Athletes, coaches from other sports send Michigan Football off
This is outstanding.
Fans, coaches and athletes on other Michigan teams all lined up in Glick Field House and held a surprise send-off for the team. I'll call it The Victors Send-Off.
In the bottom left picture, Carol Hutchins appears to be hugging Greg Mattison.
Beilein and Berenson were there.
Fans line up to send off Michigan's football team at Schembechler pic.twitter.com/goo5AH0zhK
— Claire Bryan (@claireab320) October 3, 2014
Reactions from players:
Omg much luv MAC (Michigan athletic community)
— #H1TP (@GreatGlasby) October 3, 2014
Love the support from everyone! #goblue
— jake butt (@JBooty_88) October 3, 2014
October 3rd, 2014 at 2:47 PM ^
Brandon probably forced them to, right WD?
October 3rd, 2014 at 2:55 PM ^
I don't care if a highly-trained chimp came up with the idea, it's a great idea. It's almost heartwarming.
Reminds me of The Victors Walk that was done here in 2008-2010. I don't know, there's just something about seeing the rest of the sports banding together here that I love.
October 3rd, 2014 at 3:29 PM ^
We know this was done by you! Nice work. Don't be so modest and take the credit.
October 3rd, 2014 at 3:58 PM ^
I've forgotten which game it was, but all the old guard came into town and cheered the guys coming off the bus and going into the locker room for a game when 2007 started badly (might have been before the ND game)
October 3rd, 2014 at 3:16 PM ^
Brandon actually met with each team individually and told the coaches and athletes to show up to this wearing maize. He did all of this in the past day or so. I don't know if forced would be the correct word to use, but he did organize it and told everyone to show up.
October 3rd, 2014 at 3:20 PM ^
In the military, we call this mandatory fun. "You will show up, and you will have a good time!"
October 3rd, 2014 at 3:34 PM ^
This is very nice for the football team, and I'm generally skeptical of anything Dave Brandon does given everything he's done in the past week.
However, I'm sure he did this with entirely altruistic intentions directed at the football team and it was in no way an effort to conjure an image that everyone in the the athletics department (athletes included) is in complete solidarity with Hoke, the football team, and most importantly David Brandon, against the boorish masses who would seek to destroy The Fort.
I'm not sure.
October 3rd, 2014 at 3:48 PM ^
their fellow student body there to send them off.
October 3rd, 2014 at 4:30 PM ^
October 3rd, 2014 at 8:10 PM ^
But Glick fieldhouse is sacred ground. You have to pay if you want to see it.
October 3rd, 2014 at 3:54 PM ^
Jesus, not everything the guy does has to be interpreted as in his self-interest. The team desperately needs a pick-me-up, and this was a great idea. It shouldn't save Brandon's job, but we should applaud him for it.
October 3rd, 2014 at 3:29 PM ^
I believe tha is what happened, but do you have proof of it? Because it might as well be asked now, and gotten out of the way.
October 3rd, 2014 at 3:58 PM ^
Some random individual tweets that Brandon watches film with coordinators, and everyone says "Aha! Unmitigated proof that Brandon is pulling the strings and undermining Hoke!" Someone says that Brandon organizes a nice send-off for the players, and everyone says "Are we SURE Brandon organized this? Are we SURE he didn't do it just to save his own ass?"
This whole week has been a beautiful case study on confirmation bias.
October 3rd, 2014 at 4:07 PM ^
I hear ya, man. You make a great point. I just think that a lot of people feel that there's enough (quantitiatively and qualitatively) evidence at this point to believe those random tweets. Their Michigan fanhood is choking on the smoke of all the tiny pieces of evidence to the point where they're paranoid of stuff like this sendoff.
October 3rd, 2014 at 8:12 PM ^
Correct. It's accumulated evidence. If Bill Martin would have done this, we would have taken it at face value.
October 3rd, 2014 at 4:15 PM ^
No actual proof I guess that I can show you. I am a recent grad and know quite a few student athletes who are still at the school, and have friends there still who hang out with a bunch of our athletes. I'm also really close with one of our cheerleading coaches. So if you can believe me, this is indeed what actually happened. I just heard through one of my friends that Dave Brandon did this. She had no idea what she was going to. She was just told to show up wearing maize. As much as I hate DB, I gotta give the guy props on this one. This was an awesome idea.
October 3rd, 2014 at 3:29 PM ^
I doubt it was coerced; I imagine most all the athletes would want to take the opportunity to support the football team. Just like the students would. If they were invited. But I guess that wouldn't help Dave Brandon if the students showed up sounding their support of the players independent of Dave Brandon.
October 3rd, 2014 at 2:46 PM ^
good for them, sparkles and unicorns
October 3rd, 2014 at 2:47 PM ^
This is actually a very cool thing to do for them, and hopefully it helps to give them some of the uplift that they need as they leave for New Jersey. We've talked about the growing sense of common purpose in the athletic department that actually Hoke had something of a hand in fostering, and it is nice to see it come through here.
October 3rd, 2014 at 2:54 PM ^
October 3rd, 2014 at 3:22 PM ^
Those players bleed blue as do most of us here. This was good for them and they deserve it.
October 3rd, 2014 at 2:49 PM ^
Lol. Dave Brandon attended the cheerleaders' practice today and has been visiting all the different sports this week... now we know why.
What a farce.
October 3rd, 2014 at 2:55 PM ^
If we lose this game it will be just more fuel for opposing fans to mock us. It makes our program look desperate.
I could never see Bo doing this.
October 3rd, 2014 at 3:00 PM ^
How is this a bad thing? You have to be pretty creative to mock coaches and players of sports supporting each other.
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October 3rd, 2014 at 3:20 PM ^
October 3rd, 2014 at 3:21 PM ^
1. He's athletic director, he is allowed to visit other Michigan teams besides football, unless you all have forgotten that.
2. It's a pretty darn good idea and the team probably loved it. Why is that bad?
October 3rd, 2014 at 2:48 PM ^
And the players definitely deserve it. I wish they could do this for every away game though, even including fans and students to cheer them on while they get on the bus.
October 3rd, 2014 at 2:49 PM ^
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October 3rd, 2014 at 2:49 PM ^
Cool thing for the players to have that respect from the rest of the athletes and coaches. Funny we never hear about these things at other times but now it's pointed out. A cool thing nevertheless.
October 3rd, 2014 at 2:50 PM ^
that Brandon's ticket is one-way?
October 3rd, 2014 at 2:51 PM ^
Dave Brandon was in attendance, taking a few duck-faced selfie photos with the team members.
October 3rd, 2014 at 3:54 PM ^
I heard he was doing some last minute film study and is going to email Nuss and Mattison his notes.
October 3rd, 2014 at 3:01 PM ^
Creating this dynamic that insulates student-athletes from the effect Brandon's decisions have on the rest of the Michigan community is potentially destructive.
This false "SUPPORT THE KIDS" backlash is troubling.
October 3rd, 2014 at 3:05 PM ^
You should explore this further.
October 3rd, 2014 at 2:51 PM ^
nice gesture by all involved.
October 3rd, 2014 at 2:52 PM ^
I'm so happy this is an away game. I've been to every game this season in person. Now I can drink, sit on my couch, and have the option to change the goddamn channel.
October 3rd, 2014 at 3:17 PM ^
Are you saying you didn't have the option to buy tickets and attend games? Did Dave Brandon put a gun to your head and say, "Invite 99,999 of your friends or I'll shoot!"?
October 3rd, 2014 at 2:52 PM ^
for every away game, but I love the idea that this could turn into a tradition for big away games (OSU, Bama, Bowls, etc.
Considering the state of the program right now, ths works for Rutgers too.
October 4th, 2014 at 2:03 AM ^
I think it's appropriate for any game, just not reasonable to ask all of the other athletes to do this every week.
October 3rd, 2014 at 2:53 PM ^
what I was advocating earlier in the week when people were pushing the Anti-Brandon rally.
I wish this was made known to the public! Would not have been "suprise", but I would have loved to attend!
BRAVO!!
GO BLUE!
October 3rd, 2014 at 3:04 PM ^
... And Fan approval is diminishing. All those folks staying home are NOT members of MGoBlog, either.
Also, Brandon likely wanted to keep external fans away and do the Victors walk as it creates more continuity internally -- Brandon likely knows an external PR campaign would be messy but Brandon can control an internal PR campaign as he makes the decisions as to how much support each and every one of those folks clapping will receive.
Clap! Smile! Clap! Smile! Brandon is watching....
October 3rd, 2014 at 2:53 PM ^
Look at them all, yelling and what not. Typical lynchmob mentality.
October 3rd, 2014 at 3:15 PM ^
Just missing some torches and pitchforks!
October 3rd, 2014 at 2:54 PM ^
This is really cool to see. Thanks for posting the pics. They probably did this to show that there are still people who will back them and cheer. Unlike the fans, who want to boycott games because of the AD is a dumbass. Good Luck boys! I'm behind you NO MATTER what happens.
October 3rd, 2014 at 2:55 PM ^
That is great, don't get me wrong. The players need stuff like this, but...DAMN IT....the fact that this is needed for the M football team is BAD.
October 3rd, 2014 at 4:18 PM ^
And the fact we need it for the Rutgers game is worse...
October 3rd, 2014 at 2:55 PM ^
October 3rd, 2014 at 2:57 PM ^
October 3rd, 2014 at 2:57 PM ^
October 3rd, 2014 at 2:58 PM ^
How many times on this board have we heard "I support the players, but not the coaches/AD"? The student-athletes know the footballers have had a rough fall - I have no doubt their support is genuine and appreciated. Even if Brandon orchestrated this for his own benefit, the actual results are really what matter.
Thanks for posting this, WD.