Justin Feagin is off the team for a very good reason
Coke dealin'....and not the sugary drink.
http://www.freep.com/article/20090809/SPORTS06/90809032/Cocaine-deal-le…
99 Problems
'That evening, Rodriguez kicked Feagin off the Michigan football team.'
Done.
I wouldn't have it any other way. Well done coach.
I just told a MSU fan housemate of mine about this and he said something like, "Well, now we know what kinds of kids Michigan recruits." I had to refrain from jumping out of my chair and punching him in the throat.
That would have DEFINITELY changed his mind about Michigan.
;)
That's what I have to keep telling myself... it will do no good to physically harm them. But I would enjoy it sooooooooo much.
about their former backup QB who was recently shot during an armed robbery attempt in Toledo.
Oh come on - do you realize how easily you can overcome that statement? It's MSU.
Charles Rodgers, Jeff Smoker, Glenn Winston, Plaxico, etc. The list goes on.
That's why I was seeing red. He was only partially serious, so a quick mention of such players was enough to quiet him down.
August 9th, 2009 at 10:37 PM ^
I hope you chanted "Knott's a rapist" at him...
Great way to fuck up your future Justin. Idiot.
Kudos to the Freep for undercovering that information. What a mess, is all I can say.
I was kind of wondering is this was a "free up some scholarships" decision on RR's part. Glad to hear it wasn't. My father in law is a huge M fan and alum and hates RR and he has me all paranoid that he is a snake. I really like him so far, but I could be all wooed by the snakeoil.
I hope to get to the point where RR proves himself to the older generation of alums - not just wins, but also his character. So we all can ease into this transition and be glad about it.
I just wonder if he would do the same to any kid on the team - not just the kids on the bench. Hope so. integrity is more important than wins in my opinion.
I'd say a coke deal is pretty serious... especially when some dude is starting fires in the dorms... Hopefully any coach on any team would kick a player off the team who is involved with that.
for RR and good to see he made it swiftly.
Pretty jacked up, and glad Rich Rodriguez handled it the way he did. I just hope Feagin cleans up his act. Good luck to him in the future. I hope he learned a valuable lesson here.
TomVH posted this in a thread a few minutes ago, I commented, it disappeared. Just gone.
August 9th, 2009 at 10:07 PM ^
I deleted mine, since they were posted at the same time.
August 9th, 2009 at 10:20 PM ^
Can just anyone delete a thread? If so, we should be spreading this knowledge through every channel of communication possible.
My question is to all these student athletes is how do you manage to mess up a good thing like this? You get a full ride scholarship to one of the top institutions in the world to get a degree, and all you have to do is go to class and stay out of trouble, but for some reason, you've got guys like Feagin who think its a good idea to get involved with selling drugs... sad story
August 9th, 2009 at 10:02 PM ^
Guess he is going to Appalachian State for the "Mountains" .. Tony Montana Mountains.
August 9th, 2009 at 10:07 PM ^
Since this guy ironically named "Tragic" in the Freep article was Feagin's fictive cousin,
does RR's swift action in response to Feagins dealing his fictive cousin, equate to RR ANTI FAMILY VALUES....?
August 9th, 2009 at 10:07 PM ^
I would rather have an 8-4 team of good guys than an 11-1 team of thugs. Hopefully, Feagin is not indicative of what's to come for Michigan's program.
August 10th, 2009 at 1:39 AM ^
larry harrison indicative of what's to come of michigan's program? what about kelly baraka? that's an awfully odd thing to say don't ya think?
August 10th, 2009 at 5:54 AM ^
Let's see here...we could use random examples from throughout the Carr years OR we could use one of the first guys Rodriguez recruited.
So no, it's not an odd thing to say.
August 10th, 2009 at 10:11 AM ^
the fact that lloyd knowing left guys that dealt drugs on the team while RR immediately kicked off a guy that did, yes it is an odd thing to say.
August 10th, 2009 at 10:19 AM ^
The choice of disciplinary action isn't the point. You're changing the argument.
Feagin was the first (or one of the first) pure Rodriguez recruit. When the first guy a new coach brings in is an ex-/current drug dealer and has been arrested once or twice, it's not unfathomable to think that someone will say, "I hope this doesn't become a pattern," which is exactly what I said.
Rodriguez also has a history of taking on troubled players (Devine, Gwaltney, etc.) that we all hoped would not continue at Michigan. This was a fear that many of us expressed when Rodriguez came aboard, and while this one incident doesn't necessarily mean he's bringing in a bunch of bad apples, it's certainly not a great start.
August 10th, 2009 at 10:57 AM ^
to change the argument. i brought up kelly baraka before, he had a publicized arrest BEFORE he was even being recruited yet lloyd took him anyway. all i'm saying is there's a big misconception about the types of kids lloyd brought in. some of them were just as bad as feagin. some of them worse
August 10th, 2009 at 1:59 PM ^
Feagin was the first (or one of the first) pure Rodriguez recruit. When the first guy a new coach brings in is an ex-/current drug dealer and has been arrested once or twice, it's not unfathomable to think that someone will say, "I hope this doesn't become a pattern," which is exactly what I said.While you may be right that Feagin was the first, or one of the first, of RR's recruits, his recruitment was (1) dictated by the rest of the class that Carr essentially essembled and (2) the incredibly precarious position the team was at QB, also of Carr's making. Feagin's recruitment was rushed due to the circumstances RR walked into; I would consider his recruitment bears little similarity to any of player in RR's subsequent classes. Feagin was more a product of the situation Carr left to RR. Maybe Feagin's background could have been looked into better (RR did lose some time in the lost cause recruitment of Pryor), but I really suspect that there was little time left to do it. That all said, I too hope that this is not a pattern. But who does?
August 9th, 2009 at 10:10 PM ^
What an idiot. I think that RR answered some questions with this. He is not going to tolerate any BS.
August 9th, 2009 at 10:13 PM ^
The WQ Arson was such a big deal when it happened, weird to see how it all ties together.
August 9th, 2009 at 10:18 PM ^
we still have the wanted flier on the fridge of my house. it's weird that those 2 big events are directly related like that
August 9th, 2009 at 11:03 PM ^
Feagin was the one that sold to Billy Mays.
Crazy.
August 9th, 2009 at 10:24 PM ^
he sucked anyway
August 9th, 2009 at 10:53 PM ^
Why isn't he going to prison instead of transferring to App St.? Or did he roll over on "Tragic?"
And what is App St. thinking?
August 9th, 2009 at 10:56 PM ^
I'm wondering the same thing. Seems like the kid is getting off extremely easily.
August 9th, 2009 at 11:06 PM ^
Cosign on this, I was under the impression that dealing/selling cocaine was a felony offense.
August 9th, 2009 at 11:28 PM ^
It sounded as if it was only attempted, and even that, if I read it correctly, they never "caught him selling." He was only arranging it, AND the deal never was completed as the cocaine never made it to Ann Arbor. That and it was Feagin that brought it to the attention of the police, which probably helped get him off easier.
August 9th, 2009 at 11:45 PM ^
However, there is that whole not reporting to the cops who started a fire in West Quad thing. Though I guess that's not a crime unless he lied for the guy.
August 10th, 2009 at 1:53 AM ^
only ATTEMPTED coke dealing. Wait...still a crime.
August 9th, 2009 at 10:58 PM ^
Well perhaps this might change ASU's mind. Or maybe not.
August 10th, 2009 at 8:49 AM ^
Probably because no drug deal ever actually happened.
August 9th, 2009 at 10:59 PM ^
How did he get deemed worthy of an offer to begin with? This is bad on more than just a "team rules violation" level and will only be getting worse. I am sure it will be on espn tomorrow...
August 9th, 2009 at 11:06 PM ^
It's gonna be ugly.
August 9th, 2009 at 11:09 PM ^
Nick Sheridan. That's your answer as to why he got an offer.
August 9th, 2009 at 11:18 PM ^
I mean seriously its called the internet, it takes 20 minutes max to get a background check done. How could they have not done this?
If you had known about Feagin's previous run ins with the law, and dealings in florida, would you have offered him back then?
August 9th, 2009 at 11:20 PM ^
I don't know if anyone knew of his previous dealings with the law, or in Florida. Maybe if they happened they were court sealed? Or maybe they were public. I don't know, so until someone links to info that RR should have been aware of, I'm not going to judge one way or the other.
August 10th, 2009 at 7:45 AM ^
addition to the team. We were desperate to get somebody who could handle the rock; a cursory background check and a talking to were probably as far as a character check went.
August 9th, 2009 at 11:21 PM ^
there likely wouldn't be a record.
If I had known about his dealings? I don't know if I would still offer him or not. I cannot immediately say that I wouldn't. Some of these issues are based on family life or the neighborhood the kids grow up in. If you think the kid can reform in a different environment, then I might be more willing to give him a chance.
August 10th, 2009 at 1:07 AM ^
I appreciate the way JF's dismissal from the team was handled by RR, but what concerns me more is the fact that he was on the team in the first place. This kind of information is not hard to find. The fact that he had two previous arrests and we still offered him is concerning. I believe a similar situation occurred with Noel Devine. I believe he had some baggage before going to WVU.
This is my main concern with RR. I think (hope) this is a product of timing and recruiting. I think if RR had more time, he would have thought twice about offering JF. Given the circumstances around the coaching transition, time of the year, and the lack of a decent prospect at the QB position there may have been some panic and an offer was extended.
Not sure we will ever know on this one. Hopefully it doesn't happen again.
August 10th, 2009 at 1:41 AM ^
lloyd offered the same types of guys, what's the difference?
August 10th, 2009 at 8:45 AM ^
He offered guys with multiple arrests? I don't doubt you, but just curious who? Looking at JF, IIRC looks like he was arrested twice for assault and battery. I am just curious who Michigan offered that had a similar background.