Has anti-RR faction been swept out of UM Ath. Admin?
The report on self-sanctions released today by UofM reinforces the belief that this has been much ado about nothing. Obviously, we simply have to wait and see until August as to whether or not the NCAA accepts the investigation and the extent of self-sanctioning imposed by UM. The assumption here is that no additional sanctions will be added. Further, it is assumed that UM will be scrupulous in QC, record-keeping, and the like, making sure there is no potential for further sanctions.
My concern at this point has to do with the current staff in Brandon's office, the football program, and even within the Board of Regents. It is no secret that there were a number of Carr loyalists who have done nothing to support RR over the last two years. On the contrary, these holdovers from the previous adminisration have either leaked information to fellow travelers within the MSM, or managed (and mis-managed) things in a way deliberately calculated to damage RR, with the hope this leads to a lack of success and brings about his eventual ouster. Certainly, there were some football players in this camp, but I believe that those should pretty much all be gone by now.
This post, then, is directed to those of you close to the program. Have the cancerous "cells" in football and the AD office been removed? Have those giving tepid support at best to RR been read the riot act, told to straighten up and fly right, lest they be cut off and cut out? There is little worse than trying to lead when you have dead weight passively resisting your forward momentum. This, incidentally, is where I think the change in AD will be most beneficial to RR. As my sig says, I'm all in, for both RR and UM. It is critical that all in the program share the same sentiment.
That's a nice cat you own there.
S/he looks pi$$ed. I suppose that describes 90+% of cats in photos, though.
too much for comfort. plus one to you, sir.
Maybe I should just take a chill pill, but I'm tired of attacks from within.
Winning will go a long way to quiet naysayers. A good year, and all will be forgotten.
Not if the media has anything to say about it.
I hope so, and my fortress of solitude I'm digging in my basement and lining with foil is almost complete.
let me dig a shelter in the basement. How did you talk your parents into letting you build one?
you would then have to live upstairs with them.
Probably not. I've never been interested in purges of the "disloyal."
What is HUGE in this case is that Brandon conciously chose the path of saying, effectively, that the Free Press was wrong. That they defamed Rich Rodriguez and this program.
And that they stood up, and defended Rich Rodriguez against his adversaries at the Free Press.
Because all the rest was pretty much scripted; insignificant penalties attached to insignificant findings by the NCAA. It came down as almost every intelligent observer predicted.
What was new was the blowback against the Free Press.
I haven't had a chance to dig into this yet. Can you please provide a quote where he says (or hints) that the Freep defamed RR? What I saw was Brandon saying, effectively, "we made mistakes and have corrected them".
Try the first page in the footnotes
"The University is satisfied that the initial media reports are greatly exaggerated if not flatly incorrect.
-University of Michigan"
top paragraph: "While the University takes the violations very seriously, the actual violations are a far cry from the initial claims in the media. Most importantly, the University found no evidence of student-athlete abuse, nor did it find any evidence that its employees disregarded student-athlete welfare."
That's about as direct a hit on the Freep and Rosenberg without specifically naming them.
Thanks. That seems to be a smart tact by the University. I wouldn't say that it implies that RR was "defamed", but it does smartly accept responsibility while distancing the program from the heft of the Free Press allegations.
Others have already posted the important sentence from the Introduction.
Then, Brandon went on today, and made the point (sort of emphatically) that his greatest concern was for the well-being of the players. And while the initial reports implied a possible degradation in treatment of the players, Brandon is now satisfied that that was untrue.
Personally, I think that all of this was very confrontational with the Free Press, corporate-speak being what it is.
WTF? A negbomb for asking a serious, non-sarcastic question...politely...prefaced with "I haven't had a chance to dig into this yet"? Seriously. Some folks need to calm the fuck down.
I'm guessing it has something to do with the continual pangs of righteous indignation you've expressed over this issue everytime it's brought up. Then the report comes out refuting your insistence that this is nuclear-holocaust bad and you claim you haven't read it. Cute.
"Righteous indignation"? "My insistence that this is nuclear-holocaust bad"?
Quote me. Dig deep and find my rants about how terrible the violations were. Please. I'm curious. It should be easy since you say I spouted off "everytime (sic) it's brought up". I'll be happy to offer an apology should you find the numerous quotes.
At no time, did I insist the violations (even those alleged by the Freep) were terrible (certainly not nuclear-holocaust), but a violation (no matter how minor) is always a bad thing. You'll find my comments agreeing that the Freep's work was flawed, but that such flaws don't excuse any violations. We have to take (and have now taken) responsibility for whatever wrongs we did. Thankfully, Dave Brandon agrees. The University agrees as well.
I find it important in that, just as winning will cure lots of what ails us, getting rid of the people responsible for creating most of the headwinds that RR has been fighting through in his 2.5 years here will go a long way in helping create some positive momentum. All these things are pointed out to recruits, all these things are used as reasons to splash UM across the headlines again and again. I see no reason that those working against UM, the athletic department and it's football program should be allowed to hold a position within that very department and program.
my understanding is that there is not a purge going on, but brandon is very clearly taking efforts to ensure that the athletic department is all in for Michigan- it is not all about RR right now; however, he will be a clear beneficiary and much of the malcontent and "not in" audience are RR bashers.
...Bill Martin has to take some blame in this situation. It feels like these allegations would have never happened under David Brandon. Martin had some very strong qualities as an AD, but he did not do a good enough job of running interference for RichRod. Also Carr's motivation for being so reluctant to have interaction with media is self-evident now. And if Carr is to take any blame in this situation it is for not saying to RR, "build a tall fence around your program." However I don't know if he didn't say that, and if he did and RR didn't listen than Rich has no one to blame but himself. Whatever the case the lesson needs to be learned, don't trust anyone who is not in the football program, and even in that case make sure all the employees in the program are supportive. If not get them out.
What I love about Mr. Brandon is that it seems like he's establishing more order and organization. It's impossible to completely get rid of the level of dissent that has existed, but Brandon is making it nearly impossible for that dissent to lead to anything material in the future.
The Michigan Program should never be underestimated - ever.
Even by us.
It will return. It will be dominant. It is bigger than any event or person or circumstance.
Brandon gets this. He is simply getting back to the basics - the program.
Schembechler said, "The TEAM, the Team, the Team..." It is more than even that.
It is THE Program.
I would imagine that there are still some old-timers in the AD who have a less-than-charitable opinion of RR. However, I also think that Brandon has done a good job of ensuring that they no longer have the power to make things difficult for RR.
Ultimately, that sounds fair to me. RR never said he wants people to be "all in for RR;" he wants people to be "all in for Michigan." There will always be people who disagree with the style of any management employee in any company; UM is not exempt from human nature. I think Brandon is going about things the right way; he is apparently allowing people to feel as they want, but keep their actions in alignment with the main goals of the University and the football team.
And, as many have mentioned, winning should change the opinions of those who still dislike RR. I see a lot of winning this year. The issues will have been resolved. The team will be motivated because of the last two years. RR is now beginning to have enough personnel to learn and execute his system.
I look for this team to surprise a lot of people this year, and their unity is going to be one very important factor.
Is this stuff really evidence of anti-RR people? These guys named in the report - what on earth do they have to gain by getting Michigan put on probation because of compliance issues THEY'RE responsible for, other than a trip to the unemployment line? The simplest explanation is that the compliance guys were lazy as sin, didn't feel like doing their jobs, and then panicked when they saw that the NCAA was looking in.
Never chalk up to conspiracy what can be explained by laziness/incompetence.
that the persons named in the Response as having been lax with respect to CARA reporting are in any way suspected of being disloyal to Rich Rodriguez.. That's not even contemplated.
I think that suspicions of disloyalty surround the question of who gave the July 2009 Audit Memo to Rosenberg. I know that's my biggest question. And there are people who have been associated with the Advisory Board on Intercollegiate Athletics that I'd like to know more about. I just don't expect any clear answers to most of those questions; at least not any time soon.
are making me thirsty
potato salad
-
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 pounds fingerling potatoes or other small waxy thin-skinned potatoes (about 10), scrubbed
- 1/2 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise or soy mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup low-fat plain yogurt
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon anchovy paste
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar or rice vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and diced (1 1/2 cups)
- 1/2 cup finely diced red onion
- 1/2 cup chopped celery (1-2 stalks)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons diced gherkin pickles
- 2 tablespoons drained capers, rinsed
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
Directions
1. Hard-cook eggs (see Tip). Peel eggs and chop coarsely.
2. Meanwhile, place potatoes in a large saucepan, cover with lightly salted water and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and cook, covered, until just tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain; let cool for about 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, whisk mayonnaise, yogurt, oil, anchovy paste and pepper in a small bowl until smooth.
4. Cut potatoes into cubes and place in a large bowl. Add vinegar and salt; toss gently to coat. Add bell pepper, onion, celery, parsley, gherkins, capers, chives, chopped eggs and the mayonnaise mixture; toss to coat well. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, at least 30 minutes.
To Make Hard-Cooked Eggs: Place eggs in a single layer in a saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook at the barest simmer for 10 minutes. Pour off hot water and run cold water over the eggs until completely cooled. To peel, crack the shell, then roll egg between your palms to loosen shell. Peel, starting at the large end. Rinse under cold water or dip in water to remove bits of shell.
about this recipe
Tossing potatoes with a little good vinegar while they are still warm infuses them with flavor. Capers, gherkins and a touch of anchovy give this old-fashioned salad a piquant finish, while red bell pepper and celery give it an appealing crunch.
But YOGURT and ANCHOVY PASTE in potato salad? What kind of recipe is this? Not one fit for MICHIGAN MEN.
I didn't neg you, but no ANCHOVY PASTE in POTATO SALAD is UNACCEPTABLE!
I don't think there are anti-RR people secretly trying to sabotoge the program besides the one person who contacted Rosenberg. I do think they are lazy individuals that were a sign of the Bill Martin era. Honestly, besides cleaning up the books Bill Martin made a huge mess personnel wise. His coaching hires were performed in unorthodox methods. Martin also dragged his feet when it was obvious house cleaning needed to be perform, especially at the compliance level. His management style may work for a local community bank, but not a major university. Brandon was a perfect hire. He has the major corporation management style. He has a great sports knowledge and his financial skill is strong.
It's really no secret that being a people person is not one of Bill Martin's strengths. And I've heard as much from people who have known him for decades. His legacy is for finances and construction, which is admirable. From the standpoint of personnel, public relations, being a assertive and effective communicator to the press and community as a whole, he simply didn't measure up. And if there's one thing that's been absolutely and glaringly obvious since Brandon took over, it's that.
Bill Martin's special skill and expertise is construction management and finance. And his legacy of facilities improvement at Michigan has to be graded "A", or at worst (for continued parking problems) "A-".
And I'll say -- following Tom Goss, the appointment of Bill Martin was magically perfect for the times and the circumstances. We could not have done better.
In an era with Lloyd Carr as football coach, and Red Berenson as hockey coach, I was happy to have Martin take care of buildings, programs and finance, and let those two great coaches take care of their revenue sports.
And of course I am delighted to now have Dave Bradon leading us. Again, I think he's the right guy at the right time, never more so than today, as shown in the Response to the Notice of Allegations.
I thought as a site we had all agreed on "Bandon"?!?! I just can't keep up on the slang here...
My bad. Typo. If we start talking about "Bandon," I'll be too tempted to get on a plane to Oregon to play golf.
I am going to self-impose a number of sanctions in this regard. Reduction in number of posts, by two per day. Spell-check re-training. And probation for three months. Brian Cook will review these sanctions in August, and may impose further sanctions.
I know you knew. I think it's pretty apparent I'm not a grammar nazi (even in a those that can't do teach sort of way).
Am I the only one who remembers the whole Dave "Bandon" laugh? God, I'm feeling old...
Ever heard of a typo? I don't think the Bandon was intentional. And his name is David Brandon, not Bandon or Bradon.
I also do not think there has been internal sabotage in any fashion. What I do believe is that the trifecta of MSU, OSU, WVU is behind 95% of this, and the remaining is due to the ignorant perception of many M fans.
Realize what Rodriguez is up against... first, is WVU and nearly the entire state, who had to act like children and pout and cry like a bitter divorcee. They created a national story because of it.
Then you have OSU and MSU colluding against a common enemy, at arms-length because D'Antonio came from OSU. MSU has been getting the leftovers from OSU in many recruits, and there is no question that Tressel steers the extras to D'Antonio.
Then you have GM Mark Hollis up at MSU, in who finally they have a sly and competent AD, and I can assure you that he wants nothing more than to supplant the perpetual leader in the state, and to do this he will not simply play nice.
All of the above have taken DEAD AIM at us, and are colluding quite well, and many M faithful are drinking this spiked Kool-Aid. A house divided cannot stand.
[whoops repeat]
Winning this year will remove plenty of the negative people in the program.
but can people please learn how to spell our head coach's name?
Stephen.... I do not think that these guys wouldn't do anything for RR, when you said " It is no secret that there were a number of Carr loyalists who have done nothing to support RR over the last two years."... I think this is perception and not reality, nurtured by many outside the M world (OSU, MSU, WVU), and it is unfortunate guys even like Rick Leach have succumbed to the perception.
every time i listen to Dave Brandon talk i like him even more. under Brandon, RR will finally be given the best chance to succeed.
Noi disrespect to the OP, but you are talking about the anti-RR faction - that only exists as an unconfirmed, ambiguously-defined possibility - as if it was a defined, confirmed, real entity. The fact is that we do not know whether there even is an anti-RR faction within the athletic department. Have some people been less vocally supportive of RR? Yes, but why does that mean that these people are anti-RR. Some people are simply less vocal and others (such as Lloys, perhaps) have never had any real use for the media, so their lack of a vocal, "Hell yeah, I am all in for RR and the hell with anyone who says otherwise" does not necessarily mean that they do not support our current coach.
I am not saying that there is NOT an anti-RR faction out these, both in the fanbase and possibly within the athletic department - just saying that we don't know (and likely may never know).
Compliance, AD office staff and football staff were complacent. I dont think there was an inside source on some bat phone to freep. Maybe someone spilled something unintentionally that started it, heck it could have been internet chatter about all the time players were putting in compared to carr yrs...wich there was a lot of.
Complacent staff, Compliance didn't research any questions directly to the ncaa. At osu they self report about 100 minor violations a yr because they examine everything get in touch with ncaa and find out what is and isn't a violation and report what was and the steps to correct it. At michigan none of that stuff at all, no one found out, just gave the maybe or possibly is allowed... No, don't do that till I find out.... Which is exactly what they should have done!
Football staff, CARA Forms, these guys knew they had to keep records from other jobs they had and the WV days. They know to keep up the paperwork and didn't. CARA Forms may be on compliance for not telling them but they should have maintained all of their own records. The records were kept but not turned into compliance, hence the issues.
AD Staff, where was Draper and others who are supposed to oversee these things?
Basically to many people in the same job to long, nobody spoke up, nobody took control and nobody was doing what they should have been doing. Scathing, yes but hardly was it major violations by the program.
If they haven't been completely swept they will know enough know to keep their mouths shut from here on. This "scandal" is basically over and it won't look too good for anyone looking to drag it on.