Agreed. Why would you leave a young man out in to dry like that? Makes no sense, folks.
...says Denzel Valentine of Big Ten Tourney favorite MSU, which is 5-7 in its last 12 games. Cumong, man.
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An Interview With Demar Dorsey
[Editor's note: Somehow this video featuring Dorsey's been on Youtube since March and no one noticed it. It's a profile put together by LifeSkills, an "alternative high school opportunity for at-risk and drop-out youth providing a unique academic model and a proven record of success." It's one of a few promotional videos put together by the company (another couple feature folks who aren't athletes) and should be viewed with that in mind.
Anyway:
On to Tom.]
As everyone knows, Demar Dorsey's situation with Michigan is in limbo. I was granted an interview with Demar. Since he and his family have been refusing to talk to the media I promised Demar that this interview would be a simple Q&A to leave no room for interpretation.
TOM: Do you read everything that's been in the media about you?
DEMAR: Yeah, I've seen most of the articles. The media didn't really make me upset, because I know the truth about me. It made my parents upset, because once I announced I was going to Michigan, that's when all these articles started coming out. I had to change my number, so no one could get a hold of me.
TOM: That's pretty big for a football recruit to have to go through that. What kind of affect did that have on you and your family?
DEMAR: We just got together and said don't let anything affect you, and just move on. I've been trying to do everything I can to move forward.
TOM: Have those reports affected your perception of Michigan, or its fans?
DEMAR: No, I chose Michigan for a reason, and I would love to be up there. Everybody is always telling me how much they want me up there, and that they're supporting me. My cousin, Denard [Robinson], has been telling me how much love they're showing me.
TOM: So, where are you at with Michigan?
DEMAR: Right now, I'm still signed under my letter of intent, so I can't do anything yet until I hear back from them. They told me that they don't think I can get in with admissions about two weeks ago, or a week ago, but they weren't sure. They had been checking on my grades earlier in the year, and I was on top of it. When I got home one day, my parents said that they were sending back my letter of intent. They were sending me a release form. I'm not sure what that means, or if it means I'm officially not in. I think because I signed a letter of intent, if I wanted to open up my recruitment, I would have to send that back to them. If I can't get in from the admissions, then I have to send that back. My mom said we need to do that, so we have to send it out tomorrow, and we'll go from there. I have the ACT score, and I have the core, so we're just waiting to hear what happens. I haven't heard anything from the coaches yet.
TOM: What's next from here? What do you do if you can't get in to Michigan?
DEMAR: If I can't get in, I'll re-open my recruitment. I have a couple schools that I'm thinking of, I don't want to name names yet. I'll just wait to see what happens.
June 8th, 2010 at 11:21 PM
#2
Agreed. Why would you leave a
June 8th, 2010 at 11:43 PM
#3
Besides the fact he is being
Besides the fact he is being shafted by admissions, what does it mean he has not heard from the coaches? He just hasn't heard either way if he is in or not? I hope that the coaches are walking he and his family through this process.
I hope to see him in the winged helmet soon!
June 8th, 2010 at 11:59 PM
#4
Well.
I am the eternal optimist. Im thinking that "they told me I probably wont get in last week" and that no decision has been made means that things are being set in motion to push through his acceptance. If the coaches knew he wasn't in, I think the first thing RR would have done would be immediately call the Dorseys. No news could possibly be good news in this case.
June 9th, 2010 at 2:14 AM
#5
I hope you're right...
That would be a fantastic swing, but I have a hard time believing the athletic department can get their act together in efficient fashion. A dysfunctional group is a dysfunctional group, and I think it's going to take Brandon a little longer than a few months to sort through the rot.
Still hoping!
June 9th, 2010 at 12:10 AM
#6
If I'm not mistaken, the lady
If I'm not mistaken, the lady in the video said he came to LifeSkills in October, so 3/4 of his senior year I guess?
June 9th, 2010 at 7:07 AM
#7
Absolutely
Gotta say that I am more than a little disappointed/embarassed by how Michigan handeled this situation. I know we don't have their side of the story, but from Demar's point of view (the one that is most important), they seem to have dropped the ball. Admit the kid or cut him loose already.
June 9th, 2010 at 10:26 AM
#8
it's disappointing...
...to hear that this young man and his family are not being dealth with in a direct and respectful manner. Then again, it's bureaucrats with zero accountability.
We, and potential recruits, should expect more from the school in humanizing the admissions process.
June 8th, 2010 at 11:20 PM
#9
Ugh.
It'll just break my fucking heart if Demar doesn't get in.
June 8th, 2010 at 11:21 PM
#10
I think it's ridiculous and
I think it's ridiculous and awful that the school has not contacted him about this yet. If you can't take him, fine, but let him know one way or the other. Wow.
June 9th, 2010 at 12:21 AM
#11
It sounds like the coaches
It sounds like the coaches have left him out to dry on this. How in the Hell can't you contact this kid? I have lost a lot of respect for this staff because of that. There is no room for interpretation on that. It came right from Demar's mouth. Way to be coaches.
June 9th, 2010 at 12:28 AM
#12
Uh, dude
More than likely the coaches have been told by admissions not to contact Dorsey until a decision is made. In a nutshell: "Don't call the kid and get his hopes up. You have to wait around for a year while we hold our dicks in our office."
June 8th, 2010 at 11:21 PM
#13
Well...
Shit.
I wish him luck wherever he ends up, but DAMN I hope he ends up in a winged helmet.
Just... Shit.
June 8th, 2010 at 11:22 PM
#14
This sucks...
on so many levels... This one just gives me the feeling that its going to come back and bite us in the ass.
June 8th, 2010 at 11:22 PM
#15
Thanks for the great work,
Thanks for the great work, Tom.
What an unfortunate situation to be in. Dorsey has worked so hard to get things turned around, and I think Michigan owes him a chance to compete, both on the field and in the classroom. It sounds like that's not going to happen
June 8th, 2010 at 11:24 PM
#16
Oh man
now I'm nervous.
Good luck, Demar. We'd love to have you.
June 8th, 2010 at 11:25 PM
#17
This does not sound good.
This does not sound good. Shame on the Athletics Department and Admissions Office for not getting this figured out before the offer was made. And shame on the Detroit/Ann Arbor media for likely ruining this kid's chance to make a new life for himself in Michigan. One of the reasons it was expected Dorsey was coming here was to get away from a negative environment in Florida with his peers. If he ends up in a D1 program like FSU, it might not provide him the opportunity he would have at Michigan.
This is not the time for the University to further vindicate the "investigative reporting" of the local media.
June 8th, 2010 at 11:26 PM
#18
This is rediculous. I cannot
This is rediculous. I cannot believe the way this recruit has been treated for the last 6 months.
He's held up his end of the bargain and we haven't held up ours. The worst part is that if it comes to pass that he will not be a Michigan Wolverine, the floodgates will open and everyone will reiterate their general nonsense on the issue of how this kid was never meant to come here.
June 8th, 2010 at 11:29 PM
#19
Poor kid
I do feel for the kid. Does he deserve admission? I don't know. I'm not one in the position to know the answer to that question, but he certainly doesn't deserve the torrent of bullshit he's received from the local press.
Yes, I'm the same guy who has occasionally stood up for the local press, but what they've done to Demar just isn't right. The "investigative piece" in the Freep was prepared well before Demar committed. What better way to show bias than to write a piece in hopes of being able to run it. Shouldn't the facts precede the story? Shouldn't they have written a similar piece of MSU's Jenrette? Same crimes, same state...difference is that Dorsey was younger and Jenrette was arrested for the same thing while at State. Ok...Ok...I'll drop it.
Best of luck, Demar, whether in A2 or elsewhere.
June 8th, 2010 at 11:31 PM
#20
This makes me very sad. I
This makes me very sad. I hope that everything gets sorted for better or worse (for us) so this kid can get back to making the best of his life. I really hope this is a big misunderstanding....... I just think that a place like UM could not just keep him out of trouble but provide the venue for him to exceed.
Also. I hope that the press doesn't turn around and say how the coaches promised a scholarship and such and then went back on it. This just looks ugly on so many fronts. I hope the best for him.
June 8th, 2010 at 11:33 PM
#21
I really hate our school sometimes
Because if he ends up going to Florida state he deserved admission here. This makes me mad on so many levels.
June 8th, 2010 at 11:39 PM
#22
This is the most ironic post
This is the most ironic post in the history of both posting and irony
...I don't disagree with what you're saying, though
June 8th, 2010 at 11:46 PM
#23
Yes I know
If he goes to FSU where Rhodes scholars are made I'm pretty sure Michigan could have let him in. It will be a travesty.. No a sham.. No a mockery... No wait trav-a-sham-ockery.
June 9th, 2010 at 12:28 AM
#24
Agree...
...with the sentiment, but totally baffled by the logic.
June 8th, 2010 at 11:39 PM
#25
*sad face*
I really hope he ends up getting in. Dorsey is getting seriously shafted if he doesn't get in. I don't know what admissions think they have to gain by turning him away at this point. Its almost as if they expect the media to slap a "UM Reverses on Deliquent" line on the front page of the news the same way they went after them for recruiting him in the first place. The reality is, we look bad two-timing someone, our recruiting will suffer, and the media is just going to use it as an excuse to criticize us a second time for even looking at him.
I have half a mind to send admissions an e-mail about this. Granted, I am bias because I want Dorsey to make our secondary awesome, but if he weren't a recruit, I wouldn't know about it because the process wouldn't be as public, and admissions doesn't have any business pulling this on anyone.
And God help him if he ends up at Florida State. If he's qualified for FSU and he ends up not getting a shot at an education here, admissions should be ashamed.
EDIT: The admissions phone number for anyone who might have an inquiry about their status or something tomorrow: XXXXXXXXXX
What? I'm just sayin'
June 9th, 2010 at 12:06 AM
#26
What business would anyone
What business would anyone here have calling admissions to ask the status of Demar Dorsey's application?
The publication of names and phone numbers and contact information for people at the admissions office is crossing the line, and it's been done multiple times today. We're fans. We have no business interfering in the decisions of the admissions office, no matter how great the needs of our defensive secondary.
June 9th, 2010 at 12:10 AM
#27
First time I've ever agreed with you
No one on here has any right to ask what dorseys academic status is.
June 9th, 2010 at 12:24 AM
#28
That number will give you the
That number will give you the admissions office and whoever happens to pick up the phone. It is not a line to anyone in paticular, and it was obtained from the admissions website, therefor being wide open to the public.
As to the business of any one person's application, they aren't going to give it to you, nor should they. It doesn't matter anyway, because in this paticular instance, there would be no need to ask. His status is very publicly known, and we're sad about it.
I posted the number primarily as a joke (Since, you know, its on their website and anyone could find it on Google with a couple keystrokes. Also, my original statement very clearly implies one's own status, not Dorsey's, as in "Hey, how's my app coming, and BTW, please don't screw Dorsey over". But again, it was meant as a joke in the first place. If I was serious I won't have said "Just sayin' and would have done a whole lot better than the public number), but if anyone DID tell admissions they suck for screwing Dorsey over, they certainly deserve it (Assuming that actually happens, which doesn't appear 100% certain).
June 9th, 2010 at 12:25 AM
#29
Yes, you are correct, the
Yes, you are correct, the student worker at the front desk deserves to hear how badly somebody they've probably only met a handful of times screwed this up.
June 8th, 2010 at 11:35 PM
#30
I hope/anticipate that Dave
I hope/anticipate that Dave Brandon will be able to show the way forward on this based on what's right and that we'll get harangued by the Freep afterward.
June 8th, 2010 at 11:39 PM
#31
Dorsey - Tillman was here
(sorry for re-posting but no one's going to comment in the other thread again)
Not comparing the individuals, but the 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 admissions may be 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. But Demar you can make wherever you need to. We'd love to have you, keep your head up regardless
June 8th, 2010 at 11:50 PM
#32
Wow, I never heard that
Wow, I never heard that story. +1. Puts things in perspective.
June 9th, 2010 at 12:08 AM
#33
It's in a Tillman biography
"Where Men Win Glory", out just recently
I referenced it in an an e-mail exchange I had with that bumbling McCabe. Maybe I can post that later
June 8th, 2010 at 11:47 PM
#34
Hmm. Seems the lowlife crawl
Hmm. Seems the lowlife crawl over here to read from time to time:
Via Twitter
[RT from Adam Rittenburg]
Mark Snyder, AKA, @freepwolverine
RT @freepwolverines: Dorsey to mgoblog in interview: "They told me they don't think I can get in"
June 8th, 2010 at 11:54 PM
#35
Well.......
we can look forward to another Mark Snyder article with unattributed TomVH quotes tomorrow.
June 9th, 2010 at 12:18 AM
#36
Boom, he already delivered the goods.
http://www.freep.com/section/BLOG14
Click at your own risk.
June 9th, 2010 at 12:20 AM
#37
Did he attribute to TomVH? I
Did he attribute to TomVH? I durst not glance or click.
June 9th, 2010 at 12:26 AM
#38
I think you
I think you mean:
The mgoblog community prefers to read these articles in printed form -- easier on the eyes and whatnot.
June 9th, 2010 at 4:34 AM
#39
same here,
thanks for the link
June 9th, 2010 at 1:44 AM
#40
In the words of Drake "its far from over" for Dorsey
this has to be one of the saddest stories I've witnessed at U of M. It's clear that he won't be coming to Ann Arbor. This case was severly botched at some point. I'll definetly follow Dorsey closely where ever he goes. He's going to be a stud and we'll all remember how he got away from the maize and blue
June 9th, 2010 at 12:01 AM
#41
if I wanted to open up my
if I wanted to open up my recruitment, I would have to send [the letter of intent] back to them. If I can't get in from the admissions, then I have to send that back. My mom said we need to do that, so we have to send it out tomorrow, and we'll go from there.
So...it's over? He's not coming? Or he's not coming barring admissions stepping in before the outgoing mail is collected?
June 9th, 2010 at 9:23 AM
#42
It could just be they want the release form on file
So he can be released immediately if he is not admitted. It doesn't necessarily mean he won't be admitted.
More disheartening is the fact someone told him it was unlikely he would get in, due to his grades earlier in the year.
June 8th, 2010 at 11:48 PM
#43
damn
we should start a petition for dorsey and send it to the schools admission board
June 9th, 2010 at 12:53 AM
#44
I was thinking the same
I was thinking the same thing, but doesnt look like there is time
June 8th, 2010 at 11:50 PM
#45
Great work Tom
but I fear the writing is on the wall for this one.
Best of luck to Demar.
June 9th, 2010 at 12:01 AM
#46
That's what it seems like
But here's hoping Rich Rod gets up early, heads down to admissions, defenestrates the entire department, and calls Dorsey from their office.
June 9th, 2010 at 12:19 AM
#47
+1 for the use of the term
+1 for the use of the term "defenestration."
June 8th, 2010 at 11:51 PM
#48
Boo
This just sucks. Admissions really fucked this one up. This kid does not deserve what he has been through in the last 6 months. I don't even know what to say. I almost want to cry. Shit
June 9th, 2010 at 1:18 AM
#49
Working in a UM Office, I can
Working in a UM Office, I can tell you that Admissions is one of the bitchier groups of people out there that I have had to work with. Part of it is just the nature of the job, but yeah...
June 9th, 2010 at 9:34 AM
#50
I've worked very closely with
I've worked very closely with Admissions for over 10 years. And I used to be an admissions professional (not at U-M).
I kind of feel for them. They make decisions they kill lambasted for (by families, by parents, by legislators, etc), and they can't explain or defend them--even when they are legitimate-- because of privacy concerns.
I am sorry they've been bitchy to your office. IMO, U-M has a real problem with that across campus (not just Admissions).
Admissions tend to be huge U-M football fans, not that anyone here would probably take my word for it.
June 9th, 2010 at 10:03 AM
#51
Not solely a U-M problem
At every university I've worked with (note: "with" not "for", so caveat etc), the interdepartmental relationships have been a real mess. ENORMOUS amounts of internal politics.
Almost as bad as a hospital system...
