Fickell responds to Harbaugh
Well, Fickell responded indirectly.
"Fickell said Wednesday night he had not read Harbaugh’s comments."
Am I missing something here? I'm open to the idea, but it appears that Michigan played it by the book and Cincinnati asked them to do otherwise.
August 15th, 2019 at 7:11 AM ^
I wonder if Bobby Boucher is going to put himself in if they need some help on the D line?
August 15th, 2019 at 7:13 AM ^
I wish we played Cincinnati this year. Put an epic beatdown on them and then have Coach H give Luke the old Jim Schwartz hand shake.
August 15th, 2019 at 9:30 AM ^
Agree with that - short of that I am already really tired of this story.
August 15th, 2019 at 6:59 PM ^
August 15th, 2019 at 11:00 PM ^
Didn’t we play them in football a couple years ago? Also the Fab 5 beat them in the Final Four in 1992.
August 15th, 2019 at 11:14 AM ^
Hopefully Fickell is the next MSU coach so we can have maximum bad blood.
August 15th, 2019 at 11:40 AM ^
The next coach will be someone already on their staff. And whoever that is will just shuffle the existing guys as well to "fill out his staff."
August 15th, 2019 at 7:14 AM ^
Ah, the passive-aggressive non-response response.
August 15th, 2019 at 8:07 AM ^
Also known as, the fickle response.
August 15th, 2019 at 8:24 AM ^
LOL. Watch out for excessive use of "the". Perhaps try "A fickle response".
August 15th, 2019 at 9:43 AM ^
T H E
There. I said it. Fuckem!
August 15th, 2019 at 1:04 PM ^
isn't that copyright infringement?
August 15th, 2019 at 12:22 PM ^
Nice, you short-lived savant.
August 15th, 2019 at 9:04 AM ^
Colloquially it's known as "The Fickle Tickle", but I believe that's mostly a Cincitucky thing.
August 15th, 2019 at 9:21 AM ^
Kentucky hugs are better than fickle tickles 100% of the time
August 15th, 2019 at 9:47 AM ^
Is that like a Cleveland Steamer?
August 15th, 2019 at 9:48 AM ^
I think it's more like a Boston Whaler.
August 15th, 2019 at 9:49 AM ^
Don't google that
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
/s
August 15th, 2019 at 11:07 AM ^
I never heard of it until the "Bob and Tom Show" made a song about it.
August 15th, 2019 at 7:17 AM ^
I don't think that it is a matter of Michigan played it by the book and Cincinnati asked them to do otherwise," I think it is a matter of Luke Fickell not understanding how the transfer waiver system works. He is convinced that the school from which the player transferred has some power to tell the NCAA to grant the waiver, and that Michigan/Harbaugh failed to do this.
August 15th, 2019 at 7:21 AM ^
Fickell knows how it works, harbaugh needed to make up a story to show Hudson had depression about his position switch at michigan, that was hudson only chance at getting the waiver
August 15th, 2019 at 7:31 AM ^
I thought Michigan has one of the best programs in the country for addressing depression. Why would a family not take advantage of this but support a move away to a different environment while not addressing the issue?
August 15th, 2019 at 7:38 AM ^
Because Harbaugh is the cause of Hudson's depression (according to the Hudson family and Fickell). According to them, Harbaugh forced Hudson (at gunpoint, most likely) to switch from the DL to the OL, thus triggering Hudson's depression.
The fact that Fickell actually tried to persuade Harbaugh to, effectively, make the above statement is absolutely laughable.
Fickell: "Hey Coach, would you mind telling the NCAA that you are a massive prick and forced young James, against his wishes, to change positions thus causing him to suffer massive depression which he could not possibly get treated for at a world class institution like UM?"
Harbaugh: (stony silence on the other end of the line)
August 15th, 2019 at 11:46 AM ^
What fucking position is this kid going to play at Cincinnati? Every article talks about him as an offensive lineman. Does everyone on the Cincinnati side of this (and the media in general) not understand how incalculably stupid it is to use the position switch from DL to OL as the reason for depression, then the kid's going to play OL at UC? Oh I guess he's still depressed then.
Fickell's a fucking liar, and I hate to down kids in school, but everyone involved in this on the UC side is an obvious liar.
August 15th, 2019 at 8:01 AM ^
Because is this day and age people think issues such as mental health and addiction are taboo to question and Hudson believed if he used that term there would be no way the transfer would get denied. Now he’s pouting with his mom and Adam Sandler because they couldn’t manipulate the issue. Clinical depression is different than being bummed your not on the two deep at you preferred position. It’s debilitating, and the claiming it to try and get a desired outcome is a slap in the face to those who are in real pain and suffering. I have no doubt Hudson was upset about things but he was never diagnosed end of story. I side with Coach here.
August 15th, 2019 at 9:29 AM ^
He may actually be depressed. Why? Nobody really knows right b/c it's multifactorial. But we shouldn't discount his depression as making it up.
August 15th, 2019 at 9:40 AM ^
Since Hudson now lives in Cincinnati he will have the opportunity to discover what depression is really like.
August 15th, 2019 at 9:49 AM ^
And we shouldn’t discount the possibility he is attempting to use these terms to his advantage...from his new coaches demeanor it appears that they are trying to “grease” the transfer. You would agree that if he was doing this it would be deplorable, right?!
August 15th, 2019 at 11:39 AM ^
Yup I also agree with you there. I didn't disagree with what you were saying other than the depression part. His depression may be from homesickness, or a relationship with friends, or a girlfriend, or whatever. Doesn't mean a transfer should allow him to play right away.
August 15th, 2019 at 4:37 PM ^
I don't know Hudson, but I don't believe depression comes from those things. It's a disease, not a consequence of life's ups and downs. If he's bummed because he's homesick, he goes home and the "depression" ends. Actual depression is a bigger deal than that. Having experienced both depression and sadness from a painful break up, I can tell you they feel different. Not meaning to criticize you, just the idea that depression can result from something like not getting to play a position.
August 15th, 2019 at 8:23 AM ^
Usually counselors don't carry on being your friends and family once they're done with their session.
August 15th, 2019 at 11:07 AM ^
Was Hudson in position to start? Or was he going to have to rotate in like every D-Lineman before him had to do.
Edit: Couldn’t recall if he’d switched from OLine to DLine or vice versa and I don’t really give a shit anymore. I know he played both ways in high school...
August 15th, 2019 at 7:30 AM ^
I think it's more that, Michigan didn't impede the waiver but also didn't do anything to help "grease the wheels" so to speak to help make it go thru. Meaning, LF wanted M to provide something as little as a statement to the NCAA that supported his alleged depression and subsequent xfer. In fact, wasn't there a request of clarification from the NCAA, sent to M? And M actually responded that they had no information indicating that there was any reach out by the player to the existing health services at UM? M could have just not responded at all to the NCAA- which is what LF I assume thinks would have helped allow the waiver to go thru.
M played it by the letter and volunteered the truth when asked for more info from the NCAA. LF doesn't have a leg to stand on.
August 15th, 2019 at 7:40 AM ^
It's nice to see UM's policy of full disclosure actually hurting someone else's program for a change.
August 15th, 2019 at 10:27 AM ^
I disagree. Harbaugh said (and Jim is not one to BS) that Fickell attempted to coach him on what to say about Hudson. Fickell stated that Saban and Meyer had worked with him in this way to get transfers eligible in the past. This is Fickell asking Jim to embellish or fabricate the details of the situation with James, and Jim told him to fly a kite.
August 15th, 2019 at 11:38 AM ^
Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t schools or coaches block kids from transferring to certain schools? As in schools in the same conference or schools that play each other the following year.
August 15th, 2019 at 3:23 PM ^
"They wouldn't work to help the kid out."
Meaning they wouldn't lie.
August 15th, 2019 at 7:18 AM ^
I’m sure we don’t know the whole story, Hudson obviously did not want to be at michigan and it wasn’t playing time because he was on 2 deep and If u wana play then work and earn it. All kids today want everything given, nothing earned
August 15th, 2019 at 7:55 AM ^
This mindset is so dumb. Every older generation thinks the upcoming generation is soft and entitled, forever and ever ad infinitum. The eternal selective amnesia is astounding.
August 15th, 2019 at 8:00 AM ^
A great response to this Laser is someone had to raise them which usually is the older generation that regularly complains.
August 15th, 2019 at 8:05 AM ^
Spot on- totally agree.
Also, see you in 15-20 years for some selective amnesia?
August 15th, 2019 at 9:39 AM ^
I’ll be there to grumble about these darn kids. Save me a seat on your front porch.
August 15th, 2019 at 10:28 AM ^
There's one truth in life I know. My generation is best, the previous generation is entitled and ruined everything, and the following generation is lazy and is ruining everything further.
August 15th, 2019 at 5:05 PM ^
I'm in my mid-ish 50's and I look at the younger generation (early 20's - early 30's) and just think I don't understand them and why they like certain things, like so much technology. My oldest is 19 and grew up with computers. It's intuitive for him now, and I have to remind myself that's just progress. Things change and evolve with every generation. Speaking of my generation, what was it that Pete Townshend said? When young musicians come up with different types of music, it's his job to get out of the way and let them flourish, or something to that effect.
August 15th, 2019 at 7:58 AM ^
Bad take.
August 15th, 2019 at 8:02 AM ^
From what I can recall, Hudson was the backup tackle before he was injured a week or two before the State game. We had a player go down during that game (I believe from a State player legitimately trying to break his legs off), and Stueber was put into replace that player instead of Hudson.
College football is a big boy game, do doubt. But when you look at the fact patters, 1) player comes in as d-tackle, 2) is moved to o-tackle, likely contrary to his wishes, even if unspoken, 3) player works hard to make the 2-deep at new position he doesn't want to be playing, 4) player is injured during the season a couple of weeks before a big rivalry game, 5) player recovers from the injury and is healthy by that game, 6) something happens during the game that would allow player to get on the field in a big spot and he is passed over because he had been injured.
I'm not saying the depression was legit or not, or that Harbaugh and the coaching staff did anything "wrong" with Hudson. Not at all, it was a decision that had to be made and they went with Stueber. However, given the apparent series of events above, if fairly accurate, I could see why Hudson would want to GTFO and really don't blame him for it. I don't think it is "waiver-worthy" as it stands now though.
But if Harbaugh had his way, he would not need a waiver because any player could transfer one time without having to sit out a year, as the rule should be.
August 15th, 2019 at 8:10 AM ^
The only hole in your argument is that as I understand, James is practicing as an offensive lineman at Cinci.
August 15th, 2019 at 8:17 AM ^
I don't really have an "argument" really. I was responding to the "kids these days are so entitled" angle, and I could see this being a situation where Hudson genuinely believed he was doing everything asked of him, making sacrifices, working hard, and getting a raw deal. Whether it was true, objectively, is a different issue, but I could see how Hudson could have a genuine belief that Michigan was not holding up its end of the bargain to him without it being a case of "kids just want everything given to them these days."
August 15th, 2019 at 9:06 AM ^
Selective memory. Sam spoke about this on the radio yesterday.
12:00 - 13:30 mark
https://omny.fm/shows/michigan-insider/005-sam-on-jh-fickell-hudson-081419
August 15th, 2019 at 7:20 AM ^
Fickell says he did not read or hear Harbaugh’s comments - he was too busy doing more important things. He says he does not care what Harbaugh said and he is moving on. Then his wife read the comments, so he felt prepared and compelled to say more nonsense. Ohio has some serious head case coaches...