January 14th, 2012 at 5:54 PM ^
I've always wondered by NWA's "Express Yourself" and other tracks are featured on ESPN airings but never on the On Demand versions of it.
January 14th, 2012 at 10:12 PM ^
Different rights costs/deals for different forms of exhibition.
January 14th, 2012 at 5:59 PM ^
First time I have seen it. I never could get emotionally up for it before. I was in that Freshmen class in 1991, and actually knew Webber and Rose personally before college, and had met the other guys during my Michigan days.
It was fabulous, though heartbreaking.
January 14th, 2012 at 6:10 PM ^
Well since you knew them ... were they getting paid?
January 14th, 2012 at 11:57 PM ^
There's a phonebook-length FBI report on the financial dealings of Ed Martin and you looking for hearsay on a message board?
Webber, Taylor, Traylor, Bullock.
January 14th, 2012 at 6:15 PM ^
First of all, be clear: I knew them, but I would call them friends...acquaintenances is more like it. So I am not exactly an insider.
That said, nobody on that team flaunted expensive cars, expensive shoes...nothing. If they were being paid money, man they were hiding it. Mitch Albom in the documentary says the exact same thing, and he was very close to that entire group. I seriously doubt they got significant money during their college days. Rose admits to getting 'a couple thousand dollars'. which to me fits that story line.
As for the 200k that the Feds say Webber got...don't have any idea, they must have had proof.
As long as Webber doesn't come out and be completely honest about everything, very hard to know what really happened...and I don't think Webber will ever do that. Maybe on his death bed.
January 14th, 2012 at 7:24 PM ^
I don't remember exactly, but I think the Feds didn't actually find evidence of $200K, but something like $40-50K. If it was his father taking that money and not him, maybe it wasn't spent on flashy things like cars.
January 14th, 2012 at 6:21 PM ^
Set the program back 20 years. They were kid, so I can understand why they took the money. It is still wrong though, and they paid. Hey, why did Ohio get off so easy? They took cars, drugs, tattoos and money!
January 14th, 2012 at 7:05 PM ^
Dugan Fife saying in the documentary "Chris Webber should just apologize that would pave his way back to the arms of Michigan" - or words to that effect - are BS - Chris already received punishment and Dugan can shut his mouth and remember without Jalen, Juwan, Jimmy and Ray he wouldn't even be an asterisk in Michigan history.
The poster above is right - sure, he got bucks, but when? playing or after he declared? we all know what happned with "Training Hours" saga - these were flashy kids and if they got bucks they hid it very, very well - Tractor Traylor pimped out SUV wasn't to be had amongst the Fab Five they were the epitome of broke All-Americans bringing the University fame and glory while struggling to buy food outside of the Quad dining halls.
David Brandon doesn't come across too well in the film either, he's just a typical CYA corporate suit - "This is Dave, thanks for calling. Please have your credit card ready for the following AD specials... For my soul, press 1; For weddings at Big House, press 2; for Sponsoring the the left bicep of Wally Wolverine in 2015 press 3, for Logo rights on Denard's 2012 helmet in the 4th quarter of OSU and MSU press 4; ...". Brandon's self-rigtheous stick, while I understand it, is bunk compared to what OSU and USC did for its student athletes during their own compensation sagas - Mark Ingram still hasn't given back his "copy" of the Heisman trophy - yes he wasn't AD during the time, but since he wasn't he could have limited his responses.
TL; DR version (i hate that phrase, product of ADD addled brats who lack ability to think substantively apart from Internet memes and related snark): FREE THE FAB FIVE!!!
Neg away.
January 14th, 2012 at 7:20 PM ^
I loved the Fab Five, too. But any reconciliation is going to have to start at Webber's end. He (or someone in his family) took money from Martin. The feds found evidence of that. We can't honor him if he's going to remain defiant about it. There's just no way.
January 15th, 2012 at 12:01 AM ^
Bryan Burwell made a pretty good point in the documentary about how it would be hypocritical for Michigan to ask Webber for an apology while they made millions on his name through merchandising.
January 15th, 2012 at 12:19 AM ^
Worth noting that when Webber entered the league, rookies still negotiated contracts unlike the sliding scale seen today. Webber was actually the last rookie to sign and missed Golden State's first couple games by holding out. The time that elapsed between his declaring for the draft and his signing of an NBA contract was seven months (April-November). It's certainly plausible a lot of this money flowed during that period.
January 15th, 2012 at 9:33 AM ^
He had a big Draft Day party at either the Fox or State theater...I can't remember which one.
I'm not saying that Chris used his own money for the party, but that there was some flaunting as his NBA career drew closer
January 14th, 2012 at 7:41 PM ^
January 15th, 2012 at 12:03 AM ^
UNLV's national championship banner still hangs while their corruption was way more widespread and blatant.
Michigan voluntarily taking down the banners might be the snottiest thing the athletic department here has ever done. If it was Mary Sue's idea, I look forward to the day when she's gone.