Mitch McGary To NBA Comment Count

Brian

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Exit. [Fuller]

Well, dammit. McGary's out the door and in the end there wasn't even a decision to make:

The Michigan sophomore who turned down a prime opportunity to enter last year's NBA draft and paid a price has decided to declare for the 2014 draft, admitting that he failed an NCAA-administered drug test in March and faced a one-year suspension from college basketball.

The drug test he failed was for pot, which seems ludicrous. Since when does the NCAA even test for pot, let alone levy year-long suspensions? Especially of a player who didn't even play? The situation here is insane. If Michigan issues the test, they get to decide the punishment. If the NCAA does, it's pretty much a death penalty for your career:

By failing a test administered by the NCAA, rather than his school, McGary was subject to the draconian Bylaw 18.4.1.5.1, which calls for a player to be "in­eligible for a minimum of one calendar year." A second offense, even for just marijuana, results in permanent banishment.

"If it had been a Michigan test, I would've been suspended three games and possibly thought about coming back," McGary said. "I don't have the greatest circumstances to leave right now [due to the injury]. I feel I'm ready, but this pushed it overboard.

"I don't think the penalty fits the crime. I think one year is overdoing it a little bit."

Michigan agreed, McGary said, and appealed the decision to the NCAA in early April. It was denied, however. Neither the university nor the NCAA would comment directly on the case or the appeal.

The NCAA is the worst organization in the world (that isn't FIFA). They just changed the penalty to a half-season—still ludicrously punitive for a substance that is heading towards legalization within a decade—and would still not relent, because think of the NCAA like a marching band full of assholes. Good on McGary for just talking about it. At least one party in this situation comes off like an adult.

Michigan's situation at the five is now pretty alarming. They've got true freshman Ricky Doyle and, now out of necessity, redshirt freshman Mark Donnal. Transfer Cole Huff now has a scholarship slot, though he would not be available next year.

Comments

Sports

April 27th, 2014 at 8:56 AM ^

My issue with this is the discrepancy between the NCAA rule and the Ann Arbor civil code. It's a misdemeanor in Ann Arbor and a small ticket if you're caught with marijuana or associated paraphaneilia. I get that it's against the NCAA's code of conduct, but I guess that I just wish that said code reflected campus reality a bit more. It's particularly frustrating in light of stuff like Glasgow's recent legal issues.

Glasgow made a mistake, but he could have killed someone. Yet despite this, he gets off with a relatively minor 1 game suspension, after which he'll almost assuredly start the rest of the season. This isn't a knock on Glasgow at all. From all accounts, he's a great guy who made a mistake. It happens. I just don't get why Mitch "deserves" a one year ban, while the NCAA is totally cool with a one game ban for Glasgow and the countless other guys who end up getting DUI's, beat their girlfriends, or end up winning the Heisman after mysteriously underinvestigated rape claims. How a governing organization can claim moral authority and then enforce their rules with completely arbitrary punishments is beyond me. 

Yeoman

April 27th, 2014 at 12:01 PM ^

but the NCAA is a pretty diverse collection of schools, and "campus reality" varies a lot from place to place. Attitudes towards weed are a little different in Provo and Ann Arbor. Somehow the NCAA has to come up with rules that can satsify both groups (I'm not saying they have).

lilwolve4

April 25th, 2014 at 4:04 PM ^

My senior year of college (2012-2013). I lived in a house on Tappan Avenue. Well just as the semester was beginning, at the corner of Tappan Avenue and Hill, there was a giant multi house party complete with security and a band playing. My friends and I attended said event. At said event there were tons of michigan players from various sports including recruits. (I recall shaking Shane Morris's hand and seeing LTT). There were also members of the basketball team present, in particular Trey and Mitch. Well at one point during the night we observed Mitch and trey walk behind a couple of portopotties. About ten seconds later they walk back out from behind said portopotties and blow smoke into the air. I cannot speculate as to what kind of smoke it was but it was clearly Mitch and trey. The party was later broken up to what I remember as about 20 cop cars and SUVs. A week or two later I see trey has been suspended for the opening game against NMU for a "violation of team standards." Putting two and two together this story does not surprise me at all.

GoWings2008

April 25th, 2014 at 10:18 AM ^

have acted prior to the NCAA acting, if they had known he could potentially have tested positive?  Could they have undercut them before making an announcement? 

MGoMarley

April 25th, 2014 at 1:31 PM ^

I am baffled by the continued acceptance of alcohol and alcohol related crime while condemning marijuana.

I wish the positive test would have been leaked before the appeal. It's safe to say everyone outside the NCAA sees how absurd this punishment is. Maybe then the public could have some pressure on to lighten up the suspension, especially considering the NCAA changed their own fucking rule soon after.

Way to go NCAA. Be sure to keep these "random" tests to a minimum or you won't have any student athletes to go out there and provide for your family.

Going to be interesting to look back on this in 5-8 years while legally ripping a joint.

MadMatt

April 25th, 2014 at 3:43 PM ^

Boih years started with unexpected success in basketball (a run to the NC Game in 2013; a B1G regular season championship in 2014), and some initial optimism in football (recruiting in 2013; replacing Borges with Nuss as the OC in 2014).

As soon as the basketball season ended, unrelenting Death from Above (and below, and both sides, and front, and back, and teleportation from an alternate universe, and ...) unsued.

EFF IT!  I chose to believe that an O-line with two NFL draft picks at tackle, and promising 4 and 5 star youngsters on the interior could only have been that bad with a complete cretin at OC who asked them to learn a fresh set of things they could be expected to do badly before each and every game of the season.  Therefore, a new OC who is not a cretin and regression to the mean will go a long way towards being better (even with more 4 and 5 star youngsters at tackle).

I chose to believe that Taylow Lewan is a bad guy, as he has been described, and the removal of his negative leadership will also help the wnole team play better in adverse circumstances (which are plentiful at the time).

I choose to believe Coach Beilein really  is smarter than the average Div 1 coach, and that just as he got Mitch ready for Syracuse's 2-3 zone in 4 days, he will find a way to morph his team into a highly efficient scoring machine, just as he has the last two seasons.

I chose to believe that Red has not forgotten how the coach hockey, and that with the departure of a couple of me-first stars and, again, regression to the mean, Michigan hockey will not longer be a team that can beat the #1 seed in the tournament, yet go 3-4 against the worst team in the Conference.

Finally, I chose to believe that Michigan has fully paid off its karmic debts (admitting that decades of success and arrogance built those debts pretty high), and that there are other programs (cough-cough) who are far juicier targets right now.  Yet one more time, regression to the mean is our friend.

You could argue quite persuasively that my beliefs are unreaslistic.  I don't care; I'm going to sleep before you can open your mouth.  Wake me a week before the Appalachia State game; vengeance will be ours.

ypsituckyboy

April 25th, 2014 at 10:30 AM ^

For the record, I would like to see Michigan's Central Student Government look into this a bit more and publish a report on how Beilein and Brandon handled this.

I"M KIDDING PEOPLE

Erik_in_Dayton

April 25th, 2014 at 10:24 AM ^

Today isn't as bad as the Martin scandal or the Horror, but I don't remember feeling this screwed.  This certainly trumps any given bad call by a ref/official, and it's worse than the punishment for RR not counting ankle-taping as part of practice.  I am filled with rage.

ijohnb

April 25th, 2014 at 10:32 AM ^

so randomly bad.  That is what kills me.  If he decided to go pro, fine.  I could have dealt with that, I would be upset, but it would have been cool. This means 1) He was probably going to come back, 2) The NCAA just decided to test a player who wasn't even playing this year just, ya know, cuz, and 3) Now he is not coming back, not because he wanted to go, but because he can't come back.  Like, why???????  This in a sport that should be trying desperately to hang on to pro caliber players.  WHY? WHY? WHY?

[Edit: WHY?]

Gameboy

April 25th, 2014 at 11:20 AM ^

Why should anyone get upset by a decision to pursue a career? If you are getting upset by a decision made by young people on whether or not to go pro, you need to step back and reexamine your priorities.

Gameboy

April 25th, 2014 at 1:09 PM ^

No, you are missing the point. The op states that if McGary would have gone to NBA on his own, without NCAA forcing it, he would be upset.

I certainly would be disappointed in that decision in that I would not be able to watch him play for my favorite team, but I certainly would not be upset. I would be happy for him on his endeavors.

ijohnb

April 25th, 2014 at 11:31 AM ^

that is what you took from my post?  You are on a Michigan sports website posting a comment and you are telling me that I should have no feeling either way when one of my favorite players decides to go pro?  Did I say I would be upset with him?  It appears you are having trouble digesting this announcement man.  Reexamine my priorities?  Seriously, WHAT THE HELL are you talking about and why are you here?  Go away.

ijohnb

April 25th, 2014 at 2:25 PM ^

said you would be disappointed.  You are basing your objection to my post on the difference between upset and disappointed?  Why would you be disappointed that somebody is pursuing their dream?  

You were just pissed and looking for somebody to troll like a middle schooler. 

jmdblue

April 25th, 2014 at 10:24 AM ^

"good on McGary for just talking about it".... How many 'roid users can we think of could have gone this route to much better ends?  He really seems like a good kid.  Good Luck to him.

MMB 82

April 25th, 2014 at 10:26 AM ^

Is that McGary gets banned for a year for doing something ONCE that is now legal in some states, and "medical" in many others, while it seems that much more heinous activities are going on elsewhere (you know who you are) and the NCAA barely slaps a wrist.....

dahblue

April 25th, 2014 at 11:33 AM ^

It isn't just "medical" in many others; it's medical in Michigan.  There's a dispensary right next to the athletic campus.  There's a dispensary next to the fucking law school.  Beyond all of that, it's just weed, which is only a ticket in A2 (if caught).  

The NCAA knows the 1-year ban is stupid; so they're adjusting next year...a 6-month ban.  That's so fucking crazy.  There shouldn't be a 1-day ban!

MaizeAndBlueWahoo

April 25th, 2014 at 10:26 AM ^

The rule is overboard but it's still a rule and it still does a very nice job of showing us what someone's priorities are.... and if someone thinks smoking a plant is more important than the benefits of their scholarship, then I don't have a lot of respect for those priorities.  No, Mitch does not come off like an adult, because adults are better than that at weighing their priorities and don't purposely break the rules and then play victim.  Best of luck to Mitch.  Honestly.  Because he's going to need it.