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Football
Rodriguez Impact All Negative at U of M
By Tony GerdemanThe University of Michigan announced on Tuesday it had received the NCAA’s notice of allegations detailing five major rules violations during Rich Rodriguez’s reign of failure.
These violations include: 1) Exceeding the allowed number of quality control coaches allowed by five; 2) Exceeding practice limits and punishing players for missed classes during summer workouts; 3) Being lied to by a graduate assistant on the football staff; 4) Failure by Rodriguez to “promote an atmosphere of compliance within the football program” and failure to monitor and control the quality control staff; 5) Failure by the athletics department to monitor and control their football coaches.
Basically, the violations stem from too much practice and too many people watching over the players. And, ironically, because the coaches and athletic department allegedly didn’t do enough watching of their own in the NCAA’s eyes to monitor the situation, they got dinged as well.
Of greater concern is the fact that Michigan could be considered a repeat violator. The current (and still on-going) investigation overlaps the NCAA investigation into the men’s basketball program from 1996.
The most interesting violation, however, is the allegation that the graduate assistant in question lied to both Michigan and the enforcement staff during investigations. Why would ONLY he do that? Was he the only person who knew he was doing something wrong? Rich Rodriguez has said that he himself misinterpreted the rules, so it seems pretty clear that he didn’t have an incentive to advise somebody to lie about something since he didn’t even know it needed to be lied about.
Right?
Right.
Michigan now has 90 days to respond to the NCAA. Then, on August 13-14, the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions will meet to hear the case. If things go to form, the NCAA will then hand down their decision to Michigan in 6-8 weeks. Michigan could then appeal the decision if they so choose.
Before any decisions are reported by the NCAA, however, expect Michigan to self-impose sanctions in an effort to appease the angry gavel of NCAA judgery.
This is a form of self-sacrifice that generally pays off, but if the university doesn’t offer up enough in first fruits and incense, it can sometimes anger the NCAA gods, forcing them to swing their hammer even heavier than expected. (The NCAA gods are, apparently, Norse in origin.)
Sadly, these allegations mark the first time that Michigan football has been branded with the scarlet “V“ of NCAA violations. It is truly yet another feather in the cap of suck for Rich Rodriguez, who continues to set new and terrible records in his brief, but devastating time at Michigan.
Even though these NCAA violations are new, the drama is all-too familiar for Rodriguez while at Michigan. Every three or four months there is something new popping up. And even when things are going quietly, just wait a week or two, because you know the Michigan newspapers are digging.
For a university that likes to view itself as “above it all”, it’s amazing how many times they’ve had to hunker down in the muck and mire and ride out a storm since they’ve hired Rodriguez. At some point they have to start asking themselves, “Will there ever be a rainbow?”
I firmly believe that Rodriguez’ fate will be sealed by what he does ON the football field, and not OFF of it. However, I continue to wonder what good he has done for the Michigan program anywhere. I can’t think of one positive thing that Rich Rodriguez has done for Michigan football--or even the university--to this point.
I’m not even talking about having the positives outweighing the negatives--I’m talking about the complete and total lack of actual positives. Rodriguez is probably involved in some behind the scenes work with hospitals and children, and that shouldn’t be downplayed, but I seriously doubt that Michigan was looking for Patch Adams when they brought Rodriguez over from West Virginia.
The University of Michigan has more than just money tied up in Rodriguez--they have their reputation on the line as well. Getting rid of Rodriguez after two years would be an admission that not only did Rodriguez fail, but they too failed in picking the right guy. So far no matter how much mud that reputation gets dragged through, the university is willing to allow it as payment for future football success.
But eventually bills come due.
It’s a catch-22 for the university. Their reputation is tied up in the guy who is actively ruining the very reputation that they‘re trying to protect. So you either cut him loose and let everybody know you were wrong, or let the mud-dragging continue in an effort to prove that you were right.
Right now, these various and continuous issues aren’t enough to cost Rodriguez his job. But at some point you have to wonder how much the university is willing to put up with.
Will the positives ever outweigh the negatives?
Will they ever even find their way to the scale?
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