Demar Dorsey Dramatics: Depressing Comment Count

Brian

OR: O LET NOT DO IT

bear-shotgun demar-dorsey-ua-game

OR: LET'S ALL BLAME THE SHOTGUN-WIELDING BEAR FOR KILLING OUR SECONDARY.

This story is still rapidly developing, but in a nutshell this is it:

"Demar is an NCAA qualifier with a 2.5 or 2.6 GPA and an 18 score on the ACT," said [Boyd Anderson head coach Mark] James. "But he hasn't yet been granted at Michigan."

In one swoop, ESPN's Corey Long clarifies the bizarre split between optimism and pessimism on the "controversial" recruit who could just save the Michigan secondary. The optimism was about his ability to qualify. The pessimism was about whether it would matter. Sam Webb's assertions on the radio that it would be interesting to see where Dorsey ends up if it's not Michigan suggested that the problem was something other than a test score, but James's coach would like to take the thunder out of that:

"Right now I think the plan would be to re-open his recruitment and see what's out there," James said. "If he can't find something he likes he'll probably go to a juco for a year and try it again."

James says the coaches "continue to work on it," and Dorsey gets to twist in the wind longer. At least he's used to it by now.

There are two ways to be qualified. One is to be qualified. The other is to be Michael Oher or Derrick Rose, in which case you are "qualified" via a string of correspondence classes and/or a sketchy test score. Michigan takes qualified guys, but when scare quotes get involved Michigan tends to go the other way. Ask new Bearcat Adrian Witty. Is Dorsey qualified or "qualified"? We don't know until he enrolls somewhere, whether it's Michigan or Florida State or a JUCO. Available evidence suggests the latter, in which case it's better if Michigan doesn't enroll him. But still…

This situation is the Draper/Labadie/compliance dysfunction all over again, with miscommunication between Rodriguez—who went to bat for Dorsey with a provost before signing day and got a signoff on him—and admissions replacing the lack of communication between the football administration and compliance. It's a different sclerotic artery, but the root cause is the same.

Unfortunately—wait. No. Fortunately, in this case we don't have a meticulously documented report to the NCAA featuring 18 months worth of emails between the main parties, so it's hard to tell who's at fault. The proverbial reliable sources have reported that Rodriguez is recruiting with an eye towards NCAA minimums that most programs claim to be above until push comes to shove, while admissions is looking at a larger-than-usual number of players near the borderline and having a little freakout. We've finally gotten some clarification on exactly how Michigan hamstrings itself in recruiting: they'll take kids who scrape by the NCAA minimums (hello Marques Slocum) but only so many.

So here we are, with a kid who said he'd come to Michigan having held up his end of the bargain only to get stiffarmed by some bureaucrats hell-bent on being a hooker who won't do that. If there was a time to shoot Dorsey down it was before he signed a letter of intent, kicked off a media firestorm, and got everyone all excited about having someone in the secondary approximately as fast as Denard Robinson. Saying "we didn't mean it" and kicking the guy to Florida State or a JUCO or somewhere else validates the firestorm, makes other high-caliber guys worried that they will be cast aside when admissions turns him down, and, most importantly, is totally unfair to Dorsey.

Admissions should feel free to say "not again, except maybe a few kids," but after someone in the university greenlighted an offer you can't take it back because you made a mistake. If Dorsey is qualified sans scare quotes and doesn't end up at Michigan, everyone gets hurt for no benefit whatsoever. If he's legal in an extremely technical sense only, well… I'd prefer it if Michigan avoided another investigation, but I would like it even better if people in Michigan's athletic department had a clue what other people were doing.

Comments

bronxblue

June 8th, 2010 at 4:26 PM ^

As others have stated, let's wait until all the grades and scores are in before worrying about Demar's status.

On a broader note, though, I am getting a little tired with all the hand-wringing by admissions about student-athletes in revenue sports and whether or not they can "cut it" academically.  I'm sure that this is a view through a jaundiced eye, but revenue sports in college are, per the designation, closer to minor-league businesses than academic hobbies (see this article about Duke's academic standards regarding their basketball players).  Kids recruited to play basketball or football at most major schools are sought first and foremost because they possess the athletic skills necessary to succeed, helping the team to win more games and sell more merchandise, advertising rights, etc.  While I'm sure schools would love for the starting DB to also be a Rhodes Scholar, the vast majority of athletes recruited by elite schools may very well struggle in the classroom.  In a sense, that is to be expected - you recruit the kids because they are great athletes, and to be great athletes most players need to make that a central goal in their life, oftentimes at the expense of rigorous academic pursuits. 

In Dorsey's case, it looks like he is an average high school student and an elite football player.  An 18 on the ACT is below average (21), but not mind-numbingly low and still representative of a kid who could function in the right collegiate environment, if not thrive.  Remember, most students who take the ACT plan on attending college, so you already have weeded out a large number of individuals not interested in pursuing this academic track (I understand exceptions like armed services, technical schools, etc.), and my guess is that those individuals would lower the average a bit.  Furthermore, it's not like the ACT includes a combine-like component where we could see each test taker's bench press, 40-yard-time, and vertical leap, all traits that mean quite a bit more to Dorsey's success at UM than some IOE student. 

Given that, it is quite likely that Dorsey would be a below-average student the minute he steps into a UM classroom, and yet it is also immensely likely that he wouldn't be the dumbest kid ever admitted to the school or to ever play for the football team.  The numbers as given fall within acceptable ranges by the NCAA standards, and it has been shown year in, year out that a chance in scenery and the type of resources afforded to athletes can empower them to success in the classroom.  At the same time, of course, Dorsey could struggle mightily and fail out, a fate that quite a few athletes (as well as "regular" students) have suffered through. 

But Dorsey was sought because of his potential on the football field, and thus as long as he can keep his head above water in the classroom his value to the school will be measured by wins and loses on Saturday.  That might be a callous view, but that is the reality. 

My point is that while it may be noble to require athletes to be good both on and off the field, that is simply not the way of life in D-1 sports.  Athletes are expected to succeed on the field and survive in the classroom, and at least in my eyes, that is fine.  I went to UM because I had a good grades and test scores, but I was an "average" athlete who would have been one of the slowest and smallest guys on the football team.  Maybe I could have kept my head above water and been a special teams dummy or a practice-squad runt, but I went to UM because I was good at math and science.  Demar Dorsey is good at football, and if the Provost and the NCAA clearinghouse feel that he has the tools to survive in UM's classrooms, this high-horse riding needs to stop. 

Feat of Clay

June 8th, 2010 at 4:33 PM ^

On a broader note, though, I am getting a little tired with all the hand-wringing by admissions about student-athletes in revenue sports and whether or not they can "cut it" academically.

Not being argumentative here so much as curious--what's your window on admissions and athletics?    Is this a trend you're seeing at U-M, or across campuses generally?

bronxblue

June 8th, 2010 at 9:16 PM ^

I'm talking more about a movement nationally - as sports have become more prominent at certain schools, there seems to be a backlash against just letting kids "ride" through on athletic talent.  It is mostly anecdotal, but I do think that with some high-profile cheating scandals (such as grade tampering at FSU and Minnesota basketball, plus the whole Derrick Rose/Memphis/UK/wherever Calpari has coached controversy), schools, and more prominently the press, are trying to take the moral high road about accepting kids, while hypocritically allowing so many exceptions for legacy kids, special cases, etc. that they just come off as petty.  

My greater point is that college athletics are big money (no big revelation there), and acting as if you are really concerned about whether or not Demar Dorsey will be able to cut it in class seems disingenuous now when I am fairly certain kids with worse resumes than him have been accepted both on the football team and in the general student body.

jlvanals

June 8th, 2010 at 5:42 PM ^

There's nothing wrong with Michigan (or Stanford or Harvard or whoever) having higher admissions standards than the NCAA  (who will clear almost any high school graduate who doesn't totally bomb the ACT).  That's an individual university's choice.  The problem is that admissions isn't making whatever academic standards they have clear and transparent so that coaches and athletes can make an informed decision.  

Even if they do let him in, I don't feel bad for us in this mess, Michigan will be fine, this is just a game, albeit one we all care about a great deal.  I feel bad for Demar Dorsey: a kid who has gotten jerked around when he did exactly what he was told he needed to do and might have to go to a JC because of an administrative miscommunication.    



Breaking our word to a recruit is much more damaging than simply telling kids that Michigan doesn't accept players with below average academic credentials.  I'm fine with the latter (although, as you said, its desirability can be debated), but the former is a really shitty thing to do to someone, especially if that decision is influenced, at least in part, by a media frenzy. 

bronxblue

June 8th, 2010 at 9:24 PM ^

I agree with your points, and they are underlying my argument against this whole high-horse academic mindset that seems to be the case here.  Demar Dorsey would be a tough sell academically without the football caveat, but I think that needs to be considered just like any other special skill that might tip the scales in the favor of someone attending a given school.  Both RR and (apparently) a Provost felt that Dorsey was capable of cutting it at UM, and Dorsey has seemingly done everything he needed to show UM that he is willing to make it work here.  Yet, because of the aforementioned administrative miscommunication, he might well be left in a ditch with few options.  

This might sound sappy, but part of a school's admissions standards should be the integrity to let in a kid who was given stipulations and who met them.  Now, if it turns out that he is grades slipped or he didn't qualify somehow, then sure, enforce your rules.  But if after the fact you raise these expectations, and all because you want to maintain some contrived "standard" for athletes, I think that is being disingenuous.  

milhouse

June 8th, 2010 at 4:35 PM ^

I'm sorry, but this all seems like the old guard at Michigan playing the part of the petulant child.  I was still holding out hope that RR could be judged on his job performance instead of being treated to a public lynching because he never coached for Bo.  I am saddened and my resolve has finally been shaken by this incident.  IMO, if a player is allowed to sign a LOI and makes it through the NCAA clearing house then he should be accepted.  To not do so is unfair to the recruit and ultimately shows a lack of integrity by the University.  I was willing to accept the Witty case as an anomaly, but this is the second time in RR's tenure and that seems fishy. Could someone plaese explain to me why admitting DD and and explaining to him in no uncertain terms that he's got to be a choir boy for the next four years is a bad thing?  I would honestly feel much better about this situation if at this time next year we were talking about how DD had his scholarship pulled for academic reasons or for an off the field incident.  To get this far into this mess and then to just back out - without giving the kid a chance to prove he can do the right thing - makes me sick to my stomach.

aaamichfan

June 8th, 2010 at 4:41 PM ^

Just when we started to believe Michigan Hating God had died of natural causes, we now find out that he was killed by Shotgun-Wielding Bear.

 

I guess it's a small step up.

Noahdb

June 8th, 2010 at 4:43 PM ^

We've finally gotten some clarification on exactly how Michigan hamstrings itself in recruiting: they'll take kids who scrape by the NCAA minimums (hello Marques Slocum) but only so many.

 

Michigan is hardly unusual in that regard.

Firstbase

June 8th, 2010 at 4:46 PM ^

It seems almost like negative vibes are being sent to the Dorsey camp in a roundabout way so that he can have ample time to make other plans.

Hope I'm wrong. 

mgovictors23

June 8th, 2010 at 5:26 PM ^

I feel so bad for the kid if he committed and Rich said he was in and admissions said he was in and now their just sweep everything out from under him. It's a very low move by the admissions people but hopefully he gets in, something has to go our way right? 

Tom_Harmon 2.0

June 8th, 2010 at 6:18 PM ^

I'm not an expert on LOI legal precedent, but I would assume that a LOI definitely qualifies as a legal contract.  If admissions pulls the plug on this deal, the University could get sued (or be more vulnerable to lawsuits in the future).

03 Blue 07

June 11th, 2010 at 1:54 AM ^

The letter of intent is not a binding contract. It has caveats and clauses to make this the case. It is, literally, a letter of INTENT to do something. Is a precontractual agreement, but not a contract for what I think you're thinking it's for- you give me scholarship, I play for you, end of story; it has aspects of it that have to be completed, such as "PENDING ADMISSION,' etc. And not only that, if it WERE going to be considered a contract, which it isn't, then the student-athlete would have a tough time proving real damages that would be worth pursuing. If DD ends up at a Juco, the only real damages he could sue for would be the difference in the actual economic value of that free tuition and room and board for one year at UM/D1 vs. the Juco. Which would be, at most, 30k. And not worth it.

But that was a tangent. Long story short: no, it is not a binding contract in that the school has an "out," and it comes with requirements, clauses, etc.

markusr2007

June 8th, 2010 at 6:30 PM ^

Gotta love it man. Way to go crack admissions squad!

Ripping a page right out of the NCAA operations handbook: Let's see if we can string this whole thing out just a few more weeks before we give out any final word.

You know,  just long enough to thoroughly discourage and embarrass the prospective student athlete and completely undermine the head coach and any future recruiting efforts...

Yeah, that'll do nicely.

nybluefan

June 8th, 2010 at 7:15 PM ^

I am getting very close to pushing the panic button on this program.  Everyone at the University needs to pull together and realize that football is the face of this school.  We need to get back to winning and D is a serious issue.  Let this dude in so we have a better chance of being competitive.  Easy.  Simple.  End of story.

 

I am sorry, but UM is no Yale, Harvard or Stanford.  I went to UM and now work with Ivy League people and these folks are SMART!  Their not the types I was hanging out with at Rick's!  Let's get over it, let good football players in so we can have some pride!!!!!!

bayareaMfan

June 8th, 2010 at 8:23 PM ^

I am a UM grad and attended graduate studies at both Yale and Stanford, where I am now on faculty.

I can tell you that you are DEAD WRONG.  Michigan is an outstanding academic institution, and has an outstanding national reputation in that regard.  This includes, business, medicine, law, psychology, engineering--just about any field.  It is a large school, and thus you will find some outliers, of course.  But characterizing the student body by the folks you see at Ricks is foolish.  Stop by any bar in New Haven or Palo Alto on a Saturday night and you will find drunk fool students as well....

wiscwood

June 8th, 2010 at 9:16 PM ^

There is one thing I know is no Michigan grad is going to disrespect their university despite the last two years on the football field. Harvard, Yale, and Stanford are great universities. These schools are some of the founding members of the Association of American Universities (AAU). An organization that consists of 63 schools that was founded in 1900.  Michigan (1900) is also one of the founding members of this esteemed group of universities. The only two SEC schools apart of this association are Vanderbilt (1950) and Florida (1985). NYU's admission to the AAU was in 1950, since you are in New York area.

Do not take my word for it go to www.aau.edu. Look up "member universities" under the "about" tab.

If that is not enough go to Wikipedia and look up "Public Ivies". It is a name for schools that are public institutions, but have Ivy League standards. A study was done to measure academic excellence nationwide. It determined what schools would have this honor. You will be surprised who is on the list. Read, the truth will set you free.

Jinxed

June 9th, 2010 at 3:44 AM ^

The top end at UM is about as good and numerous as what you can find in most Ivy leagues... Probably better than in Cornell, Brown, ect...

The problem is that in Michigan the student body is huge... so for every bright person you find, there's usually 1 or 2 morons standing right behind the bar at rick's or skeeps. I don't think that's a bad thing though.. it's just that Michigan gives itself the chance to give an opportunity to more people than many other top institutions. You should be thankful for that, otherwise you probably wouldn't be posting here.

wiscwood

June 8th, 2010 at 8:23 PM ^

I am not the wisest or the smartest guy around. Hear me when I tell you that Michigan is an academic institution first and foremost. Football is gravy. It is good gravy, but it is not the prime reason for the school's existence. Demar Dorsey may be a casualty of media pressure, accreditation, politics, and an institution fighting to protect its reputation.

Michigan has denied many partial qualifiers in the past. What grieves the average fan is this player is an answer to a very pressing problem, the secondary.

In a year where Michigan is trying to impress the NCAA, they are not about to jeopardize what is left their standing.

 I hope DD makes it in, Michigan needs all the help they can get.

Bodogblog

June 8th, 2010 at 11:10 PM ^

Not comparing the 2 individuals, but the 2 general situations.  Pat Tillman beat a weaker kid senseless in high school, felony assault.  He would have lost his ASU scholarship if it stood, the judge took this into account and reduced it to a misdemeanor.  He went to juvie (sp?) for 30 days after high school, and wasn't required to disclose any of it to the university.

First point is that Tillman got a second chance and it turned out pretty well.  Second is what most are missing with this: the entire purpose of the court's action was to provide a second chance.  Take the path out that football provides you, and do better with your life.  Denying admission is denying the opportunity, in effect subverting the court's intent.

Michigan is the second chance

psychomatt

June 8th, 2010 at 11:35 PM ^

If that is what happened, i.e. some sort of "miscommunication" between Football and Compliance and Admissions, U of M needs to step up admit it was their fault and let the kid in.  U of M apparently told him what he needed to hit in terms of grades and ACT and he hit it.  To not let him in now is unfair and makes Michigan look like amateurs.

ajscipione

June 9th, 2010 at 12:49 AM ^

seems to be honestly making the effort to turn his life around. The kid deserves a chance. Sometimes our beloved university needs to cut a kid some slack if he is borderline (regardless of what the reason for non-admittance might be). After all, doesn't UM pride itself in giving people a chance who might otherwise not have gotten one?

Bronco Joe

June 9th, 2010 at 6:22 AM ^

And does it teach Dorsey? That your word is not important? That big institutions with your future in their hands can decide after they make an agreement that it's OK to go back on that word? 

Something's not right, but we will likely never know the whole story if DD doesn't get admitted. There are privacy issues and I do not think the football staff or admissions will talk about the personal specifics of one young man who didn't get in. 

Expect the worst, hope for the best. 

Rasmus

June 9th, 2010 at 8:14 AM ^

in his special advanced placement course, Dealing with the Media 101. Demar's perspective on this media smokestorm (I considered firestorm and shitstorm, but this seems more descriptive) is undoubtedly very different from ours. Lesson One was "The media loves narratives. Truth and reality are incidental to this." Lesson Two is titled "Mountains and Molehills."

If Michigan were going to reject him on a basis other than his final grades, wouldn't they have already done so?

I don't think it's unreasonable to think that:

  1. Dorsey's academic history is shaky enough that his final GPA matters.
  2. U-M has not yet notified him that he is admitted because they are waiting for his official transcript.
  3. Admissions does not send out status reports to applicants. Dorsey knows his file is incomplete because they are waiting for his final grades.
  4. He and his coach already know his grades and know he has qualified, but both the NCAA and Michigan do not yet have a final transcript on file.
  5. His coach talks to Sam Webb, tells Sam more or less what he later tells ESPN, but neglects to make it clear to either that Demar's files are still incomplete. Sam gets a bad feeling, and the molehill becomes a mountain.

Bronco Joe

June 13th, 2010 at 10:04 AM ^

is that you cannot game the system at UM. I would've loved to have seen him on the field for UM, but I can understand he just didn't have the academics. Glad some more information came out on the whole situation. Hopefully this can be turned to a positive in the recruiting of other players - RR can say with confidence that academics matters at UM and that the university has some integrity. I was so angry when I first heard about him not getting in, but the story and details afterwards does make sense. 

Good luck, DD. Wish you the best. 

WilliamB

April 20th, 2012 at 8:27 AM ^

Oh wow, I didn't know that this ll took place in 2010, I mean I thought it was all just acouple of months ago. Inteeting, time is running so fast. Thank you for this article anyway.