Norfleet Not Actually Gone
[Bryan Fuller]
Via Sam Webb this morning:
Contrary to multiple published reports citing comments for Norfleet’s high school coach, Detroit King headman Dale Harvel, the senior kick/punt returner has not been dismissed from the football team….
“He has been suspended for the past three weeks,” the source said.
He may or may not make it back.
A Detroit King assistant did tweet out something about trying to get Norfleet to graduate. That seemed to imply that Norfleet could be up for a graduate transfer; it also implies that if there's any damage to his transcript it's not so far gone that he's doomed.
It was good news on the MGoBoard, and good news here. It will be interesting to see how this plays out, as it will give us insight as to the standards Harbaugh will hold the players to.
More important, it will give the team further insight as to the standards Harbaugh will hold the players to.
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The high school coach is not helping the situation.
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It really seems like he has a fued with UM's football program. He can't wait to say bad things about it. From the Detroit News yesterday:
"I don't think Michigan was ever a good fit for Dennis," Harvel said. "He committed to Cincinnati his sophomore year and that was the type of place he should have went and could have played. But everyone associated with him didn't see it that way.
"I'm not upset with how (Jim) Harbaugh is doing things. I'm going to do things at King for King's advantage. But it's up to the parents and kids to make up their minds about where they want to go."
Harvel added about Norfleet's situation: "If only one kid out of 120 is missing class, they must be the No. 1 program in the country (for football players' academic achievements)."
Detroit King is going to be a productive recruiting ground for Michigan for at least the near future. Hopefully though, everyone will kiss and make up.
Agreed, both athletically AND academically. The coach makes it seem o.k. for kids to skip classes. I certainly hope that the King administration does not condone that type of mentality. We then wonder why DPS graduate such a unfortunately low percentage of kids who enter the 9th grade.
It sounds like they're going to let him re-take the failed classes/skipped exams so he can graduate from Michigan and then become a grad transfer.
I must be missing something, I thought he had only 90 hours, don't you need 120 to graduate and can he be a graduate transfer without actually getting the degree?
Everything I had ever read or watched regarding Norfleet even going back to high school indicated he was a high-character leader and widely respected. I didn't care one way or the other about the dancing, but had great confidence in him as a member of the team. Obviously, missing exams indicates otherwise. I just hope this all gets worked out and I can return to having a positive impression of the kid and viewing him as a critical team player. Go Blue.
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most people seem to like him, don't let the vocal minority convince you otherwise.
I think very few hate him for dancing before a kick-off. It's the fact that he was then tackled 20 yards later every return. If he was actually good, nobody would have cared.
Hopefully he finds a way to graduate and transfer somewhere else. Seems like a nice, fun kid, but not someone that should be playing regularly for a good D-1 football program.
Sam Webb: He probably skipped a final, huh? I'll ask an anonymous insider.
Nick Baumgardner: He's dismissed; he can't play.
Sam Webb: Whoo-hoo-hoo, look who knows so much! It just so happens that your friend here is only MOSTLY dismissed. There's a big difference between mostly dismissed, and all dismissed. Mostly dismissed is just suspended. With all dismissed, well, with all dismissed there's usually only one thing you can do.
Nick Baumgardner: What's that?
Sam Webb: Sit by yourself in a dark room and listen to the Smiths.
Your humor is well timed, soldier. Keep it up and you'll go far.
That. Was. An. Awesome. Reference.
Well done.
Hilarious. I love the movie, and Crystal. Not familiar with Smiths, but maybe because I don't often sit in dark rooms in an emo state of sadness.
Between this bizarro situation and the self-reported violations that only came out after a FOIA request, the program is not looking exactly orderly this week.
Is it really that difficult to make a statement about Norfleet's situation to take the steam out of the rumor mill?
So my understanding is that he's suspended from the *school*, and subsequently the team. Not a matter of Harbaugh kicking him off or being ineligible by any other athletic standards, rather he's gotta take a semester off from LSA and get his shit together.
I've seen more than a couple of kids burn out late in their college careers and wig out a bit. With a little help they were able to get it back together and graduate.
From a purely academic standpoint if he's been eligible and on track up till this point I'd like to see them out in the effort for him to graduate. I'm not as challenging curbed if he sees the field again.
I'm just of the opinion that that a little grace gets us a graduate and that will be good for him and us, rather than letting a kid tailspin.
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Commencement was May 2nd and he's been suspended - supposedly - for 3 weeks. UM would have had to implement the suspension almost immediately (assuming exmas are a week or two before school ends). That timeline is really tight, but not impossible I suppose. But, it makes me wonder if there was something else going on? Also, a senior with no previously disclosed academic or disciplinary issues skipping exams just seems odd.
Norfleet was a junior in 2014-15.
And Norfleet won't want to sit if he transfers...
IMO, this sounds like a case of trying to get the kid through those last few credits so he can get a degree and get out versus him actually being back on the team (unless he has to retake classes to graduate from Michigan due to failing some this spring).
I'll wait and see what happens at the end of the summer. I assume he'll make up any classes over the summer that he may have flunked this spring...then we'll see if he's on the team.
It doesn't make any sense for Norfleet or Michigan to end the relationship if he's a few credit hours from a diploma...both would take a hit. No one is going to sit a year as a transfer for a few credit hours and no school is going to swallow and APR hit over a few hours.
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