So about that self imposed 3 game suspension at the start of the 2023 season, Was that all for nothing?
No, because we won a national championship. The way I see it we didn’t make any administrative mistakes this year.
i'm starting to hate CFB
burgergate is bs
the suspensions were bs
all our opponents will claim we only won because of cheating, blah blah blah
I mean - it's done now, but was this one really EVER that complicated? Ever really in doubt?
The NCAA instituted a no-contact COVID dead period. Now, it's debatable in retrospect whether that period should have been 15 months (!!!) in duration, but that's what it was. It was 15 months long because the NCAA didn't want some teams benefiting from different COVID rules based on different state politics (e.g., California banning in-person meetings for a much longer period of time than, say, Alabama).
I get it, some will continually argue "it was a cheeseburger", but this one always seemed very black-and-white to me. It was a no-contact dead period, no exceptions. The coaches 100% absolutely should have known that. No real excuses for that.
This is a reasonable take imo, I think most of the teeth gnashing from this board comes from the thought that a 3 game suspension should have been sufficient punishment for a violation of this nature which I agree with. The NCAA kind of made this into a big standoff when they turned down a 4 game suspension as a negotiated resolution.
There have been dozens (if not hundreds) of instances of "impermissible contact" by coaches with recruits over the past 25+ years, some self-reported and others not. I cannot recall a single instance off-hand where that resulted in show-cause.
Again I thought a suspension should have been enough. The thing here that really put Michigan in a tough spot is the disgruntled former employee (Dudek allegedly) kept feeding the NCAA information as the investigation went on.
Sure .... but I don't think it's incorrect to note that the NCAA views Harbaugh as much more uncooperative (and less forthright) with them, vis-a-vis how other coaches have interacted with the NCAA over the years.
Now, fair enough, if Harbaugh wants to engage in a public fight with the NCAA, that's his right. But that's also a risk: it's simply human nature that authority figures and organizations will often bristle and fight back when they are challenged (particularly so when it's done in view of others).
I suppose an analogy would me getting pulled over and ticketed for my car having an inoperative tailght. This happened in my younger days.
I could have fought it, shown up in court and say my taillight was working, and the officer was lying and out to get me.
Instead, I went to traffic court and admitted it (in the hope my fine would get reduced). No dice, I still had to pay the full fine. Fair enough, after all, I did violate a traffic law. But at least it was over. Shit, they just had me. And Matt Dudek, well, he sort of "had" Michigan. Why spend overly much time hasseling over something when you're effectively cooked and it's minor anyway?
Yet Michigan admitted long ago that these minor violations occured. The only real point of contention was that they claimed Harbaugh misled or was not forthcoming with them, whereas he vigorously denied that (and the school stood with him on that while he was here). This was never about Michigan trying to "argue it's way out of a ticket", but rather fighting to not be treated like a reckless driver for having a broken tail light.
For comparison, with OSU's latest impermissible contact violations, their punishment was 2 DAYS of reduced recruiting. So, yeah, a one year suspension or even a first quarter suspension seems a little severe.
April 16th, 2024 at 10:16 PM ^
The NCAA has a raging... attraction to Harbaugh. I'll personally miss him, but he's gone now, and hopefully the silver lining can be a return to being treated like every other cash cow.
Failing that, the entire association should go the way of the dodo bird by 2030 or so.
This stuff is just fucking silly. Kids driving around in new cars, relatives getting jobs, money passed under (and now over) the table, and the NCAA is concerned about this dumbassed stuff. Useless, obsolete organization, with bureaucrats trying to hang onto their salaries as long as they can before it comes tumbling down. The sooner the better.
It is actually much worse than that. NCAA isn't concerned about this stuff at all. They just use it to harass and punish coaches who don't kiss their rings. All of this was to drive Harbaugh out of college football. Warde was happy to assist because doing so got him a fluffy new non-job that means people will have to suck up to him. It should be clear by now that warde despised Harbaugh and was more than willing to help the NCAA get him out of college football. Warde doesn't give a rat's ass about anything other than Warde.
What is the probation from? Is this like double secret probation but actually double public probation? Can we participate in the cfp? Assuming that is a yes or the board would have exploded along with all Mfandom and pieces of shrapnel would be found all over the planet wherever an M alum is- which we know is everywhere- including space, bitches.
What does a 3-year probation entail in this instance?
The preamble to the Signgate piling on that will occur if punishment variation patterns continue down this same path.
What's funny is reading anything from OSUverse about this.
"man get ready, this is just phase 1!"
"f those cheaters!"
etc. etc.
so much delusion in Buckeye land
Yeah they’re about the last base that should be getting on a soapbox and pointing the finger at others for minor transgressions. Yet they are doing a fine job of doing so and avoiding their reflection in the mirror.
Curious how much of this was Michigan brass deciding "Harbaugh isn't here anymore, no sense in trying to protect him at the expense of Sherrone and his staff and continue a dark cloud hanging over the program indefinitely."
I'm still waiting for indisputable proof that Harbaugh lied or knowingly deceived the NCAA about this stuff, and to me this all just continues to show that the NCAA will only punish schools that allow them to do so. But if this allows Sherrone and Co. to move forward and put it all to bed, fine.
At the end of all of this, whatever. Michigan won the national title despite OSU's best efforts to dismantle the entire season and brand Michigan as a bunch of foul, disgusting cheaters. Michigan won it all anyway, and there's a potential argument to be made that all of this made this team even more focused, more determined, and contributed to them winning the title.
That is rubbing salt and lemon juice into a wide open, gushing OSU wound. After Charlie Baker's "fair and square" comments, OSU has no choice but to sit there and take it. They have to eat their shame sandwich with a side order of s**t.
"there's a potential argument to be made that all of this made this team even more focused, more determined, and contributed to them winning the title."
I think this is true. It's ironic and delicious.
I feel bad for Santa Ono. Bad enough having to manage what is taking place on campus at this time let alone how to manage Warde and the regents.
Welcome to Michigan and do the right things.
Baker’s “fair and square” comment was in defense of notifying schools of an ongoing investigation, not in defense of our championship. Yes he said we won fair and square, but at the same time, he also said the evidence of cheating was very compelling.
I don’t think the ncaa will vacate any wins, but after issuing show cause penalties and probation over the cheeseburgers, who knows what they’ll do over sign-gate.
The punishment is stunning in comparison to similar cases at other schools.
Can someone explain to me what "show of cause" means to the NCAA. I mean really break it down, explain it to me like I'm a sparty....
April 16th, 2024 at 10:21 PM ^
Like you're a Sparty? "Coach was a bad boy and has to go to time-out (or The Tucker Zone)."
The technical wording:
In the NCAA, a show-cause penalty is an administrative punishment ordering that any NCAA penalties imposed on a coach found to have committed major rules violations will stay in effect against that coach for a specified period of time—and could also be transferred to any other NCAA-member school that hires the coach while the sanctions are still in effect. Both the school and coach are required to send letters to the NCAA agreeing to abide by any restrictions imposed. They must also report back to the NCAA every six months until either the end of the coach's employment or the show-cause penalty (whichever comes first). If the school wishes to avoid the NCAA penalties imposed on that coach, it must send representatives to appear before the NCAA's Committee on Infractions and "show cause" (i.e., prove the existence of good reason) as to why it should not be penalized for hiring that coach.
Meanwhile Gene Smith commented at the game last year how he is in bed with Petitti. Michigan doesn’t know how to play the dirty game and OSU’s PR game while masking their own cheating combined with Michigan’s idiocy and wussiness to fight back makes it look like we are the cheaters. I give up.