Three And Out: The Questioning

Mallet, Arrington, Manningham and ... did Boren make a practice squad?

I don't think he did know what he was going to write.  I think I recall it was only supposed to be a single year with the program before writing the book.  But as things went wrong he kept at it.  The feeling before the 2008 season was that RR would build a truely elite program and I think this was supposed to be an inside look at that.

And realize it might not go over so well.

So, my question would be "what books are you going to write about now that Michigan won't let you within a mile of any of their programs anymore?"

I mean, it's not easy to piss off everybody.

I once had a chance to see Bacon speak at a small event, and he discussed the time he spent with Bo when working on that book. Interestingly enough, he had no definitive subject or even a contract for the book, he just put the time in because he thought it would be worthwhile and eventually it was.

I would imagine he had the same attitude this time around.

has truely pissed everyone off, at the expense of being banished to the back of the press box, my esteem for John U. Bacon has gone up even more (and it was high before).

Journalistic cajones - who'd a thunk that even existed any more?

I don't think I knew enough about Dorsey to make a determination, or to substitute my judgment for the University's.

I think that what this Board objected to was the scandalous coverage that the press devoted to Dorsey.  And not so much grades or alternative classes or ACT scores.  If that were the case, I'd really like to have a look at a lot of schools.  No -- the Dorsey story, such as it was, was all about his reputed criminal record.  And whether he was a person of questionable character, not a marginal student.

Whether he ever becomes a Michigan student-athlete or not, I will be rooting for Demar Dorsey to succeed, just to piss off the sportswriters who attacked him.

I'm pretty sure "what they did" was be the coaching staff at Michigan. He freakin lived with his coach, who was not only a former Sparty player and homer, but who actively diverted players from M for years. We never had a shot with Gholston.

The pictorial mash-up of transferred/injured DBs that fell victim to Angry Michigan Secondary Hating God.

But I am not sure why I wouldn't be mad.

Tremendous question, Chunks. Just tremendous.

the theory is that English (former DC under Carr) who wanted the job, and Stapleton his friend in the AD worked behind the scenes to sabotage RR, and that the Freep story was planted by them to try to take down Rodriguez. 

Mind you, this is not any sort of "reporting" on my part.  Just a kind of loose explanation of competing theories and rumors.

First, the short cast of characters:

Ron English - Michigan's former DC under Lloyd Carr.  Discharged along with all of the rest of the Carr staff, after Carr's resignation.  Very widely criticized in his last year as DC for App St and Oregon debacles, which were defensive debacles as much as anything.  An African-American, and therefore in a unique posture as a possible replacement HC for Carr.  An obvious candidate for Michigan to interview in its coaching search.  Rejected, then hired as EMU's HC.

James Stapleton - A professional hanger-on in the world of University oversight and collegiate athletics.  Michigan grad; former member of Michgan's Board in Control of Intercollegiate Athletics (since renamed); Democrat Party playa; appointed by Gov. Granholm to the EMU Board of Trustees; has a consulting business of some kind that is sort of amateur-athletics managment-related.  Even while at EMU, highly active in Michigan affairs though friendships, professional connections, alumni associations, etc.

Lloyd Carr, Percy Bates, Compliance Services - Okay so no introductions needed.  Percy Bates has for about one millennium been an academic advisor on the Athletics Board.  He was recently inducted into something called the Minority Collegiate Athletics Hall of Fame or something like that and just so you know, Tom Goss was inducted as a great example of a minority Athletic Director.  Percy Bates would have been copied in on the July 27 2009 CARA-form audit memo that (Rosenberg refuses comment on) was apparently leaked and found its way to Rosenberg and/or Snyder and which launched Stretchgate.

So the story, such as it is, was that there was a cadre of people led (or at least exemplified) by James Stapleton, who wanted Ron English installed as HC.  And when that didn't happen, they were pissed off and sought to undermine Rodriguez.  It is thought that Stapleton, Bates and Carr are all kindred spirits.  Kindred political spirits, especially.  That is, politics in the ordinary sense and local interpersonal politics.

If anybody has more to add, be my guest.  Again, I caution -- this is not reporting on my part.  Somebody asked; and that's the answer from my perspective.