"Collegial" ?
Here is a sentence from Brandon's statement on how the NCAA hearing in Seattle went....
"It was very collegial and professional and everybody was given a handful of opportunity to express their views, as it should be."
I actually had to look up the word "collegial" to get the full meaning, and am not embarassed to say so (well, maybe a little)... and here it is...
col·le·gi·al/kəˈlēj(ē)əl/
August 14th, 2010 at 11:02 PM ^
Basically, there are various shared responsibilities...
It is Michigan's responsibility to act remarkably contrite for what are remarkably limited violations
It is the NCAA's responsibility to act the part of the angry disciplinarian in light of this Michigan contrition.
This little dance has to happen in in partnership so there we are...
The NCAA is absolutely not going to share any responsibility. Brandon was talking only about the NCAA/institutional interactions. The NCAA would never take responsibility for *any* violation of any sort.
August 14th, 2010 at 11:05 PM ^
That is all.
August 14th, 2010 at 11:34 PM ^
You are reading way too much into words. Way, way too much.
People don't just plan their words out hoping someone will get the deeper meaning behind them. He's not writing a poem or novel here, he's talking.
He just meant everyone was cordial to one another, and seemed on the same level. The hearing was friendly and was not the image of the judges high up on their pedestal ready to rain punishment on those being tried. Instead, they were colleagues on a level with one another. That's all.
August 15th, 2010 at 1:08 AM ^
Yep, I agree almost completely with you. I might suggest "congenial" as his properly intended word. It would be pretty easy to mix up congenial and collegial while talking. They are not synonyms by any means but in this case they do have similar connotations of a pleasant hearing environment.
August 15th, 2010 at 8:30 AM ^
...how I interpreted his words. Collegial to be interpreted as cordial, affable, amiable, etc...
August 15th, 2010 at 11:07 AM ^
To Jeff and everyone who responded....
I highly highly doubt that Brandon inadverently used the wrong word in a prepared statement, especially on a subject of this magnititude. And Brandon doesnt come across as someone who is sloppy. While I somewhat agree that the odds are what most are saying here, it still does not discount the mere possibility of what I suggested.
There IS a chance that in this "collegial" atmosphere, among peers, that a rule is somewhat vague and that all acknowledge that it is 'shared responsibility', which could lead to the NCAA reducing our self-imposed sanctions, of which I think Brandon has angled for, so we all save a little face in the end.
August 15th, 2010 at 2:51 PM ^
I highly highly doubt that Brandon inadverently used the wrong word in a prepared statement
I'm not sure why you think this. From personal experience, I can tell you that there are a lot of business executives out there who have absolutely dreadful writing skills.
August 15th, 2010 at 4:47 PM ^
I thought that it was not a written statement. If it was, I'm not sure what my opinion is. All I know is that there is no way the NCAA is going to say it was partially their fault. I will bet 400 MGoPoints on that.
As much as I support Rodriguez and think that the violations are not that big a deal, the NCAA wasn't at fault. If the rules are unclear it is the compliance department's responsibility to make sure they have the correct interpretation. Michigan broke the rules (think speeding or jaywalking) and they're going to get their fine. The NCAA isn't going to take the blame.
Collegial is not the right word. I think either he mixed up the word he meant to say, or thought collegial meant something slightly different. Technically, he could have meant that it was a shared responsibility by the NCAA and Michigan to punish Michigan.
August 14th, 2010 at 11:40 PM ^
I think you're reading too much into his choice of words. He probably just meant to say that both parties treated the hearing as the mere formality that it was. Lawyers tend not to scream and jump up and down in the absence of cameras.
August 15th, 2010 at 9:59 AM ^
"Collegial" in this context most likely means it was a civil affair with little or no confrontation, discord, or disrespectful behavior. Good sign but I'll feel better when their decision comes down. I still don't understand why that s expected to take 6-8 weeks.
August 15th, 2010 at 11:50 AM ^
We should all be happy that he didn't characterize the meeting as "frank".
August 15th, 2010 at 11:01 AM ^
Perhpas the paper printed "collegial" when, in fact, he said "congenial."
Nah..........paper's are always accurate. What was I thinking?
August 15th, 2010 at 11:34 AM ^
... I think he said it because of what the NCAA is all about:
August 15th, 2010 at 6:20 PM ^
(WARNING: PURE SPECULATION) There is some amount of perspective among the NCAA Infractions Committee. Maybe they realize that we're talking about 20 min of stretching here. Perhaps they've compared what we have at U-M and our response to the allegations to those of USC, Oklahoma, Kansas, etc., (i.e. we didn't jab a thumb in their collective eye with an added, "F-O-A-D"). They may have also considered the ambiguity of the rules in question, (in spite of certain, Detroit-based sports columnists who claim it all makes perfect sense to them).
Whatever the case, we'll have to wait and see.