DeVante' Jones transportation
During the game it was said that once Jones was cleared to play he had to drive his own car down to Indy. You would think the athletic department would fly him down there or have someone drive him down in a university van.
Next during the game it was announced that he was "sick" and wouldn't be playing in the second half. So now how does he get home? Certainly they are not going to have a sick Jones drive himself back to Ann Arbor. Travel back with the team? Manager drive his car back? Who pays for the gas? NIL opportunity for Speedway?
March 20th, 2022 at 11:18 AM ^
Seriously. That's really shoddy treatment by the Department. He should be taken better care of. He's seriously put himself on the line here and has come through in such a big way. He deserves better.
March 20th, 2022 at 11:57 AM ^
Perhaps we shouldn't rush to judgement. There's often more to such a story--he might, for example, have chosen to drive over some other option(s). My worry, yesterday, was about concussions sometimes being compounding, and long- or longer-term damage. And then, too, whether someone in his condition should have been driving. I'm pretty sure they did say that he was by himself. . .
If he got there minutes before they began, though, it just might have been that anything other than driving himself to the front door of the arena would have meant not being there in time.
I thought that's what the internet was for, to rush to judgment.
that's pretty judgmental of you...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTJvdGcb7Fs
March 20th, 2022 at 12:07 PM ^
If he had to drive himself to the game, my guess is it was due to some NCAA regulation, not our choice. I don't think Juwan/Warde would consider it ideal to have the team's starting point guard drive the four hour distance to Indy if it could be avoided.
Didn't Dax have to fly by himself over to Miami for the playoff?
But Dax didn’t have to fly the plane himself, probably.
yes, the only possible explanation, that he was mistreated by the athletic department.
March 20th, 2022 at 11:21 AM ^
Wouldn't be surprising if the press doesn't have the full story. Pretty sure he will get phenomenal treatment by the department (which is what he deserves). Hope he is ok
March 20th, 2022 at 11:22 AM ^
Yeah I was surprised to. Not a long drive so wasn’t shocked it wasn’t a flight but figured they’d use a driving service and let him rest and relax on the way there.
My guess is that that is almost certainly an impermissible benefit. The ncaa covers the cost of transport for the team and my guess is covering the travel costs of an individual player is against the rules
I don't disagree with your premise, but if that's the case, then Howard should be making noises with the NCAA over such a regulation.
March 20th, 2022 at 11:24 AM ^
Well, first of all, I think we need more information for context before we condemn the Athletic Department about this matter. There are multiple ways this could be handled going forward depending on DeVante's actual condition and ability to travel, and none of those invovle him driving himself anywhere while still assuring his car is returned to Ann Arbor.
Always need the rest of the story for context
March 20th, 2022 at 11:24 AM ^
Hopefully he traveled with the team. He should get to experience the joyous trip home. Hire a car shipper to bring his car back.
Are we sure this really happened? Seems very sketchy and not in the team's interest to do that.
March 20th, 2022 at 11:24 AM ^
Edit: double post.
Have some puppies instead.
March 20th, 2022 at 11:26 AM ^
He may have just done it himself and not told anyone until he had already left. Everyone he would probably talk to daily was already in Indy. I can see a scenario where he was cleared and hopped right in his car before anyone else knew to get to Indy before practice.
As for getting back, ride home in a private car or a team bus. Anyone who played sports and had long bus trips will agree there is no shortage of volunteers to drive for Devante.
March 20th, 2022 at 11:28 AM ^
Did he sustain a concussion during the game? And was he "sick" from that? If so, he shouldn't be driving a car back to AA. Or perhaps a teammate, GA, assistant coach, whoever, can drive his car for him.
March 20th, 2022 at 12:06 PM ^
Jones has not appeared OK since the first half of the Indiana game. At no point during the game yesterday did he appear fully in control of his body. He was noticeably slow yesterday even in even walking around on the court. He seemed to have to check and double check whether he was in control of the basketball when he was dribbling. I have no clue what is going on.
March 20th, 2022 at 11:31 AM ^
He should rule out giving his keys to Zavier Simpson.
March 20th, 2022 at 11:40 AM ^
He has a big heart. Felt bad for him yesterday that he couldn't give it a proper go. As good as Frankie has been, I would still prefer him back for our next round. Especially given the trouble he gave OSU's guards earlier this season.
I also feel really bad for him. He gets hurt in practice (and the Indiana game a few days earlier?), misses the CSU game, gets to start against Tennessee and then pretty quickly hurts his hand (definitely) and his head (probably). He couldn't really dribble and was struggling on defense. Just a real string of bad luck.
With all that in mind, I hope we are e-x-t-r-e-m-e-l-y careful with him going forward. The fact he was reported as "sick" for the second half is a common side effect of a concussion; if he got two within one week, he should be shut down for the rest of the season. Someone from UM's independent medical staff needs to be on this for Jones' long-term health.
We've come a long way in the past 5 years from the "bell rung" and "shake it off with smelling salts", and even the Shane Morris days. Someone who has grabbed his head in pain in his most recent two played games *plus* getting a concussion in practice needs to take a significant break unless there is something UM is not telling us.
March 20th, 2022 at 11:44 AM ^
I bet it's a situation where Michigan is like we will drive you to Indy at 11am and a restless Jones is like screw that I'm driving myself now.
March 20th, 2022 at 11:45 AM ^
Guys, it’s a four hour drive. I don’t want to sound too Boomer-esque, but I’ve done a four hour drive with a severe head wound while on mushrooms.
yesterday"
When you have that late-night craving for snacking on a child, you'll make that drive easily.
March 20th, 2022 at 12:04 PM ^
Someone like me would prefer the 4 hour drive over a plane or driving service treatment. It's exciting to explore.
Good time to just focus and be alone, listen to tunes, maybe call someone by phone.
It would also make basketball seem less like a job where everyone is counting on you and more like a fun game that you're playing for yourself.
Perhaps he drove with another person anyway, but if he was alone, person after my own heart.
March 20th, 2022 at 12:29 PM ^
In my experience as a Big Ten athlete 20 years ago, the NCAA has very specific rules about transportation to and from games that relate to, among other things, impermissible benefits.
Unless there’s been a major overhaul, there are very specific instances detailed in the rules of when you can and cannot provide transportation to an athlete. We always used to get tested on the idea that if a player was walking in the rain to campus from practice, it was a violation for an assistant coach to stop and give the player a ride in his personal car. Essentially because this is a benefit that would only be available to athletes and not all students.
For the Big Ten schools whose facilities are off campus (perhaps tennis comes to mind for M) there was a lot of red tape around university shuttles that could get players to and from practice/facilities and campus.
it was a pain. In. The. Ass.
Right up there with them giving us bagels to clean the football stadium as a fundraiser but not allowing cream cheese or any other topping, and strictly enforcing one bagel per player rule.
March 20th, 2022 at 12:38 PM ^
Dang, one of you living in Ann Arbor could have driven him down and back.
March 20th, 2022 at 12:45 PM ^
Athletes are making it out of concussion protocols awfully quick lately (not just Michigan but pro sports as well).
I think he needs to stay off the court. He is falling all over the place. On the bench he looked off. He was blinking a lot, and looking dazed. We don't need Shane Morris again. It hurts our depth but that doesn't matter. He probably doesn't have a pro future, but he does have his entire life ahead. Unless he is 100%, keep him on the bench until the championship game. Then we can discuss again!
We will respect your injury, unless a title is on the line. Then all bets are off!!
just as long as it's not Xavier.
I believe the NCAA pays for and sets up the travel, hotels, etc for the tournament games. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if there's some sort of rule that doesn't allow a university to drive, fly or whatever a player to said tournament that wasn't apart of the initial travel itinerary. Its the NCAA fer god sakes
I hope they reimbursed him for the gas at least.
You do know that the entire team took a bus. They didn't fly.
I’d have thought they would fly him, but I could see preferring to drive yourself rather than sit for four hours in a van or car. I’d much rather drive than ride because it’s so damn boring.