Michigan Releases Stake Statement
WE CLAIM THIS FIELD IN THE NAME OF COMMITMENT AND HARD-TO-SEE OBJECTS
This is a real thing.
October 26, 2014
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Below is a statement from University of Michigan head football coach Brady Hoke:
“I want to publicly apologize to Coach Dantonio as well as the players and supporters of Michigan State for our act of poor sportsmanship displayed pre-game yesterday. I spoke with Mark earlier today and expressed to him that we meant no disrespect to his team. During our regular Friday night team meeting, one of the topics presented to motivate our team was a history lesson addressing commitment and teamwork in a tough environment. A tent stake was presented to the team as a symbol of this concept. The stake was brought into our locker room as a visual reminder, and one of our team leaders chose to take it out on the field. As the leader of our football program, I take full responsibility for the actions of our team. We believe in displaying a high level of respect at the University of Michigan and unfortunately that was not reflected by this action prior to kickoff.”
We're very sorry a thing meant to be driven into a field was driven into your field.
October 26th, 2014 at 3:45 PM ^
October 26th, 2014 at 3:48 PM ^
He'd drilled it up Dantiono's butt!!! But,never would he'd apologize...NEVER!!
October 26th, 2014 at 3:45 PM ^
What's that I hear? Yakety Sax?
October 26th, 2014 at 5:59 PM ^
It's Hoke's walk in song and theme.
October 26th, 2014 at 3:46 PM ^
this program is TRIPPIN ALL OVER ITSELF...what an embrassment. Never thought I'd see this day come...
October 26th, 2014 at 3:47 PM ^
October 26th, 2014 at 4:08 PM ^
For fuck's sake, the most emasculating thing about all of this is that we can't block, tackle, throw, run, or hit to save our ass, let alone win a goddamn football game.
If you can't do any of those things well—which we can't—motivational ploys are worse than useless. And if you can do those things well, you don't need them in the first place.
The fact that our players believed they needed a prop on the field in order to motivate themselves against a rival who has kicked our ass is symptomatic of the real problem. We're bad at football, and our coaching staff is clueless about how to fix that problem.
October 26th, 2014 at 4:16 PM ^
You are bang on. This is supposed to be our in-state rival. They have flat owned us for 6 of the last 7 years. That should be plenty enough motivation.
October 26th, 2014 at 4:23 PM ^
My point is that the apology is ten times worse than the ploy in the first place. If you view the stunt as dumb, so be it. It certainly wasn't brilliant, and it couldn't be backed up by any play on the field. But it's way worse to apologize to your rivals for having the audacity to try to get some psychological motivation. Apologizing is tatamount to agreeing to just lie down and take it in the future.
October 26th, 2014 at 3:47 PM ^
October 26th, 2014 at 3:55 PM ^
October 26th, 2014 at 3:48 PM ^
how come nobody has been fired yet. Our team has played terrible, we had issues involving players health, and now poor team judgement. This doesn't mention the over priced tickets.
October 26th, 2014 at 3:56 PM ^
October 26th, 2014 at 4:07 PM ^
How in the hell does a stake represent "Teamwork"?
October 26th, 2014 at 4:29 PM ^
That's the real scandal. It's the burning question that nobody is asking.
During our regular Friday night team meeting, one of the topics presented to motivate our team was a history lesson addressing commitment and teamwork in a tough environment. A tent stake was presented to the team as a symbol of this concept
How the fuck does a tent stake represent commitment and teamwork? Seriously? That's the best you came up with?
No wonder we got our asses kicked.
October 26th, 2014 at 4:45 PM ^
Lloyd kept ice axes of the sort used to climb alpine mountains in his locker room to signify the uphill challenges the team was facing. He also introduced speakers who had summited "impossible" peaks or survived climbing emergencies and overcome obstacles.
Brady somehow came to believe that a tent stake signifies an important objective for this team. What that could possibly be remains a mystery to me. Perhaps the team is factionalized and Brady wants everybody under the same tent, miners during the Gold Rush lived in tents before striking it rich, or maybe Brady uses tent pegs to hold up his bloomers, I have no idea.
The notion of taking a stake onto the field was Bolden's apparently. What that now signifies is that Hoke lacks appropriate control over his players.
October 26th, 2014 at 4:57 PM ^
October 26th, 2014 at 4:08 PM ^
My guess is no one would have been the wiser until a groundskeeper tripped over it this morning.
Talk about a meaningless, ridiculously stupid symbol. A tent stake? WTF was that supposed to symbolize? Campers everywhere, UNITE!!!
October 27th, 2014 at 11:49 AM ^
If you look real close to the spike, it says "Sponsered by BW3". Brandon sold the rights and the plan was to leave the spike in the ground to spring up later and do one of those "I wish the game would last longer" commercials, BW3 is famous for. The error lies in the facts that the game needs to be competative near the end to execute this folly, and that Michigan fans have any interest in extending these shitstorm for games, this year #FireBrandon. #BoycottBW3
October 26th, 2014 at 4:08 PM ^
passion over the passive, bitch slapped, cowling posture seen from this regime. Apologize? What did someone forget to leave the seat down (or is supposed to be up?) in the locker room can? Apologize for that too!
October 26th, 2014 at 4:10 PM ^
Did Woody apologize when his OSU players tried to rip down the Michigan banner??
October 26th, 2014 at 4:13 PM ^
It was a moronic move on UM's part to drive the stake in the field. It was also an overreaction by Martyr Complex Mark. Unfortunately hate beats stupid most of the time.
October 26th, 2014 at 4:13 PM ^
Again, this is something you do after a win against a rival in their stadium.
October 26th, 2014 at 4:19 PM ^
As a Alum from 1988, I always thought of Michigan as a program that conducts itself with class. We are never tacky or crass. no throat-slash gestures, No "desicrating" opposing Houses. we got up without bush league crap.
So I am generally opposed to psyching ourselves up by denigrating the other team. Bo's teams would not have done that schtick.
Just be Michigan
But Dantonio is ridiculous, Really Dantonio??
he is perpetually mad, perpetually in a bad mood!
State dominated us the whole game. they ran down our throat to 5 yards a carry. We were completely outplayed and outclassed.
But Dantono, is 35 to 11 really that different from 28-11? i mean we had just scored a meaningless fourth quarter score after it was 28-3.
Why does he still need these perceived insults to motivate you and your team?
I didnt care for Hart's "Lil Brother" comments, but that was 7 years ago!! State had gone 8 - 30 before the comment, then went 6-1 after! now you need one more score when up 17 that would have called for a knee. Bo would have kneeled down every time, even vs Ohio. Its Bush League.
before Sparty rubbed our noses in it, I was depressed by our pathetic dysfunctional offense, despite a pretty noble display by our defense. i was down and listless in the final minute. but Dantonio' s classless, petty, act of humiliation made me mad.
this could be Sparty's "Lil Brother" moment. Pride comes before the Fall, Coach.
Let us be mad, Let us remeber 2014. when we finally get a home game vs State, lets remember lets get mad lets get after it and pay them back.
GO effin' Blue!
October 26th, 2014 at 5:25 PM ^
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October 26th, 2014 at 4:19 PM ^
. . . from a Circus tent.
Clown faces for Homecoming.
October 26th, 2014 at 4:20 PM ^
So if we run end arounds on App State up 40 as time expires it's fine. App State can't stop it right? Take the knee. No need to show up the other team. This goes for us, them, two neutral teams. The fact that people think this is classy is appaling.
October 26th, 2014 at 4:26 PM ^
Damn. Could Hoke audition for his next job on HIS time, please. He still, ostensibly, works for us.
Same with DB.
October 26th, 2014 at 4:29 PM ^
please don't beat us ....
Christ! If any appologies should be issued, they should be issued to the Michigan fanbase for playing such an embarassing season of football.
October 26th, 2014 at 4:32 PM ^
October 26th, 2014 at 4:32 PM ^
Found the ABC commentary interesting. Speilman nailed us with "Almost" Michigan, he called out Funchesses and Darboh's drops. We are Almost Michigan. coulda should woulda.
we have an "almost" Michigan head coach.
when we fired RichRod, i was against it. I spoke up against it. I thought he erred in not recrutiing a better defense and not hiring a better DC which Brian has documented well.
But he only had three years. and he won everywhere we had coached.
i was disappointed at the time because Hoke was not ready. having some success at Ball State and San Diego State didnt mean that this Michigan Man was ready to run a program of the stature of Michigan. i wished i had been wrong.
As Speilman pointed out, our players our high recruits have regressed year to year.
Hokes four years after RichRods three years and a poor year of Carr means 8 years of wasteland in the football program. this is Michigan in 1968, remember its was NOT just Bo it was Bo AND Canham.
Our QB was unbelievable poor, three more turnovers, all of them pathetically weak.
Its time for a new AD, a new Coach. we need someone who is ready to run Michigan and has an AD who can run a department not just to sell boxes and seat licenses and promote rock music in between plays.
Pay whatever it takes, Hire MIles, or a Harbaugh, or someone who can build it right.
and our schedule this year, outside of Ohio, State and ND on the road, was pretty easy!!
October 26th, 2014 at 6:30 PM ^
Spielman kept talking about what he woud do, and I kept yelling at the TV, if you were on the team, we wouldn't be having some of these issues.
October 26th, 2014 at 4:34 PM ^
We got beat yesterday because we are an inferior team in every facet of the game, but Dantonio seems to have to keep making excuses for being slighted or dishonored by this program every chance he can get. In a weird sort of way, MSU still lives up to the little brother personality, despite having a much better team right now.
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October 26th, 2014 at 4:38 PM ^
Dear Mr. Dantonio,
It has come to our attention that one of our student athletes may have performed an act that you could use as a motivational ploy for the next decade. Being aware that you have successfully used previous incidents to fire your team up, please accept our sincerest apologies. It is not our intention to provide you additional means to kick our asses. We hope that you can overlook this discretion so that some day, maybe not so distant in the future, it will be possible to sneak up on you when you're paying attention to an upcoming Ohio game and perhaps if not win, at least play a competitive game.
Your humblest servant,
The University of Michigan
October 26th, 2014 at 4:40 PM ^
Sir, May I have another? Somehow Blutarsky had more fortitude than our leader.
October 26th, 2014 at 4:49 PM ^
It's the scene in Tombstone when Doc Holliday says to Johnny Tyler, "I'm sorry, Johnny, I forgot you were there. You may go."
Wyatt says, "You can leave the shotgun."
To which Johnny says, "Thank you."
October 26th, 2014 at 4:48 PM ^
That's it. Just welp.
I am impressed by those who can summon the words. I got nothing for this much fail.
Welp.
October 26th, 2014 at 4:48 PM ^
October 26th, 2014 at 5:00 PM ^
Why does it feel like John L Smith is our head coach?
October 26th, 2014 at 5:08 PM ^
October 26th, 2014 at 5:19 PM ^
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October 26th, 2014 at 6:07 PM ^
October 26th, 2014 at 8:23 PM ^
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October 26th, 2014 at 5:52 PM ^
October 26th, 2014 at 6:41 PM ^
October 26th, 2014 at 6:44 PM ^
No need for that shit.
October 26th, 2014 at 5:59 PM ^
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October 26th, 2014 at 5:10 PM ^
Fuck this guy. Where's our apology for Gholston twisting Denard's neck between plays, him insulting us on his radio show after our game with App State in 2007, or him running up the score. Mark doesn't apologize for anything and we shouldn't until he recognizes that his school does plenty of stake like incidents too.
October 26th, 2014 at 6:38 PM ^
Gholston got a high five from a coach after the neck twist - which was essentially a turnover as it would have been 4th and long instead of 1st and 10 with the 15 yard penalty.
Although, I wish we wouldn't have planted the tent stake in the ground - some of the biggest Spartans crying bloody murder over it, were ignoring/justifying the MSU unclassy thug attitude that MSU exhibited with their what - 7 personal fouls that game.
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