Advice from Sam Webb: Don't Boo Chris Webber
Sam and Ira were taking about this subject on WTKA this morning and I believe it's something that should be shared. If you're not happy that Chris Webber is coming back to Ann Arbor, just close your mouth or keep talking to your buddy. Do not boo him during the coin toss. This a huge recruiting weekend for football and basketball, and booing a former player can only reflect poorly on our university and our treatment of former athletes. With that said, there probably will be some boos and that means that everyone else should cheer that much louder to make Webber and the recruits feel welcome.
Go Blue and Beat PSU.
November 2nd, 2018 at 1:14 PM ^
....but then they will "forget" to remove the increase for when we don't have it.
November 2nd, 2018 at 3:38 PM ^
I'm pretty sure the AD can cover the cost of shirts without charging people extra on tickets. They rake in MORE than enough money to hand out a cheap-ass t-shirt in order to coordinate a Maize-Out.
The fact that it hasn't happened yet means whoever is in charge of this stuff is either unbelievably cheap and stingy or terrible at executing game-day events like a Maize-Out.
Other schools do it all the time, no reason we have to look like the biggest stadium full of uncoordinated, random fans who just showed up to a game.
Sorry but this is a personal point of irritation for me and this comment chain got me going LoL.
November 2nd, 2018 at 1:24 PM ^
The towel they gave me was too small to wear
November 2nd, 2018 at 12:18 PM ^
If the students want to cheer Chris Webber, I think that's fine.
Problem for them is that they will need to be inside the Stadium for the coin toss.
That means about 45 minutes earlier than normal.
November 2nd, 2018 at 12:21 PM ^
Wait, Timeout... people are going to boo Chris Webber? For what?
November 2nd, 2018 at 12:30 PM ^
Because some people think they deserve an apology for the joy of watching him play at Michigan for two years. More than likely, those same people would have taken the money too.
November 2nd, 2018 at 12:34 PM ^
I see what you did there
November 2nd, 2018 at 1:19 PM ^
That was money!
November 2nd, 2018 at 12:27 PM ^
to hell with webber. i actually feel bad for howard, rose, jackson and king who get lumped in with webber and HIS transgressions. and they all came from much worse situations. most people say "the Fab 5 were dirty". i have defended the other 4 numerous times over the years.
November 2nd, 2018 at 12:31 PM ^
Lol, get over it.
November 2nd, 2018 at 12:35 PM ^
Jalen Rose took money from Martin too. He has never denied that.
There were never any allegations against King, Jackson, or Howard. Everybody who knows anything has defended those three the entire time. You are not the bastion genius of justice you seem to think you are.
November 2nd, 2018 at 12:28 PM ^
Easy fix - just yell "Go" if you're pro-Webber to offset the boos. Then recruits will just think we're yelling "Go Bluuuuuue" and move on.
November 2nd, 2018 at 12:35 PM ^
Welcome Back C- Webb!
November 2nd, 2018 at 12:32 PM ^
I wonder if there will be an announcement before the game for peeps who want to boo
November 2nd, 2018 at 12:37 PM ^
I'm glad he's coming back, I hope he's well received, I do wish he'd have been more accepting to his teammates in the past, but one rift at a time.
November 2nd, 2018 at 12:39 PM ^
I think 99% of people will cheer him
November 2nd, 2018 at 12:43 PM ^
Get over it. Don't Boo the man. I, for one, am glad to see him back associated with the university.
November 2nd, 2018 at 12:55 PM ^
It's unreal that 25 years later and most people are clueless about what really happened. Webber was a victim. Martin needed Webber, way more than Webber needed Martin. Webber was about to become a millionaire. He didn't need Martin's money. Martin was the scumbag, not the kids. Furthermore, Martin was not a "booster" in the traditional sense. He knew those kids. If my neighbor was the top college BB player in the nation, I might lend him some money too and there isn't a damn thing the NCAA could do about it. It was all about Martin needing to get rid of dirty money and then it became about the feds.
November 2nd, 2018 at 1:08 PM ^
It was Fisher's fault for letting it go on also.
November 2nd, 2018 at 1:10 PM ^
Yup... my understanding was that Webber knew Martin from years before he ever became a star at Michigan and that he was giving out shoes and pocket money to lots of kids in the Detriot area...
the conflict happened when Martin passed the threshold, in the eyes of NCAA compliance rules, that he was a booster for the University of Michigan.
If Martin remained simply a family friend, then the conflict and resulting sanctions would have been much more difficult to prove.
As noted above, CWebb wasn't the only kid involved... just the biggest name and one that didn't show the level of contrition that people wanted him to show.
My feeling is that there will be some sort of apology forthcoming, especially if the university, AD and coaches Harbaugh and Beilein have been so active in trying to bring him back... we'll see. I hope that the crowd greets him warmly and that this is the path forward towards a reconciliation that everyone will be happy with.
November 2nd, 2018 at 1:27 PM ^
All of these things are all true!
But Webber lied about it all, and lied to Michigan's own investigators, and eventually did Michigan no favors in the debacle with the NCAA that followed.
It isn't about "contrition." It's about the fact that this should have been an Ed Martin-and-friends problem, but it became a University of Michigan problem.
November 2nd, 2018 at 2:43 PM ^
i don't disagree.
but if people's feelings towards webber wrt to welcoming him back are contingent on expecting an apology, it is about contrition.
wish it never happened, just like everyone else, but is also going on 25 years too.
i'd rather look to the future than the past at this point
November 3rd, 2018 at 9:58 AM ^
Realize that without this event, MSU basketball would still be a middling program . They stepped into the void and got all the good Detroit recruits like Cleaves and Green.
November 3rd, 2018 at 11:29 AM ^
MSU stepped into a power vacuum no doubt.
Everything is cyclical however, there's no reason to think that MSU could not have still been successful, albeit less so, even if Michigan stayed high in the ratings.
proof lies in Coach Beilein himself... who stepped into a mess, under the shadow the Izzo and an MSU program still riding high... and still got the program to the top of the mountain - twice.
MSU hasn't disappeared either, they are still a decent/good program...If the sanctions never happened, there's no guarantee MSU still would have been bad. The state of Michigan can support two top tier programs.
November 2nd, 2018 at 3:00 PM ^
So, how about the previous 15+ years he chose not to associate with the school out of spite? You didn't see that from the others? I don't know whether I blame him, but still, that respect is gone for me. I don't hate him, but I don't care for him. That's my right, quit shitting on people for their opinions.
November 2nd, 2018 at 10:50 PM ^
the ban of Chris Webber not being associated with the university ended in 2013. That's 5 years.
Not sure where I am shitting on anyone? Am putting forward my opinion about welcoming him back and qualifying the actual facts of the case.
people can do whatever they please....
November 2nd, 2018 at 1:00 PM ^
It was 25 years ago. The basketball program is very much alive and thriving now, so I'd say we are well past the setbacks that came after the Fab Five rolled through.
It's hard for me to get too mad at Webber. If someone threw me 200k, at his age, can't honestly say I wouldn't have taken that money.
November 2nd, 2018 at 3:15 PM ^
So, you would get booed too.
November 2nd, 2018 at 1:19 PM ^
CWebb and Franklin both are not the best at calling TOs
Seriously, I will just keep quiet. When he admits any sort of responsibility and contrition, most everyone will welcome him back with open arms.
November 2nd, 2018 at 1:21 PM ^
Webber is one of my favorite U of M basketball players ever. Considering the racist response a lot of Michigan fans had towards the Fab 5 even before the scandal with Webber, it's no surprise so many hold a grudge.
1. The players should be paid
2. not many ( my guess is not one of you) would have turned down that much money as a teenager.
3. it was almost 30 years ago, get over it
November 2nd, 2018 at 1:55 PM ^
Oh, for Pete’s sake. I don’t care what color his skin is, and I was really, really disappointed to read about the abuse he received from so-called “fans” — abuse which is presumably happening to this day, considering that both Denard Robinson and Devin Gardner reported it.
My problems with Chris Webber have to do with his character, not his ancestry, upbringing, culture, or melanin level.
November 2nd, 2018 at 2:34 PM ^
All of your points have nothing to do with his lack of contrition, other players who came from MUCH less " following the rules", and the huge damage it did on the program.
I said I am "over it" and wouldn't boo him, or anyone else. But I'm not going to CHEER the guy on until he takes a little responsibility. I sincerely hope he does.
I've been a fan and known players before the Fab5, during the FAb5 through today. Howard is the guy I will always cheer for.
November 2nd, 2018 at 1:34 PM ^
While the average MGoBlogger has a strong opinion on Chris Webber, for some reason my assumption is the average person in attendance at the game would probably be a fan of Chris Webber.
November 2nd, 2018 at 1:35 PM ^
Seeing as how over half of those in attendance (probably) weren't even alive when Chris Webber was playing for Michigan, and many weren't even alive when the Ed Martin scandal was unfolding, I doubt there will be much booing.
November 2nd, 2018 at 5:29 PM ^
Furthermore how many of them that were alive were fans of basketball at the time? (This IS a football game), And, how many of them were THAT big of a fan? Most fans aren't like us, here, most fans barely know the starting players names let alone enough about events happening beyond the court/field.
November 2nd, 2018 at 1:39 PM ^
My God, people going to seriously boo him?
November 2nd, 2018 at 1:40 PM ^
This team had so much swagger. CWebb was the center piece of this legendary team. Anyone that is a true michigan fan would never boo him!
November 2nd, 2018 at 2:55 PM ^
yeah, no.
November 2nd, 2018 at 1:45 PM ^
I love Webber and would never boo him, but I think it's funny that some people think they can tell others what to do.
November 2nd, 2018 at 1:46 PM ^
Vote?
November 2nd, 2018 at 2:00 PM ^
OK, I'll just say this and you can flame me - any Michigan fan who would boo Chris Webber is a self-righteous pissant and if you're reading this and planning to boo the man, I mean what I say.
November 2nd, 2018 at 2:31 PM ^
Let he who has never lied under oath to a grand jury cast the first stone?
One man’s self-righteous, hypocritical pissant is another man’s person with an ethical standard and belief in the principles that supposedly define Michigan.
November 2nd, 2018 at 2:02 PM ^
For those that want to boo you can kindly leave. We don’t need trash like you at the big house
November 2nd, 2018 at 2:05 PM ^
It's funny to remember that, at the time, most expected Webber to go to MSU, not Michigan. Webber was already taking money from Martin by then and the payments had nothing to do with him picking Michigan. Martin would have continued to give him money no matter where he went to school because he wanted to buy the friendship of a future star. Of course, Webber made mistakes taking the money in the first place and then lying about it. Webber paid the price and pled guilty to criminal contempt rather than risk a perjury trial. But the University made some bad decisions too. Fischer, et al covered their eyes for many years, with Webber and others, and did not act to clean up the program when, if they wanted to know what was happening, they could have discovered the problems. And, they were adults who weren't scrapping to live above the poverty line. So, don't boo Chris Webber. Welcome him like a guy who said in 2003, "I just love the University of Michigan. I just hope to get back up there to play with the guys.''
November 2nd, 2018 at 2:08 PM ^
I'll save my boos for James Franklin for breathing Michigan air
November 2nd, 2018 at 2:08 PM ^
Be Accountable.
November 2nd, 2018 at 2:09 PM ^
Silence is golden. That is the rout I'll take.
November 2nd, 2018 at 2:23 PM ^
I'll be booing Chris Webber.
November 2nd, 2018 at 6:01 PM ^
Username checks out.
November 2nd, 2018 at 2:43 PM ^
The people who are still irked with CWebb need to just grow up. He made a bad decision while young and was seduced by the evil that was Ed Martin. His time out call against NC is more egregious but without him they wouldn't have been in that game.
I was, and still am, very proud of what that crew did while at UM, including the NC game where they came so close to winning it. Will definitely be one of (hopefully) thousands cheering when he's introduced.