who, from day 1, has clearly had it in for Rich Rodriguez.

I am not a fan of "sources" stories but I understand the need for them from time to time, but credibility of the accusers is a big thing in this story and without names attached to them -- and I find it hilarious the one guy who is named is a transfer to Colorado who has no credibility from those who know his act as he was a self-promoting pain in the ass diva during his recruiting process and was suspended for his last high school game - a playoff game in which his team lost without him -- because he decided to miss practice the day before to go to watch another game -- it is hard to determine iif this is a lot of hot air.

 

Re: Uh-oh! Cental Michigan, or some other smaller football program, in trouble

If you understand how Division I football coaches work, you know there's absolutely no chance in hell--no fucking chance--that a current player will go on the record. Are you serious? That kid would get shoved to fourth string, have to run about 10 billion stairs with the rest of his team (nothing like 99 of your teammates in intense agony because of you) and notified nicely that his services will no longer be needed once the new semester starts. The ONLY WAY a player benefits from talking to reporters about something like that is anonymously.

As for the "earn their free education", give me a fucking break. Part of getting that free education is getting some time during the week to, I don't know, fucking study. It's hard to keep up on your studies when your Sunday is spent from sun-up to sun-down taking orders from Rich Rodriguez.

As for your whining about the Colorado transfer...reminds me a lot of what people USED TO say about Jose Canseco. Just remember this: where there is A LOT of smoke, there is usually fire. a

 

Re: Uh-oh! Cental Michigan, or some other smaller football program, in trouble

You can rationalize all this if you want - and I understand this wasn't exactly cash falling out of a FedEx envelope.

But the fact is that Rodriguez is a bad, bad, bad fit here, and it's becoming more painfully obvious every day.

Michigan is supposed to hold itself to a higher standard when it comes to this sort of thing.

 

Re: Uh-oh! Cental Michigan, or some other smaller football program, in trouble

See: Tony Clemons, transfer student who left after getting buried on the depth chart.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4432956

In any event, this is why Michigan is going to get through this mess without a hassle from the NCAA.

Even if they did have 12-hour workdays on Sundays, it is not illegal, as long as they fall under 20-hours of maximum countable work per week.
The team would take Mondays off. Then have 3-hours of practice on Tue, Wed, Thur and Friday.

That equals 24 hours. But many of those activities, mostly the ones on Sunday ARE VOLUNTARY.

The following items don't count toward practice totals. (Including watching tape, which happens on Sundays). What they are doing may fall into the iffy gray area of what's allowed, but it looks like they are following the rules.

a. Training-table or competition-related meals;
b. Physical rehabilitation;
c. Dressing, showering or taping; …
h. Medical examinations or treatments; …
m. Voluntary individual workouts, provided these workouts are not required or supervised by coaching staff members, except that such activities may be monitored for safety purposes or conducted by the institution's strength and conditioning personnel who have department wide duties.
o. The provision of videotapes to a student-athlete by an institution's coach that include a personalized message and athletically related information (e.g., discussion of plays, general workout programs, lectures on strategy related to the sport), provided the viewing of the videotape by the student-athlete is voluntary;[/b][/i][/u][/i][/b]
p. Use of an institution's athletics facilities (which may be reserved) during the academic year or summer by student-athletes, provided the activities are not supervised by or held at the direction of any member of an institution's coaching staff.

And one more time for good measure: Those voluntary 7 on 7 workouts --- maybe the strength and conditioning coach was able to be there. Read it and decide for yourself.
m. Voluntary individual workouts, provided these workouts are not required or supervised by coaching staff members, except that such activities may be monitored for safety purposes or conducted by the institution's strength and conditioning personnel who have department wide duties.


Strength and conditioning coach Mike Barwis has department wide duties. His job title is Director of Strength and Conditioning for the University of Michigan. He has athletic department wide duties and is therefore allowed to be at those practices.

He oversees a staff that also works with the ice hockey, softball, wrestling and men's soccer teams.

The only argument that seems to hold any water would be the claim that voluntary workouts aren't really voluntary. But again, Michigan can't make the players that skip out on voluntary practice work any more (they are already working 20 hours per week)!

Essentially, I will agree with Waylon on this. RichRod is a terrible fit for U of M, and the players are probably overworked. They are probably working closer to 30 hours a week with a bunch of activities that are specifically classified as "voluntary" workouts or film sessions so they don't violate the rules.

It is very shady, but it doesn't seem to be illegal.

I would say the worst thing about this all is that players are talking to the media about this. That's what separates Michigan from D-1 school right now.

 

Re: Uh-oh! Cental Michigan, or some other smaller football program, in trouble

That's nice thinking....
and it would work, except the NCAA also mandates a daily 4-hour limit.

I grew up on Michigan football -- with Bo, Denny Franklin at quarterback and Bob Ufer. I'm still a fan.

That said, Mustang, quit waving your pom-pons. It's embarrassing.

 

Re: Uh-oh! Cental Michigan, or some other smaller football program, in trouble

I was unaware of a 4-hour, per day limit.

Don't be mad because Dan LeFevour is my avatar. ;D

 

Re: Uh-oh! Cental Michigan, or some other smaller football program, in trouble

I think I can safely speak for most here when I say I'm stunned you took that enlightened stance.

 

Re: Uh-oh! Cental Michigan, or some other smaller football program, in trouble

The paper just won a Pulitzer last year. Pretty sure they know how to fact-check.

 

Re: Uh-oh! Cental Michigan, or some other smaller football program, in trouble

It is not about fact-checking - it is about taking the word of a kid like Toney Clemens, who by the way transferred because he had fallen off the radar and didn't like RichRod's bedside manners and then adding in some "anonymous" players - who may or may not have credibility.

How can anyone make a judgement of this story not knowing who the accusers are?

And don't give me this "if someone spoke out they'd be fourth string" well, who is to say they aren't fourth-string now? And more importantly, if they really are that unhappy, why are they staying at Me-Chicken in the first place?