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.
April 25th, 2014 at 11:36 AM ^
Or, with a proper physician referral (which would be completely warranted given his back condition), he buys 2.5 ounces of amazing weed from the dispensary across the street from Crisler. Zero penalty.
April 25th, 2014 at 10:36 AM ^
It seems like we hardly knew him, but I'll never forget how he played during the 2013 tourney. F-ing incredible. Good luck Mitch! I hope you get drafted by a legit franchise like the Spurs or Bulls.
April 25th, 2014 at 10:39 AM ^
what a joke
April 25th, 2014 at 10:40 AM ^
perhaps as personally conservative a person as you will find. I've never smoked pot or done any drugs. I don't smoke, and don't drink.
That said, I think this is just absurd. It's a decision by the NCAA that's so completely against their own interests and the interests of the player involved that it's almost impossible to believe anybody could be so stupid. Further, at minimum I would suggest the punishment is an order of magnitude out of scale with the 'offense'.
What a total bummer for McGary, for Michigan fans, for Michigan, and for college sports. Mitch McGary is what's right about college sports in his approach to the game. I dearly wish he'd been just a bit smarter about this, but DAMN IT.
Rob
April 25th, 2014 at 10:40 AM ^
Hey NCAA, this one's for you...
April 25th, 2014 at 10:42 AM ^
April 25th, 2014 at 10:52 AM ^
Knowledge of consequences are not equivalent. McGary may have thought non-participating players aren't tested or not have known that the punishment for getting caught at the Tourney is vastly different from the penalty at UM.
Dawson had a much greater knowledge of the potential costs than McGary.
April 25th, 2014 at 11:01 AM ^
You have the balls to compare a kid smoking pot with someone driving drunk? Please never breed.
April 25th, 2014 at 11:18 AM ^
Sorry I didn't read the whole original post
April 25th, 2014 at 11:15 AM ^
They are both misdemeanors
April 25th, 2014 at 11:28 AM ^
Some states charge it that way and some don't, but for me the issue is that driving while intoxicated is dangerous to the entire community. Regardless of team's rules on the matter and if teammates were let down or not, DWI is simply much more dangerous and can easily change the lives of many folks not in the least way connected to one's choice to get in a car and drive drunk. Smoking a J on campus...not so much.
April 25th, 2014 at 11:37 AM ^
Weed is a civil infraction in A2; it's not even a misdemeanor. It's a fucking jaywalking ticket.
April 25th, 2014 at 10:44 AM ^
2014 was caught smoking pot and declared to leave early. We're now stuck with 2014's back up, 2013.
April 25th, 2014 at 10:50 AM ^
Completely random, according to Dylan and UMHoops. NOT like he knew the test was coming. The NCAA needs to get down on its knees and apologize to the kid.
Something that's now legal in various states, much healthier than the hooch these paunchy, etllow-suite nimrods imbibe at their pre-bowl soirees. Corrupt miserable system.
April 25th, 2014 at 11:05 AM ^
I think the punishment is disproportionate here, but drug testing is normally supposed to be random, no?
April 25th, 2014 at 11:23 AM ^
April 25th, 2014 at 10:49 AM ^
"still ludicrously punitive for a substance that is heading towards legalization within a decade"
I disagree, not with the possibility that pot will be legal in the relatively near future, but saying that is a reason why the NCAA policy is ludicrous. Future legalization is irrelevant. The fact that marjuana is not a performance-enhancing drug, makes this a ludicrous policy. The fact that the NCAA is suppposed to be governing sports on behalf of universities, and universities generally view such transgressions not as opportunities to banish students but to help them grow and achieve their goals while serving reasonable punishments, makes this a ludicrous policy. Violate a similar prohibition on just about any university campus and you'll find yourself on short-term probation with a clear laundry list of shit you have to do to get back in their good graces and achieve your goals as a student. But the NCAA? Punishment for the sake of punishment, for the sake of making the NCAA look tough, not helping the student at all.
April 25th, 2014 at 10:52 AM ^
April 25th, 2014 at 11:15 AM ^
I'd love to see someone compile a list of the penalties and non-penalties we've seen in college sports lately. Whether it's to individual players or programs, it's infuriatingly arbitrary and unfair.
This to me feels like a rule intended to punsh programs for not monitoring themselves ("If you aren't self-policing and we catch you, you're screwed"). If that's the case, then punish the program and not the kid. Penalize them a scholarship or something. And maybe at least to pretend to care about all of the actually bad shit that happens.
April 25th, 2014 at 10:57 AM ^
"They've got true freshman Ricky Doyle and, now out of necessity, redshirt freshman Mark Donnal."
Did you get this backwards? Isn't Doyle the one being thrown in on account of this new necessity? Donnal looks to have had the slightly better recruiting rankings (for whatever that's worth) and, more importantly, the word I recall out of practices this year is that he got stronger and more confident, learned the system, and was performing well.
April 25th, 2014 at 11:19 AM ^
April 25th, 2014 at 11:29 AM ^
April 25th, 2014 at 11:00 AM ^
Welp...
Back to rebuilding we go. At least the last few years were fun to watch. I have faith that Beilein & Co. will find a develop other great players though.
April 25th, 2014 at 11:02 AM ^
He seems like a good kid, best of luck to him. I hope he stays healthy. "Just Win" will be our memory of him . . . plus his smiling face.
That was a perma-grin
April 25th, 2014 at 11:05 AM ^
I have nothing to add that hasn't been said but I'm pissed and I want to post something. Fuck you, NCAA. Fuck everything about you.
April 25th, 2014 at 11:06 AM ^
...then shame on the coaches or staff that's supposed to inform them of all the rules. These kids smoke weed, so there should have been some advising them on what happens if they're caught.
If he knew the rules, and the repurcussions, then shame on him. He's 21, not 17 or 18. That makes him an adult and old enough to know what a one year suspension means.
This still doesn't excuse the NCAA, who bent over backwards to allow Cam Newton to stay eligible despite his daddy getting paid. They need to get out of the enforcement business and let qualified personnel handle that.
April 25th, 2014 at 11:40 AM ^
Yes, he's an adult...and the vast majority of adults in the NBA (the place the NCAA just sent him) smoke tons of weed. It's as normal as alcohol, but much less dangerous. The only problem here is the dinosaurs caught up in their Reefer Madness, who don't have a clue as to what they're railing against. Good forbid a college student smoked some weed.
April 25th, 2014 at 11:07 AM ^
He got tested after the game against tennessee, thats like drug testing one of the student assistants. I don't believe he or the coaches ever thought he would get tested just for suiting up. I can't believe if he had just stayed in a suit he probably would be here next year.
April 25th, 2014 at 11:13 AM ^
Read the Yahoo article before posting inaccurate facts
"McGary, however, smoked between the Big Ten and NCAAs. During its tournament, the NCAA can test any player on a roster or in the team's traveling party – even players in street clothes not affecting the outcome of games.
McGary may have worn a uniform for the Tennessee game, but it didn't matter. The NCAA can demand a school test an injured player who remains back on campus."
April 25th, 2014 at 11:07 AM ^
Spot-on, though I would also include the IOC to make a Triumvirate of Shit.
April 25th, 2014 at 11:12 AM ^
I'm not at all surprised to hear he failed a drug test. My buddy lives with all the water polo kids and said Mitch was over all the time smoking weed. He was doing it all season long which I thought was strange...
And as everyone is saying a 1 year ban is beyond ridiculous. Sucks to see Mitch go, especially under these circumstances.
April 25th, 2014 at 11:15 AM ^
I don't have an issue with the fact that pot is banned or that there is testing, but the severity of the punishment seems totally out of proportion. The NCAA normally leaves player discipline up to its member schools or conferences. In the few cases where it does discipline a player (as here, since it took place during the NCAA Tournament) shouldn't it adopt penalties that would mirror what a school would typically give? I can't imagine many schools would ban a player for a year because of one failed test for pot - the vast majority probably issue a short suspension, as we do. So why is the NCAA going so far beyond that?
April 25th, 2014 at 11:16 AM ^
and because of the result, they suspend him for a year? He was basically an assistant coach. Did they test the assistant coaches and team trainers too? Oh no, I'm giving them ideas.
Mitch should have known better than to smoke pot. But the punishment is way out of proportion with the offense. The capricious nature of punishments handed down by the NCAA is total bullshit.
April 25th, 2014 at 11:20 AM ^
What did we do to piss off the NCAA so badly? It seems like we get busted for absolutely every infraction possible yet our rivals walk away scott free and in some cases are rewarded by the NCAA or the BIG 10 for their misdeeds.
It seems like somebody, or a lot of somebody's, up there hate us and are turning the screws evey chance. I'm starting to feel like the program is a little bit cursed.
April 25th, 2014 at 11:39 AM ^
This is an exaggeration. We had one player suspended for a year - that's their only punishment.
UConn (bball) had an entire year of post-season ban. OSU did too (football).
USC and Penn State were stripped of many years.
Penn State still can't play in a bowl.
In hindsight, all we lost is a player for a year. He decides to go pro instead (don't blame him) but that "technically" isn't the NCAA fault since they didn't force him. It easily could had been Dakich suspended and no one would bat an eyelash. SO the NCAA isn't out to get us, it just how the die was rolled this time that we lose one of the best players on our team the same time we lose 2 other players after a Elite 8 appearance.
What I want to know is, does the NCAA do random blood alcohol tests on or make underage students blow into breathalyzers at all? Otherwise, it's pure hypocrisy.
April 25th, 2014 at 11:21 AM ^
All their rules seem just and Fair.
April 25th, 2014 at 11:22 AM ^
April 25th, 2014 at 11:23 AM ^
Even scratching my head harder in regards to the Horford decision. THere goes your 30+ minutes a game for an NCAA tourney team. He could have put up some pretty huge numbers this year for us.
April 25th, 2014 at 11:23 AM ^
April 25th, 2014 at 11:24 AM ^
testing college students for pot and handing out one year suspensions is a very valuable use of time, money and resources. does anyone know how i can join the ncaa or subscribe to their newsletter? or donate my time and money to their organization? this ncaa organization is going places!
April 25th, 2014 at 11:26 AM ^
A 1 year suspension is a harsh band and is extreme in the least. However not smoking pot is a very simple choice. I commend Mitch for owning up to the mistake and admitting it publicly.
April 25th, 2014 at 11:30 AM ^
WHAT. THE. FUCK?!?!?
All the slaps on the wrist the NCAA hands out, but 1 yr for POT?!?!?! Way to look tough, NCAA. /s
Good luck to Mitch, hope his back holds up, and he has good workouts.
April 25th, 2014 at 11:32 AM ^
April 25th, 2014 at 11:38 AM ^
I'm proud of the way Mitch took responsibility for his actions and apologized. Although, he clearly knew the rules and should have stayed away from the pot during that time of year, it's now water under the bridge. I wish him the best of luck in the NBA. On the other hand, I hope the NCAA and their assinine rules burn in hell. At some point, I hope the major conferences band together and decide to get rid of the NCAA. They've completely lost touch with reality in today's college sports environment.
Next year's Michigan team will be a real work in progress with practically zero experience on the front line coming back. The first half of the season probably isn't going to be pretty. But hopefully, Beilein and staff will get them to the point where we can at least make the tournament. Anything more than that is probably putting our hopes too high. Sigh.
April 25th, 2014 at 11:38 AM ^
April 25th, 2014 at 11:39 AM ^
This is horrible... first of all, screw the NCAA, what a dumb ass rule to ban someone for a whole year for pot. I D I O T S!
Second, why does every single player we get who has any kind of potential bolt so quickly? Even with guys who were borderline NBA they still jump at the first opportunity.
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