Harbaugh Pressures Pipkins to Retire
Should be interesting going forward. It is one side of the story, but we have seen these instances (OSU had a similar situation a few months ago I believe).
http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/13154115/ondre-pipkins-s…
"I don't want to sign the form. I wanted to play for my seniors and for the team. Coach Harbaugh said, 'I recommend you take the medical.'"
"College football is a business. New coaches have to win games. They want to go with guys they think can win. If I'm a victim of making room, so be it. But if there is no concrete reason to disqualify a player. He should have the right to keep playing."
"I feel bad I wasn't able to complete this journey with my classmates," Pipkins told ESPN. "I feel I am healthy and without pain. I believe Michigan wanted to free up the scholarship. I felt I was practicing well and could compete at a high level at the nose tackle and tackle positions."
"All I want to do is play football," Pipkins said. "I tried to finish my career at Michigan but I wasn't given the chance."
"Schmidt told me, 'Call it quits. Hang it up.' He said, 'You've had a good run'," Pipkins said of the Wolverines' head athletic trainer.
"I need you to sign this," Pipkins said Harbaugh told him of the medical form. "It's not fair to your teammates. Let's get it done."
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This has no implication on available scholarships. He is NOT being dismissed from the team. His scholarship still counts.
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begin.
You have ZERO idea what is right and wrong in this situation. You are fan with zero actual facts. Let the moralizing divorced from reality begin!
If the medical problems are serious, and that seems to be the case, then Harbaugh has the look like he's making a 'win at all costs' move either way.
Play an injury prone player with a bad injury history and you are disregarding the players safety for the sake of a game and the benefit of the program. Strongly suggest that player accept a medical and you risk the appearance of maximizing your scholarship count by doing away with a player unlikely to contribute.
There is no reason to doubt Harbaughs sincerity (no surprise greyshirts, kids kicked off campus/out of dorms, previous shady medicals) that I know of so until given a reason to do otherwise I will assume that he is acting in Pipkins, and the teams, best interest. If Ondre is not going to play for good reason then it really isn't fair to his teammates to take a scholarship from someone who can help the team, walk-on or otherwise.
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I'm a fan of Pipkins, and I was hoping he could have a great senior year. The prior ACL tear, current arthritis in the knee, concussions, and needing six months of rest sounds like a lot for a young guy, though. I wish him the best, but I don't have a problem with Harbaugh and Schmidt suggesting retirement in this instance. Hopefully, it's handled a bit more gently in the future.
And I like Harbaugh's statement to ESPN and wanting Ondre to graduate: "After consulting with our medical team, we do not think it is in Ondre's best interest as it relates to his health and welfare to play football, short or long term. He remains on full scholarship and counts toward the 85 scholarship limit in pursuit of graduation from the University of Michigan."
and being medically cleared are two different things - and we'll never know about the latter.
University should probably fire JH and maybe rehire Brady Hoke the way you all acting on here.
I hate what I'm about to type... but Dantonio wouldn't do this. And his runs a top 10 college football program.
This makes me so heavy hearted. I pray we're hearing only half the story.
Have you thought about rooting for MSU, then?
Who cares about that asshole?
LOL, yes, picking up Chris L. Rucker from prison and inserting him into the starting lineup is absolutely where MD draws the line. He would never pressure an injury-ridden player to retire when there would be no ramifications on the scholarship situation.
Dantonio allows/offers medical retirements just like every other coach. The only difference here is that Pipkins didn't agree to medical retirement for reasons that we are unaware of right now while the player mentioned in the article below did. This is ONLY a story because this young man (Pipkins) doesn't want to give up football just yet. Most young men wouldn't want to.
http://www.msuspartans.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/073013aab.html
say to the player who has already had two concussions (with the second a recent as Spring practice), "Sure, go ahead and play. I understand that third concussions are not anything to worry about."
Try reading the article.
Would Harbaugh drive a felon straight from jail to a football game? Cuz Dantonio did.
How do you know that Dantonio would never "do this". What exactly did Harbaugh "do" that weighs so heavily on your heart? Maybe base what weighs on your heart (and merits praying) on something more than an ESPN story (known for their journalistic integrity) based solely on a 21 year olds emotionally driven and probably ill-advised public statements. We don't at all know the full truth of this story yet, but spin it however you want.
Hoke wasnt a very good motivator and bringing his recruits along, Poor Pip
Pipkins has had numerous concussions and tore his ACL. I'm sure there is some validity to the story but I'm also sure that the UM staff knows he shouldn't be playing ball anymore. It's not like he was told to take the hardship before stepping foot on campus.
Until I have more information, I can't just slam Coach for this. Show me where the benefit to Harbaugh is. He does not free up a scholarship for any point after this year, and Michigan is not over the limit this year, as I understand. NT-size dudes don't just fall off trees, so I don't see the point in getting rid of a healthy one unless you have to. Concussions and knee injuries can be the kiss of death for any career (especially a big man on the knee injuries), and he's dealt with both. Maybe it's possible he...really just can't play anymore? And I'm not calling him a liar by any means, I'm acknowledging that he's a young man and is obviously very competitive to have gotten to this point, and so the end of his career would of course be a very difficult thing to accept.
Now, you tell me about a fifth-year senior suddenly transferring in tomorrow, and I'll shut up and join the "Yeah, this is shady" bandwagon. But, unless I want to assume that Harbaugh just does pricky things to be a prick, which I certainly don't, then I need a nefariously beneficial motive before I accuse someone of being nefarious.
You may be right, and Harbaugh may have the kid's best interests at heart, but it does help the scholarship issue a little that we'll face in 2016. Pipkins scholly can be used on a 2016 early enrollee
Pip is a senior, so this move would not help with that.
Yes it will. We can bank that scholarship and use it on an early enrollee. The early enrollee from the class of 2016 would then count for the previous year (2015), thus freeing up a scholly for the class of 2016.
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The problem isn't with the fans, it is 100% with the NCAA and how a coach can even do this to a player.
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That was Rich Rod, not Hoke.
According to the report he was told he couldn't workout with his teammates or participate in team events and was hounded to sign the form. I don't know if this is an accurate account of how this went down but if true it doesn't come across as concern for the player's welfare is the issue here.
If that was the case you let him workout with the team and be part of team events but you make it clear he's not dressing or practicing to prevent further injury. He gets a badge to stand on the sidlines and root for his teammates. Telling a guy who got hurt multiple times on the field giving his all for Michigan that he can't workout with his friends and wasn't welcome anymore at team events is cold and the only pausible explanation is roster management by medical redshirt.
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Well hopefully our happy place. It sure hasn't been since 2007 for the most part. Still victory is going to taste quite good when we finally make the playoff at some point.
Two concussions and a knee injury time to retire ondre
My take: I want the TEAM to be successful and win. Being successful oftentimes requires making hard choices. For example, choices like telling a young man who desperately wants to still play football that it is in his and the team's best interest to give it up for the sake of his health.
What happened to, "the team, the team, the team", in this equation? Pipkins does not have a pro future, healthy or otherwise, but he does have the opportunity to graduate from the University of Michigan on full scholarship and prepare for the rest of his life. Instead he is choosing to damage the reputation of his former and transfer to a new school for one more year of injury plagued football all the while abandoning his chance at acquiring a prestigious degree while cheering on his friends and teammates.
Lets be honest here, Pipkins is putting himself before the "team" because he doesn't trust the new coach, it is that simple.
Thanks for your take -- it was extremely hot.
Let's look at some of the hottest parts of your take --
"Pipkins does not have a pro future, healthy or otherwise," -- thanks Nostradamous, can you also give me the winning numbers for the powerball. This guy was a 5 star all-American coming out of high school. While I can agree that his performance may have not lived up to the hype thus far, there is no way that you ar equalified to make this statement. Take a look at Mike Cox, Ryan Mundy, Thomas Rawls, Josh Furman (and if we are getting loose Ryan Mallett) -- these are all players that didn't perform up to expectations at Michigan but have or are in the process of playing football as a career. While I can't guarantee he will have a future in professional football, I'm not surprised that he hasn't abandoned a life-long dream because he's hit a few roadblocks.
"choices like telling a young man who desperately wants to still play football that it is in his and the team's best interest to give it up for the sake of his health." -- Um, technically every player should give up playing football for the sake of his health, as football has been proven to be bad for your health (head, heart, knees, etc.)
"Instead he is choosing to damage the reputation of his former and transfer to a new school for one more year of injury plagued football all the while abandoning his chance at acquiring a prestigious degree while cheering on his friends and teammates." -- What?? This is so poorly worded, supported and thought-out it is almost shocking; however, within the context of the rest of your post it becomes a lot less so...
Harbaugh himself told Pipkins he does not have a pro future. Is he qualified to say that? Probably more than most.
Zero of the players you sited as having success after transfer and pro careers had the serious injury issues that Pipkins has had so they aren't really comparable. All 4 were grad transfers that were buried on the depth chart. None were asked to medically retire that we know of.
This isn't as bad as it looks. We don't have both sides of the story yet and it is still possible that JH was just looking out for Pip's best interest because one more concussion and he would not be able to have much physical activity anymore. Keeps on playing football, could have to get a knee replacement. I think that this is much more justifified than what Bama does everyday.
If we didn't need the scholarship, what was the point of asking him to take a medical DQ then? Why not just not play or practice him if we were concerned for his safety?
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Also, he will not be permitted to use the facilities anymore. Without the form, UM will be responsible if he sneaks into a practice and gets hurt.
Chryslers are awesome.
Funny how this involves a senior with major medical problems that has no remaining eligibility next year when your coach forces kids to medical redshirt with plenty of eligibility remaining. Yeah...it's the same thing, right? Looks like someone ran out of paint for their narrative.