Chris Webber says Warde apologized for the way the Ed Martin scandal was handled.
Not sure exactly what this means.
September 8th, 2021 at 8:36 AM ^
About time
September 8th, 2021 at 11:47 AM ^
So now it's Webber's turn to apologize?
Or do you feel he has nothing to apologize for?
September 8th, 2021 at 2:24 PM ^
Explain specifically what you would like him to apologize for. If it's for taking money should all other Michigan athletes that have taken money in the last 30 years also apologize?
Dude has already paid a heavy price for his mistakes.
September 8th, 2021 at 3:42 PM ^
Apologizing for lying to the grand jury would be a start. Everyone has said he never took money until after he declared, therefore he should of never lied. Jalen told the truth and wasn’t indicted on anything
September 8th, 2021 at 9:14 PM ^
No he should not apologize for taking money. That has always been a red herring. He should apologize for lying about his conduct, refusing to cooperate in the investigation and repeatedly throwing Michigan under the bus for his own conduct.
September 8th, 2021 at 8:36 AM ^
Sounds like the first step toward mending a relationship to me.
Raise the banners, put his name back in the books, build a dynasty.
September 8th, 2021 at 8:47 AM ^
For real. Raise the Banners and put their numbers up too.
September 8th, 2021 at 8:42 AM ^
Time out!
I’ll see myself out
September 8th, 2021 at 8:45 AM ^
Too soon...
September 8th, 2021 at 9:44 AM ^
Years ago Webber started a charitable organization called the Timeout Foundation and Webber's dad had (maybe still has) a license plate with "TIMEOUT" on it. It sucked at the time to be sure, but I think that's gotta be part of being a Michigan fan.
It's weird how basketball has had these agonizing losses in the national championship game over the last 30 years, and we're all pretty easygoing about the sport. Michigan football OTOH is BPONE.
September 8th, 2021 at 9:53 AM ^
Because the basketball team at least makes it to the national title game which in itself is a huge accomplishment.
September 8th, 2021 at 12:38 PM ^
Not just the last 30 years; we lost in the championship game in 1965 and 1976 too. We've had some pretty horrible championship game luck. Ignoring that the NCAA technically doesn't count the 1992 and 1993 appearances since they were vacated, we're tied with Kansas and Duke for the most ever losses in the championship game.
But it can be sort of a glass half-empty or half-full thing, since on the flipside, we've made the championship game in five of the last six decades, with only the wandering through the wilderness 2000s lacking an appearance...
September 8th, 2021 at 2:11 PM ^
Also half-full: basketball is 7-1 in the semifinals which is kind of remarkable.
September 9th, 2021 at 1:26 PM ^
Very true. It comes up a lot less now that Tom Brady has seven rings, but it's similar to arguments people used to make about Montana being better than Brady since Montana was 4-0 in Super Bowls (vs. when Brady was say 4-2 or 5-3). Yes Montana won all four SBs he played in, but to say he's better than a 4-2 Brady is pretty ridiculous, since it implicitly assumes that losing before the SB is better than losing in the SB. After all, every SB that Brady lost is a SB that Montana never even made it to...
September 8th, 2021 at 8:46 AM ^
Considering programs caught giving players money on federal wiretaps can't get a slap on the wrist, the school should apologize for not playing hardball with the NCAA.
September 8th, 2021 at 6:51 PM ^
That’s pretty unfair. It was a different time. The NCAA had some power back then, it really wasn’t until they lost a law suit to Penn State that they lost all power.
September 8th, 2021 at 8:47 AM ^
Good. The Michigan AD handled that whole affair poorly. But (probably) still better than the Dave Brandon led AD handled Stretch-gate. I hope Chris comes back and turns into a mainstay alum, like Juwan has.
September 8th, 2021 at 9:16 AM ^
IIRC stretch gate is one of the few things Brandon handled well
September 8th, 2021 at 9:37 AM ^
If by "handled well" you mean rolling over and not really excoriating the Freep for such an obvious hit piece, then sure. Personally, I would have preferred that Michigan fought it more to protect a new coach and true freshmen who's words were taken completely out of context by experienced media with an axe to grind.
In other words, I thought the report the University submitted didn't go far enough in exposing (or slamming) the shitty reporting against it. I guess it was the correct thing to do, but I wanted vengeance!
(The fact that the "new coach" turned out to be awful, in the end, doesn't justify not defending him more strongly to begin with.)
September 8th, 2021 at 8:47 AM ^
Cool. Can Chris Webber now apologize to Jalen and Juwan and his other teammates for behaving like the ONLY victim here for the past 2+ decades.
Then we can all sing kumbaya and hang some banners please.
September 8th, 2021 at 4:20 PM ^
Sorry I’m with C Webb on this. Jalen runs his mouth too much. Jalen loves to make everything about himself.
September 8th, 2021 at 8:49 AM ^
Regarding his relationship with Jalen Rose, "There has been that rift because Jalen has decided to talk and I've said we should handle everything behind the scenes," Webber says, on the record, to ESPN.
Warde apologized for the University not doing enough to protect 18-year-old Chris Webber. Webber always insisted that he deserved to be paid for what he did as a collegiate athlete and, as far as I know, has never rescinded that belief.
September 8th, 2021 at 11:20 AM ^
"Webber always insisted that he deserved to be paid for what he did as a collegiate athlete and, as far as I know, has never rescinded that belief."
It appears he was just 20 years ahead of his time.
September 8th, 2021 at 2:27 PM ^
He was always right (not to take the money, but that he deserved to be compensated) it just took the country a long time to come around.
September 8th, 2021 at 8:55 AM ^
It's time....
none of the administrators that were involved are around anymore, lets put it to bed and move on.
September 8th, 2021 at 9:04 AM ^
Is Webber going to include that in his book on the scandal?
September 8th, 2021 at 9:10 AM ^
When CWebb apologizes the temperature and humidity lingering with this matter will lessen and the banners may go back up.
September 8th, 2021 at 9:36 AM ^
He doesn't believe he did anything wrong. Not sure why you got negged.
September 8th, 2021 at 9:49 AM ^
Yeah, so when is Webbee going to apologize to the University for knowingly violating the rules, tarnishing the school's image, and helping lead to a decade+ decline of the basketball program?
September 8th, 2021 at 10:20 AM ^
Reggie Bush, OSU syndrome. It's legal to compensate players now, so we should retroactively be rewarded for our misdeeds.
September 8th, 2021 at 11:11 AM ^
He didn't do any of those things. Not a one.
The reason this took over a decade was the incompetent leadership in the athletic department.
We should have sat out a mid to late 90s postseason and said to the NCAA - "ok, let's move on!"
That move works literally 100% of the time, but we were too stupid and arrogant to do pull off something that would have messed up one postseason but instead dragged it out for over a decade.
None of that - not a bit of that - is on Webber.
September 8th, 2021 at 11:47 AM ^
He wasn’t truthful to a grand jury. He’s lucky he didn’t have to serve time. Martha Stewart did.
September 8th, 2021 at 11:49 AM ^
Whether you believe he deserved the money is one thing, but he took the money, and then refused to pay the man back. This is not debatable. It was adjudicated.
In September 2002, Webber was indicted on five charges, including obstruction of justice and lying to a federal grand jury, for having misrepresented his relationship with Martin
September 8th, 2021 at 2:15 PM ^
Precisely 0% of this had anything to do with Michigan.
September 8th, 2021 at 1:02 PM ^
this is not correct.
webber's actions did, in fact, "knowingly violate the rules and tarnish the school's image."
chris webber and his father were not some dumb kids that just fell off the turnip truck. webber was a public figure from the time he was 13 years old. they absolutely, undoubtedly, you've-GOT-to-be-kidding-me knew that they were breaking some rules.
he also, i would point out, lied about it. under oath. that's not the actions of some innocent naif.
as to tarnishing the school's image? obviously. casual fans were aware of it when it was happening, and still are, to this day.
chris webber, will never, under any circumstances, fully own up, either in a ha-ha "interview," or in the supposed book that he's been talking about for at least five years. it's not in his nature.
September 8th, 2021 at 10:51 AM ^
This has been my take exactly for all these years too.
Webb apologies and this all goes away. But he's been stubborn and even lied under oath. Sigh.
September 8th, 2021 at 11:12 AM ^
He lied under oath to help Michigan. That's what people can't seem to grasp. He could have rolled over on Michigan but instead he risked jail time by not doing that.
Why is that hard to understand?
September 8th, 2021 at 11:52 AM ^
He lied under oath because Ed Martin expected to be paid back.
He testified that he did not know whether he had given the former University of Michigan basketball booster Ed Martin money as repayment of loans.
September 8th, 2021 at 3:10 PM ^
lol. yeah, he lied under oath "to protect michigan." and he's been such a standup guy for michigan ever since, really made an effort to take responsibility and deflect blame from the institution that he loves so much. what a joke.
September 9th, 2021 at 11:32 AM ^
i'd also add - there's absolutely a nonzero chance that webber is also lying about warde manuel "apologizing" in the first place.
September 9th, 2021 at 2:22 PM ^
My take from the ESPN article is Warde said sorry like agreeing with someone in a conversation from an empathy point of view -- e.g., I feel ya bro.
Person 1: I got a speeding ticket today.
Person 2: I'm sorry that happened to you.
I did not take it as the University of Michigan apologizes to you for what we did wrong. But this is how it's being regurgitated by some people. I want to hear it publicly from Warde before I believe a liar's hearsay.
September 9th, 2021 at 3:30 PM ^
more likely that warde said, "i'm sorry you're a weaselly goldarned liar, chris," but i take your meaning.
September 8th, 2021 at 9:20 AM ^
Brian Dutcher and his San Diego State squad will be in Ann Arbor facing Juwan's team on December 4th.
It's happening.
September 8th, 2021 at 9:22 AM ^
Mistakes were made on both sides. Mend the relationship and move on. Good move by Warde. Now be an ambassador for the program and help Juwan in every way you can. Nothing would be greater than all of them helping Juwan to win the national championship they never got as athletes. Go Blue!
September 8th, 2021 at 9:39 AM ^
Is it too late?
September 8th, 2021 at 10:53 AM ^
Crazy this is 16 years old now.
September 8th, 2021 at 9:42 AM ^
Webber was barely an adult..... and making the university alot of money... he isn't wrong to not shoulder the entire blame here. He made a mistake, and the outcry toward him wasn't right.
September 8th, 2021 at 10:56 AM ^
Except when there were pictures of Ed Martin posted all over the facilities with a caption of do not associate with this man. But Webber took the money anyway. Webber has definitely has earned all the blame directed his way.
September 8th, 2021 at 3:18 PM ^
He knew the deal when he signed on. He was not stupid, no matter his age. Partly due to bad parenting.