Folks, I am an Irish fan and ND alum. I think it's time for schools like Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn State, Northwestern, Stanford, and other academically minded D-1 schools to circle the wagons. I attended Notre Dame in the 1980s. We never hated Michigan. In fact we liked the football rivalry because it was like playing your brother. Players at Notre Dame and Michigan played ball, but still had to attend class, mixed with the student body as one of us, and all of us were trying to achieve. At ND we hated schools that cheated like Miami. We had no respect for schools that had football for non-students, or worse, reformatory dropouts. Pitt was an example of this for about 10 years. But things for D-1 football have gotten out of hand. The assumed link between the better player and money for the school has put too much pressure on the system. Arguments once were made that we owe it to the underpriviledged to bring them to campus, if only on athleic merits, so they may get degreee. The problem is, in many cases, they are not prepared to sit in a college classrom. Moreover, the promise of at least giving them a chance at huge sums of money via the NFL is a hollow promise. The majority of NFL players go bankrupt by the time they are 40. And the NCAA has also shown clear indications of corruption and serving it's own greed. Why are some investigations pursued with vigor, while others are quitely delayed? Why do we give scholarships to these underprivilidged, only to threaten sanctions if someone buys a poor player a meal, ( No stipend for pocket change allowed )? I suggest that loyal alums and fans of what universities like Michigan and Notre Dame represent would watch in great numbers even true limits were put on the programs. Some would say, " NO way, we couldn't compete!" I say form a new division that honors top athletes who also can attend college legitamately. Put true limits on what a program is allowed to do, such as practice time. Get enough teams, especially the traditional schools, and the fan fervor will be as high, maybe higher. Let those who think college football is merley to have a team to root for, go find a pro team. Let the schools who don't truly care about world class education fall away. Some of us want 1st rate Universities and a 1st world nation. That means for ALL students. One blogger said he didn't want Michigan to go the way of Notre Dame. I think true Michigan alums, folks who are Michigan people, not Detroit Lions fans looking for a winner; those folks DO want Michigan to STAY like Notre Dame. Notice I didn't say go the way of Notre Dame. Michigan has always been an honorable school. It might seem strage, but this immediate problem exposes not Michigan, but the NCAA. Again I say, let's join the Michigan's, Notre Dame's, Stanford's, Northwestern's, Penn State's, Vanderbilt's, Ivy Leagues, and any others who want exciting football, played by clean honrable programs. We can afford to lose the NCAA much more than they can afford to lose us. Go Blue and Go Irish!

Maxwell's written two diaries so far for the MSU website. Both also appeared in his hometown Midland Daily News. The first one included the reference to 14-hour days. It has disappeared from the Midland Daily News website, while the second diary is still available online (http://www.ourmidland.com/articles/2009/08/25/sports/2045800.txt). So MSU not only scrubbed the article from their own website; they also got a newspaper to scrub it from its website.

Which makes the Stokes and Hawthorne quotes moot, right? I mean if Rosenberg used two true freshmen's quotes, the only time they could've been referencing is this past summer. I still see a double standard in all of this.

Brian, you're still kind of dancing around three central points: *Anything resembling that much of a workout, on Sundays, is a violation. NFL teams don't lift weights on days after games. *Your beloved Angelique, at the News, confirms that M exceeded the hours permitted according to NCAA rules. *Just because Other Teams Do It doesn't make it right, especially at M, a school with a reputation for doing things the right way. Don't get me wrong: you're awesome and invaluable. But since you largely always take the RR line, and here seem disinclined to accept any part of the Freep story, you too should be view skeptically. Sometimes, at least. Admit it. Inasmuch as Rosenberg may or may not have an Agenda -- and I'm not sure that's entirely true, BTW -- you don't really pretend to view M with anything like true objectivity. You've become something of a de facto news-source, so... Just saying for all those who reflexively take every word you say as The Undisputable Truth. Obviously, I read you for a reason too. But let's take a breath here.

Actually Maxwell's articles are still up on the MSU website. Since the article with the relevant quote is two weeks old, it's been moved to the archived "News" area. Here's the link: http://www.msuspartans.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/081609aaa.html