Beilein, Chris Webber in talks for return to Crisler
“There’s been some discussion on that, yeah,” said U-M coach John Beilein when asked if he had plans to meet with Webber and discuss a reunion between the former star and the program. “And so I don’t know how much Chris wants me to say, but we hope we can get together this weekend.”
https://www.freep.com/story/sports/college/university-michigan/wolverin…
November 1st, 2018 at 7:16 PM ^
He's an adult now and, as one, would know that an apology is order. He is well overdue in providing it.
November 1st, 2018 at 6:15 PM ^
Fuck yes--It's about time. Bring him home.
Forever Fab 5
November 1st, 2018 at 6:49 PM ^
If Webber will apologize, great, otherwise, no thanks.
November 1st, 2018 at 7:18 PM ^
^^ This. He needs to take responsibility for his actions. He was a great basketball player but I have no interest in his return without an apology. I won't boo him, but I certainly will not cheer for him until he makes amends.
November 1st, 2018 at 7:19 PM ^
Wonderful. I hope you follow his lead then and apologize for every mistake and transgression you committed in your teens.
November 1st, 2018 at 9:23 PM ^
That is really a dumb thing to say. BUT SURE, here you go:
I was a great basketball player and a teenager and I did something I shouldn't have. I took money from a booster, which was against the rules, and I knew it was against the rules. It wasn't a little money either, it was a lot. And I got caught, but never admitted it. My intransigence led to sanctions against a University that I cared about deeply. It led to the firing of a good man and good coach. It led to the decimation for more than a decade of a great basketball program. All so that I can protect myself. Now that I am older, I realize that I can never really make up for those mistakes. I can, however, as an adult admit that they were mistakes and mistakes for which I am very sorry.
How's that? That took me about 1 minute. He needs to fucking apologize. I cheered enough for him when I was there. Rest assured that if I did anything even remotely close to what he did then I would've apologized in all caps twenty years ago.
November 1st, 2018 at 9:27 PM ^
"I hope you follow his lead then and apologize for every mistake and transgression you committed in your teens."
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think that ppToilet took a large amount of money from a renowned local UM booster and numbers runner, or later lied to a federal grand jury about it.
None of us are without sin, moral or legal, but using that as an justification to waive away what Webber did, and then later lied about, is something we routinely make fun of other fanbases for doing.
If Chris Webber had truly come from straitened economic circumstances where it was literally a case of his family either paying the utility bills or buying food, most people would be very willing to cut him some slack for taking money from Martin, but Chris Webber was not starving or going without. His father was a GM plant foreman and his mother was teacher in the Detroit school system, and together they could afford sending him to an elite private prep school in Birmingham.
Is what Webber did on the same moral level as committing sexual assault, or mishandling the medical emergency of a player at practice, or covering up decades of sexually assaulting minors? Not in the slightest. It's not remotely in the same category as what scumbag Rumeal Robinson did after he left Michigan. IMHO what Louis Bullock and Robert Traylor did after him was worse, because by early 1997 the university had explicitly banned Martin from having any contact with the program, and both those players took money from Martin after that.
Should college players be compensated for their efforts in a way that goes beyond receiving a free college education at one of the world's most highly regarded public educational institutions? I think there are good arguments for doing so. Is the NCAA one of the most hypocritical institutions in the world? Every day, the evidence is in the affirmative.
It should also be pointed out that Webber has taken an active role in many charitable activities during and after his professional career, and he should be saluted and praised for it.
None of this changes the fact that Chris Webber has never acknowledged that what he did contributed in a significant way to an eventual crash of the basketball program that he was a member of, nor has he, to my knowledge, ever expressed the slightest contrition for that. That may make no difference to you or other UM fans, but there are plenty of other loyal fans who feel very strongly in the other direction.
There is nothing that prevents him from saying something like:
"I know that what I did was against commonly accepted rules at the time, and certainly against the guidelines of the University. I've always regretted that what I did played a role in the unfortunate events that followed, and I apologize to the Michigan athletic department, the basketball program and its fans, and the to broader University community. I have never lost my love for Michigan, and I would welcome playing a more direct role in both the basketball program and in the University. Juwan, Jimmy, Ray, and Jalen, I love you. Go Blue."
Maybe Chris—and you—think he has no reason to say anything like this. If so, I'm certainly not going to lose any sleep over it, nor would I ever boo him at the arena. But I wouldn't stand and cheer for him, either.
November 1st, 2018 at 10:05 PM ^
Thank you for interjecting rationality. It never ceases to amaze me that our fanbase has such moral relativism. Ok the one hand, we whine and moan about bagmen and players on the take at other schools, but it's okay if our players do it. I am infinitely more proud of what Coach Beilein has accomplished and would be very happy to move forward. I do like redemption stories, but you have to earn it.
November 2nd, 2018 at 11:32 AM ^
I might be in the minority (very small) here, but I think the story line leading up to him coming back to Crisler is that when he speaks, he Will apologize, and the crowd will absolutely go berserk! This is also my hope, clearly. But doesnt anyone kind of smell any hints of this? Or did I mix up a pill order?
November 1st, 2018 at 7:00 PM ^
This is an interesting discussion. I see both sides, but I'm leaning in the camp of I really don't care if Michigan ever reunites with Webber. The program has moved on and he's moved on. Both are doing fine without each other. Not every separation needs a happy reunion.
November 1st, 2018 at 7:32 PM ^
Happy that the University, AD, Coach Harbaugh and Coach Beilein have reached out to Chris and that CWebb has reciprocated...
It's getting on to be 25 years since the end of the Fab 5... I am hopeful that CWebb receives a warm reception at the game and that the Fab 5 are able to reconcile in the near future.
November 1st, 2018 at 7:35 PM ^
And coach, please hang the banners. Thank-you.
November 1st, 2018 at 7:37 PM ^
I've always thought that this fundamental question has been overlooked in the excitement: What did Chris Webber do for the University of Michigan, that they should be honoring him? Let's stick to the facts, if at all possible; there will be plenty of opinions posted in this discussion. I'll start:
On the positive side, he was the best player on a team that went to the NCAA Finals twice. Yay! But what does that do for the University? It brings attention, which probably makes money (jersey sales, TV viewership, etc.) and may bring more student applications. (It also creates excitement for fans, which we really, really like here at MGoBlog, but let's not overvalue our personal excitement. Catering to fan excitement is a sure way down a bad path in college sports, and I don't have to tell you why.)
On the negative side of the ledger, he was a major contributor to a scandal that cost his coach his job, damaged the University's reputation, and hurt the basketball program for a long time (perhaps someone can provide the details on exactly how much and how long). Also, did it cost the University the Finals appearances in the official record books?
Again, I ask that we stick to the facts in this little thread in the big discussion. I'm not asking, for example, *should* the Finals appearances count, or if it matters, but *do* they count in the record books.
November 2nd, 2018 at 9:38 AM ^
I’ve grown to be totally fine with the football honorary captain move.
I think that to get honored by the basketball program though needs to be preceded by an apology.
With this gesture this weekend, Michigan has done their part in apologizing to him for abandoning him so quickly with absolutely no support.
Now he needs to do some apologizing simply for putting lots of people (including his team) in a very bad spot, and I think that he can do so while still holding up his points about how players are treated in college sports, and I think people can have sympathy for that reason. He can totally apologize very easily. I don’t understand why he won’t do that and until he does he shouldn’t be furthur honored by the university.
This gesture with a character like Jim Harbaugh to get him integrated again is a smart one though (and a great recruiting move), and I will clap and be happy to see him back! I can’t wait for that apology for him to get back together with the Fab Five at Crisler!