Mitch McGary To NBA
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.
I literally never said "just sayin" or anything like it and the "victim" thing is what I specifically backed off of. If people think I'm being pompous, fine, say that - many people did and I didn't complain when they did so.
April 25th, 2014 at 12:20 PM ^
I generally think as you do here - if you break a rule there are consequences and too bad if you don't like them.
However, the dispariety in punishment (normal failed test = 3 games, failed test in an NCAA tournament = one year), and the NCAA's selectively in enforcement/punishment are the problem here. I think that people would have had less problems with this if the NCAA had not let the Tat-gate OSU players play in the Sugar bowl, or had banned Cam Newston once it learned that his dad took money, or had given Manziel more than a slap on the wrist for selling autographs, or so on and so on.
The NCAA has bent over so much when it is in their interest, that it has lost its credibility when it claims "a rule is a rule" and hammers a player for one failed test.
You probably lived in Virginia when it was technically illegal to have oral sex, anal sex, or any premarital sex. I assume you'd be ok with being punished for any of those?
I would not, but the analogy doesn't hold water for two reasons: one, the problem with laws like those (IMO - opinions may vary) is that they're totally unenforceable without breaching some constitutional rights, and two, there's a big difference in what the government can force its private citizens to do and what an organization can require of its members - the former being stricter by orders of magnitude.
I just wanted to pile on. We haven't had a good negbanging in a while and you got banged hard.
(I'm sure you'll lose hours and hours of sleep over your missing MGoPoints.)
I'm gonna take a shot for every neg.... that should help with the sleep issue.
I wish I could take all of my points and use them to downvote you. Mods, can you do this please? I'm willing to go to zero to take Wahoo down 2k points for this comment.
April 25th, 2014 at 10:26 PM ^
I don't even know how to react to your comment. Smoking weed is safer than drinking and the NCAA is flat wrong to make this judgement. They are adjusting the penalty on the fly in reaction. I don't smoke weed but I drink. I think the hipocrosy is insane.
Don't give us the bs about priorities. He would have been a student, happily, for another year had the NCAA stayed out of his personal life. Ask Mark Emmert if he ever smoked and if that hurt his college performance.
This might be the last straw for me and watching college sports (which I love). The NCAA is beyond hope...
April 25th, 2014 at 10:26 AM ^
NCAA should just disband! They let schools get away with cheating but crash down on a good kid who just used a bit of pot!
April 25th, 2014 at 10:26 AM ^
If this was the SEC, Emmert would have let them off the hook.
April 25th, 2014 at 10:28 AM ^
FIFA is pretty bad, as is the IOC and for those want to dig - look up FIDE. With this action and others the NCAA certainly has hit the big leagues of corrupt and hypocritical sports organizations.
April 25th, 2014 at 10:28 AM ^
April 25th, 2014 at 10:28 AM ^
You go to hell and you die NCAA.
April 25th, 2014 at 10:28 AM ^
Looks like Jon Horford legitimately did know what Mitch was going to do...
April 25th, 2014 at 10:30 AM ^
Horford must have been really sour toward coach B to leave knowing this was in the works.
April 25th, 2014 at 11:03 AM ^
Horford skipped town 4-foot bong in hand knowing the ncaa's vice-like grip on umich would only strengthen.
Sorry to make light of this situation...I am devastated by the news but I can't help but laugh at the NCAA.
Hoping the Daily jumps on this prime headline: "ITS A MITCH HUNT!"
April 25th, 2014 at 11:19 AM ^
this makes horford's decision all the more bizarre. dude was going to start at center and get all the minutes he needed.
April 25th, 2014 at 10:28 AM ^
April 25th, 2014 at 10:44 AM ^
cuz he's the first college athlete to ever get high s/
April 25th, 2014 at 10:30 AM ^
and ridiculous NCAA involvement in eligibility issues. Nuts! Just plain nuts.
April 25th, 2014 at 10:29 AM ^
than I expected from Brian.
April 25th, 2014 at 10:29 AM ^
This ruiling is rediculous..I really dont understand why street drugs are tested by the NCAA and harshly punished.
The scholarship argument doesnt hold either. I was on academic scholarship at U of M and wasnt once asked to piss in a cup...
Seems really really stupid
This is an outstanding point/argument with respect to the academic scholarship. If anything, marijuana is the opposite of a performance enhancer. Therefore, if ANYONE was going to impose a harsh penalty, it should be the school for which the player competes, since they want to discourage this type of activity for, among other reasons, competitive considerations. And M has a policy that seems proper: 10% of games. So for the NCAA to exercise its power in such a seemingly arbitrary and capricious way? Well...actually, it's the NCAA, so I shouldn't be surprised.
In the words of Bunk Moreland, this is some shameful shit.
April 25th, 2014 at 10:31 AM ^
Plenty of reports have come out over the years pointing to rampant drug and steroid use in college sports because of minimal testing.
Am I the only one who finds it odd he was tested 9 times in the last two years?
April 25th, 2014 at 10:40 AM ^
if that is true that seems wildly unfair. Is this standard procedure? nine times?? I smell a mitch hunt! Sorry...This is so just so lame and just highlights the NCAA as more of a dinosaur than we already knew they were.
April 25th, 2014 at 10:52 AM ^
Then he should've known better than to smoke. He should've thought after the second or third time that it was not worth doing.
April 25th, 2014 at 10:33 AM ^
I've been on the fence about Northwestern unionizing, but this makes it crystal clear for me why the players need representation.
April 25th, 2014 at 10:35 AM ^
Michigan's top 6 guys in minutes played in the 2012-2013 season are now gone.
McGary, Burke, Hardaway, Stauskas, Robinson - Left Early
Morgan - Graduated
Horford was 9th in minutes played that season behind LeVert and Spike, but he's gone too - 5th yr transfer
April 25th, 2014 at 12:55 PM ^
Michigan only has 3 guys remaining from that team just 2 years out.
Spike 8.1 mpg 2.1 ppg 0.8 rpg 0.7 apg
Caris 10.8 mpg 2.3 ppg 1.1 rpg 0.8 apg
Bielfeldt 5.3 mpg 1.1 ppg 1.6 rpg 0.2 apg
Total production remaining from 2012-2013 season
3 players
24.2 mpg
5.5 ppg
3.5 rpg
1.7 apg
April 25th, 2014 at 10:35 AM ^
Just think, if the NCAA didn't have this Draconion policy, other college kids might try the pot
April 25th, 2014 at 10:36 AM ^
I bet Mitch is a really fun guy to be around when he's high.
April 25th, 2014 at 10:46 AM ^
....oh wait, that wasn't what you meant?
April 25th, 2014 at 10:36 AM ^
Good christ. That poor kid.
I'll admit that I'm pretty prudish on drugs, but come on. The kid wasn't even competing, and it was pot. FUCKING POT FOR CHRIST'S SAKE. A year's suspension. The mind boggles.
April 25th, 2014 at 10:36 AM ^
in Colorado, because pot is legal there ? FUCK YOU NCAA !!!
Go Blue!
April 25th, 2014 at 11:00 AM ^
legal to possess and use, but it still violates NCAA bylaws.
April 25th, 2014 at 11:06 AM ^
Pot is legal here in Washington, but if I smoked it and my employer found out, I could still be fired for it.
April 25th, 2014 at 11:37 AM ^
it is still a violation of Federal law; the feds are just looking the other way for now.
April 25th, 2014 at 11:02 AM ^
I'm sure athletes in Colorado have to follow the same drug standards. This is the NCAA , not the law.
April 25th, 2014 at 10:36 AM ^
April 25th, 2014 at 10:36 AM ^
not act like this is the NCAA's fault...McGary was the one who messed up, not the NCAA b/c their punishment seems too harsh
April 25th, 2014 at 10:45 AM ^
I mean will agree that if there is a party "at fault" here it is Mitch, but the one year punishment for one positive pot test does underscore just how out of whack both the status of pot as a recreation drug and the NCAA policy with regard to drug testing. There is no reason for this to be a one year suspension. The punishment far outweighs the crime. You have to admit that.
April 25th, 2014 at 10:47 AM ^
so missing the fucking point!
Its a matter of proportionality.
Its a matter of the NCAA's hypocrisy/
Of course, its the NCAA's fault.
April 25th, 2014 at 10:49 AM ^
Good grief, seriously? Yeah, his judgement was not great. But dang man. This is just an absurdly harsh punishment that is in no one's best interest.
Rob
April 25th, 2014 at 10:57 AM ^
April 25th, 2014 at 10:58 AM ^
Can you please not act like McGary deserved a year suspension from an antiquated, corrupt organization that in no way holds his best interests at heart. And it's not "seems too harsh." It is too harsh.
April 25th, 2014 at 10:36 AM ^
Mitch McGary gets caught by school: 1 wk suspension for "team rules". Caught by AAPD: $25 fine. Caught by NCAA: 1 yr suspension
April 25th, 2014 at 10:42 AM ^
but this sums it up pretty nicely.
April 25th, 2014 at 10:48 AM ^
What happens if a player from Colorado St. tests positive? The NCAA needs to update these rules and get with the times. If McGary was found at a bar with a beer, does the NCAA follow the prohibition rules from the 20s??
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