national champs baby
Repost of Fred Roh Statement
Note: Craig Roh's father posted this on the Scout free board. It will eventually fall down the memory hole if not reproduced somewhere more permanent, so I've placed it here. HT: Other Brian of Genuinely Sarcastic.
I am Craig Roh's dad and had the pleasure of experiencing first-hand the recruiting process and first summer with the UM program. I feel obligated to share with readers concrete evidence of the integrity and compliance of the Rich Rod program and staff. My son chose UM because it is one of the few schools in the country that has great football AND academics. He could have gone to UCLA, Cal, Stanford, USC..all great academic schools and he chose Michigan because it had the best of both.
He also selected UM because of the intensity and straight talk of the coaching staff. The first person he met was Mike Barwis. After spending an hour with Barwis, Craig turned to me and said, "He will make me the best I can be. That's what I want." When he met Rich Rod, he was further impressed with his openness and vision. Craig came here BECAUSE of the work ethic that was to be required of him. He WANTS to be pushed to the limits, not coddled and pampered.
He was recruited by Tony Dews. I am here to say that Coach Dews complied with every letter of the rules throughout the entire recruitment process, even the ones that seem senseless. He would not even give me a ride to lunch or pick up a $5 lunch tab because it was against the rules. He informed us of the recruiting rules over and over again. As I watched 35 schools recruit my son, I would put Michigan at the top of the integrity scale when it came to recruiting.
Let's talk about Craig's first summer. Again, Coach Dews made it abundantly clear what we had to pay for and what the school was allowed to pay for, what our responsibilities were and what the school's were. I was tired of hearing about all the rules. It was like dealing with the IRS. There was NO push to report to school early, in fact we were told that if Craig wanted to report to summer school early, it was on his dime and totally voluntary. Craig's summer was very balanced. He VOLUNTARILY asked to watch tape as much as he could. Nobody pushed him to do it or even suggested it. He had more free time than he wanted.
Lastly, I know for a fact that Craig missed workouts in the summer and even missed parts of at least three practices at camp so that he could attend class. He was excused with absolutely no repercussions by the coaching staff.
I am assuming that players who choose to come to UM under Rich Rod are coming here BECAUSE its hard. They want to become the best. They want to be pushed. They want great academics and great football environment. I detest the accusations made by the Freep. They think they are doing these kids a favor by easing up the workload and, in reality, they are undermining the very reason the kids chose UM!
Fred Roh
September 1st, 2009 at 9:12 PM | 
Can we sticky these good posts somewhere?
Can we sticky these good posts somewhere?
September 2nd, 2009 at 7:07 AM |
Indexing
Indexing
That is a great idea, but Brian would have to appoint someone for that in all likelihood. That would be WAY too much work, especially with so many diaries being written. And there will be 40 million new ones as this season wears on. Not good or bad, just true.
I think something better would be for the readers to open a word doc and create pages where they link the diaries or posts they like and tag them. Kind of like your own "MGolicious"
That being said, it is what it is.
September 1st, 2009 at 9:17 PM |
Re-post
Re-post
Not to be confused with a riposte.
Sounds like Roh is exactly the kind of guy RichRod wants on his team: someone who wants to work hard. Something I still don't think is getting enough play in this whole discussion: isn't learning that you have to work harder than the next guy or he'll take your spot a GOOD life lesson that all of us should learn? One that goes for ANYONE who doesn't have a family trust fund to fall back on? I may only be required to work 40 hrs/week, but if that promotion or year-end bonus is important to me, shouldn't I expect to "voluntarily" put in more? Since when is working hard a bad thing?!
/soapbox moment
September 1st, 2009 at 9:24 PM |
The problem is that America has gotten lazy
The problem is that America has gotten lazy
People don't want to work hard anymore. They want the easy way out, they want the quick buck. This is why our nation as a whole has been going down the toilet. It's not the land of opportunity anymore where the best person gets the job.
Which is why this is a big deal people who felt entitled to a starting spot thought that because their daddy was on Bo's team or because they were a 4* should definitely start over random Joe Schmoe 3*.
The main problem here is that under Carr this was the case and under RR (And ANY other coach in the nation) this would not be the case.
(Feel free to neg-bang appropriately since I went political and also kind of bashed Carr)
"A house divided against itself cannot stand"
September 1st, 2009 at 9:26 PM |
One could
One could
consider Mr. Roh's comments a riposte!
September 1st, 2009 at 10:13 PM |
Reading this just infuriates
Reading this just infuriates
Reading this just infuriates me all the more. More so than any time in the past, I have a glimpse into RR and his character. I will admit sometimes I wondered about his style and roots for no good reason except that he has a cumbersome public persona. Now, I know in my marrow that this man has deep integrity and his program is something to proud of and then I think of the little popinjay at that paper and I want to snap. That's not bad reporting or attack journalism, that's evil. What that strutting weasel did to Hawthorne and Stokes and RR and Barwis was execrable.
You all may be better men than I, but I would not trust myself around that clown. And look at my face. Look at the nasty stuff I did in Return of the King. He wouldn't even slow down my blade.
Edit: I am struck by the irony of the Rosenberg article for me personally. The accusations of cheating exposed fully for the first time the fundamental integrity of Rodriguez and his staff that I failed to recognize in the first 18 months because of past smears and his folksy style.
"Fear. Columbus is rank with it. Let us ease their pain."
September 1st, 2009 at 9:33 PM |
Also...everyone should listen
Also...everyone should listen
Also...everyone should listen to J'Ron Stokes dad on WTKA this morning...he is EMPHATIC that they are all behind RR.
I love his point that "people are scared of RR because they know what he can do"...
I agree and that is why I support RR and hope that he is given the proper chance.
Anyway...check out the podcasts at wtka.com from this morning.
Strictly business...Not personal.
September 1st, 2009 at 9:52 PM |
Wow!
Wow!
On Craig Roh: I have heard the Matt Roth (Iowa) comparisons, and they excite me greatly. When you couple his talent level, intelligence, work ethic and character, he could possibly become one of my favorite players.
On his father: Thank you for the very articulate letter. Every word of it hit home with me. We are all lucky to welcome the Rohs into the Michigan family.
September 1st, 2009 at 9:58 PM |
As I watched 35 schools
As I watched 35 schools
As I watched 35 schools recruit my son, I would put Michigan at the top of the integrity scale when it came to recruiting.
This is what I want to hear, and what I expect out of Michigan. This is the kind of stuff that makes me proud to be a Michigan Wolverine.
Pronounced Ahh-Neh-Muh
September 1st, 2009 at 11:27 PM |
From the AZ
From the AZ
One of my friends is good friends with Fred Roh, and the family, and I can state with 100% confidence that they are a good Christian family, that prizes integrity, and chose Michigan because they felt that coach and the school were the best reflection of their family's moral perspective. I had the opportunity to speak with him last weekend, and he expressed how hard Craig is working, how great it is to see the team coming together, and how much Craig is enjoying his college experience at Michigan. It is great to see families publicly proclaiming what we all know that Michigan pushes student athletes to be their best athletically and scholastically. That is what makes us special and what will continue to give us a leg up on the competition.
Bleeding Maize and Blue from the AZ
September 1st, 2009 at 11:43 PM |
Agree-with all the parents support.
Agree-with all the parents support.
Mr. Rosenberg, your timing of this article says more about your intentions rather than your concerns. If you ever wondered why a blog like this exist? It's because guys like you exist!
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:58 AM |
devils advocate
devils advocate
trust me i love these post from parents as much as the next person, BUT!. but don't we all as kids try to protect our parents from what may or may not be happening? as much as i love hearing about the parents and their complete faith in RR, what i really would like to hear is all the kids in RR program stand up for him and our program. maybe RR and staff are telling them not to mention anything, i don't know. maybe i missed a post even from someone who has a athlete on their facebook acct. mentioning it if so i missed it. instead of parents,which i truly do appreciate, i really wanna see the athlete coming to RR'd defense.
dundee
September 2nd, 2009 at 4:06 AM |
The parents speaking out is
The parents speaking out is
The parents speaking out is the same thing as the kids themselves. If any of them were truly unhappy, or being forced into things, we'd know because they wouldn't be here.
And we're not going to hear anything from the players, they have been given the media blackout instructions by the coaches.
September 2nd, 2009 at 7:04 AM |
Again and Again
Again and Again
We hear it from the maddening crowd: Anti-Rodriguez: eloquent, reasonable, and TRUE.
Pro-Rodriguez: Lying, rationalizing shit bird with an ulterior motive.
That being said, it is what it is.
September 2nd, 2009 at 8:32 AM |
The Freep used parents in its
The Freep used parents in its
The Freep used parents in its story to confirm these allegations, so it seems reasonable to get opposite views from other parents.
Also, some of these parents seem slightly more involved than your typical teenage parent. For example, D. Warren's dad talked about being at UM weeks at a time during the summer and going to practice and whatnot.
Also, when you have Je'Ron Stokes dad speaking out, I am assuming that he has talked to his son in depth about this issue as he was the one named in the article.
So while yeah it would be nice to hear from current players, as other Brian noted, that's not happening. Instead we get parents of current players and parents of the current players involved. You also even got former players like Carson Butler (??!?!?!) to come out in favor of RR.
At this point, it's the best we as fans are going to get.
September 2nd, 2009 at 10:46 AM |
My take as to why you won't be hearing from current players
My take as to why you won't be hearing from current players
1) UM is conducting in internal investigation and likely does not want any comments getting out into the ether. Kind of like where people are told by their lawyers not to comment on pending litigation sort of thing.
2) Also, the coaching staff may be reacting to what they believe is the Freep taking comments out of context and misrepresenting their intent and directing players to not respond directly without explicit permission to media inquiries. It wouldn't be any different from what my company does. They tell us to direct any media inquiries to our PR group. We are NOT to respond on our own without explicit permission. I could see RR moving in this direction. Maybe not to the extent of the Fort, but maybe a Fort-lite.
3) Parents are not beholden to such rules and, as such, can respond to the allegations all they like based on (i would assume) conversations with their kids. This will, I predict, be a rallying point for the team.
For my privacy, my new username is "non-Oriental non-Andrew"
September 2nd, 2009 at 7:23 AM |
This letter may be the best
This letter may be the best
This letter may be the best thing yet to come out of this mess. It confirms integrity in RR's program, something we have not been sure of given our past meager experience with him. It's OK now to be "All IN."
September 2nd, 2009 at 8:21 AM |
As I watched 35 schools
As I watched 35 schools
As I watched 35 schools recruit my son, I would put Michigan at the top of the integrity scale when it came to recruiting.
Huge.
When it comes to parents speaking out in defense of Rodriguez, I now count:
- Roh
- Forcier
- Warren
- Ezeh
- Stokes
- Schofield
Miss any? There are parents of guys recruited by Carr and parents of guys recruited by Rodriguez. Three offense, three defense. And we have direct quotes, unfiltered through the print media, because they've been recorded on the radio and they typed their own words.
Parents speaking out against Rodriguez are:
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
etc. etc. etc.
None of them are quoted directly. Their words were heavily filtered through a writer with an agenda and we don't even know if they were "speaking out" against Rodriguez to begin with. Who's to say they weren't given the Stokes/Hawthorne treatment?
This whole thing is crumbling like a house of cards. Michael Rosenberg has managed to ensure that as many parents as possible step up to strengthen the foundation Rodriguez is building on.
"We've beaten Michigan the last four years. So where's the threat?"
- Mark Dantonio
Blogging the Virginia Cavaliers at http://fromoldvirginia.blogspot.com/<
September 2nd, 2009 at 9:28 AM |
Why isn't this tagged as 100%
Why isn't this tagged as 100%
Why isn't this tagged as 100% pure colombian awesome?
September 2nd, 2009 at 9:35 AM |
May I say
May I say
BOOM, PAPA ROH(CH)'D?
(wincing in nervous anticipation)
September 2nd, 2009 at 9:43 AM |
Roh oh!
Roh oh!
couldn't resist!
Go dad go! His letter should be printed on the front page of the freep.
That, of course, is my unbiased opinion.
caw caw
Time wounds all heels. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwGXMryTbwE
September 2nd, 2009 at 1:55 PM |
To coin a phrase...
To coin a phrase...
I am assuming that players who choose to come to UM under Rich Rod are coming here BECAUSE its hard. They want to become the best. They want to be pushed. They want great academics and great football environment.
Or another way of saying this..."Those who stay will become Champions."
The beatings will continue until morale improves.
Brian,
Is there anyway for you to make a separate section like "diaries I like" or "not shitty diaries" that you pick out. Because I hate seeing things like this thrown to page 2 and never seen again
"A house divided against itself cannot stand"