OT: TN AD's Statement

Meh. This is red meat for the fans, but in terms of actually resolving the issue, it's likely to backfire. Bureaucrats almost always dig in when criticized publicly.

Huh? So thats what its like to have an administration back their coach?? 

NCAA will probably issue an apology to TN by this time next week

This is phenomenal. He calls the NCAA out for breaking their own rules with the leaks to the press, and also calls them out for going after TN for violations that happen at nearly 100% of other campuses, and to top it off, call them out on poorly written and confusing rules. You could swap out NIL with “sign stealing” or “off campus scouting” and the message would ring the same. It must be nice to have an AD that doesn’t immediately capitulate and bend over.

Well, they know that NIL rules are silly and make zero sense.  In our instance, everyone stole signs but the optics is what truly screwed us over and the PI hit job.

Holy shit...Wow. An AD with a fucking spine. About damn time. Can we fire Warde and hire this guy?? Like seriously, THIS is how you go to bat for your program. If I thought Warde was capable of learning something I'd advise him to take notes...

The sad part is that the NCAA will read this and suspend Sherrone Moore for 6 games next season.

Must be nice having an AD that defends the coach...

That's a pretty ballsy statement considering his school broke the rules.  It's like they're saying they want the NCAA to enforce the rules, but not against them.

This all sucks, and it is only going to get worse.

I'm really happy Michigan won the national championship in 2024 because I'm not sure I'm going to care by 2026.

It's just curious how the NCAA is flexing its muscles so hard.  Yeah we get it - you made a New Years Resolution and you've gone to the gym for 3 weeks in a row for the first time in years and are feeling really badass.  That's not the way it works fuckheads.  You got passed the fuck up and knocked the fuck out.  UofM is about the only school that didn't get the memo.

Warde is Kevin Bacon in Animal House getting paddled in the ass begging for more.

Ohhhhh so thats thats what its like to have on capable AD instead of a useless incompetent fat fuck without a spine???

People need to slow down.  Every school is guilty of some sort of NIL fraud.  Especially O$U.  The problem in our case is that we had a clown on camera and a firm shitting on Michigan.

Cool Story Bro:  I live in Buffalo and I met Danny White at a UB football game.  He was my buddy's neighbor.  Danny White took over for Warde Manuel at UB.  Two very different approaches.  (I met Warde at a UB function as well.)

(Current UB AD Mark Alnutt has a kid on my son's football team.  Nice guy too.)

TN deserves to be sanctioned for using the phrase “in the NIL space.”

Preach.

Sorry NCAA, no other major football program is going to bend over for you the way Michigan does.

There are two types of rules in college football, administrative rules, let’s call them cheeseburger rules, and financial rules, let’s call them prime rib rules. College football, like real life, punishes cheeseburger rules much more harshly than prime rib rules. This has, thus far, been backed by the courts.

Michigan chose, probably wisely, to not take a cheeseburger case to court. Tennessee, on the other hand, chose to take a prime rib case to court, probably also wisely.

Michigan has a great academic reputation, and a high academic ranking. Tennessee has a low ranking, 105th. They have less prestige and fewer resources.

Sports are all they've got.

Michigan depends on the goodwill of its reputation, and gets gigantic research money due to the institution's prestige. It took 200 years to get where it is among universities. That's the power of a reputation for being a place where intelligent people operate.

As utterly stupid a media circus as Signgate was, the University's reputation took a hit. And not just because of the violation; also because the Conor Stalions 'organization' was easily one of the dumbest ideas in the history of sports. We were a laughingstock. People were snickering that our brilliant school, Michigan, had an idiot like that guy employed in any capacity.

I can understand the University's powers being reluctant to draw more attention to how absolutely stupid an employee of the university could be, through the continuation of litigation that would be reported in the media day after endless day. I litigated for many years. I think the chances of winning were slim, and Michigan would have even more egg on its face if they lost. Bad factual circumstances = bad court results.

To stir that pot of shit stew even more to make a coach feel vindicated, even a great one, even a champion, would be the tail wagging the dog.

Does this mean I think the Big Ten was right? Hell no. I've said Michigan should leave, and nothing involved in the championship makes me think the Big Ten didn't take a gigantic dump on our school, because they certainly did. The NCAA is a joke. They're garbage, too, though we're stuck with them as long as other schools can't play non NCAA teams.

However, there are times it's better PR to acknowledge an error and move on.

This was written by the President of a major University? 

I’m torn. On one hand I love to see other schools destroy the NCAA because of their hypocrisy, and ineptitude of doing nothing while claiming they’re a full governing body. They deserve to rot as they pick and choose whom they’re going to go after. On the other hand, this lawsuit has way bigger implications for the NIL front. We thought it was Wild Wild West now? The remaining little rules that NCAA had in place will now cease to exist, therefore payments becoming way more rampant. This is opening the floodgates all the way. 
 

This is where the issue with Warde comes into play. Asides from his spineless mantra and lack of true leadership, his utter denial in paying players is an elitist approach that has no self-awareness with how college football is being ran today. Seth and Brian on the roundtable articulately said it best. Brian is completely right in the notion it’s pay for work, not pay for play. I think that’s why coming off a championship a lot of the fanbase are up and arms because UM’s so called “leaders and best” are not adapting with times. If they want Michigan to be irrelevant in sports and focus on the educational institution, they did a great job with Warde publicly stating the future on Michigans NIL. Not even asking big high donor money is just embarrassing. 
 

Tin hat theory: I personally believe Harbaugh would have stayed a couple more years. Harbaugh would have been the leader to make sweeping changes across CFB. The TV deals and giving the money to players was a thorn in NCAA’s side so they conspired to turn every stone to force Harbaugh to leave. Not to say the dream job also didn’t fall into his lap either, but I think things would have been way different If this crap didn’t come out. 
 

Why can’t Leaders and Best start an actual policy to wrap this all in, and uh, actually lead? Why not be the forefront of change when we all know this is just not sustainable? 

It seems the TN AD is focusing on a few things.  First - the NCAA contradicting their own policy of commenting on an activity (such as an investigation).  Second, the lack of clarity associated with certain NCAA rules and guidelines.

The position that “everyone is doing it” does not make it right.  It means the NCAA is enforcing things selectively.  And, the NCAA documentation is unclear.

This leads to a question or two.  One, what rule Tennessee alleged to have violated - and, Tennessee might be entering the “repeat offender” zone.  Second, what Advanced Scouting guideline / rule did Michigan allegedly violate.

The NCAA is judge, jury, and executioner - which selectively interprets and enforces poorly written guidelines.  

The primary concern I have with the alleged Advanced Scouting accusation is - what NCAA rule was broken?   To my knowledge - there was a great deal of “subjectivity and interpretative” with a rule that the NCAA almost removed on its own.  So, what rule / guideline was allegedly broken?

I haven’t checked local laws, but - I assume most municipalities have laws against Jaywalking and Littering which is fine, it’s the law.  There can be questions about the “need” for any law and its enforcement.    And a question.  Let’s say I buy a soda with ice at The Brown Jug.. it’s served in a paper cup - since my order is “to go”.  I finish the soda as I walk through the Diag.  I take the top off of the cup, throw the ice on the grass and dispose the cup and lid in a recycle able trash bin.  Have I broken any law?

"Comparison is the thief of joy." Teddy Roosevelt