Matt Falcon Status
Falcon offered a medical meaning U-M would keep him on scholarship academically, but he would not be able to play: http://t.co/6WE1oLYXkC
— Allen Trieu (@AllenTrieu) October 19, 2015
October 19th, 2015 at 11:56 AM ^
Ugh...
October 19th, 2015 at 12:02 PM ^
October 19th, 2015 at 12:07 PM ^
Because it reminds me of something Urban did before that I thought was scummy.
Also, can you edit the title to get the name right?
October 19th, 2015 at 12:10 PM ^
The OSU kid showed up to practice and Urban pulled the medical. This is nothing like that what so ever. He has other offers and 8 months to make a decision on college. Good one though.
October 19th, 2015 at 1:35 PM ^
Religion invented hypocrisy, but sports perfected it.
October 19th, 2015 at 3:51 PM ^
dude, no polo and no rolo. Them's the rules. I am not sure what you stand to gain or offer by making this comment.
October 19th, 2015 at 7:15 PM ^
He's a buckeye fan, that explains a lot.
October 19th, 2015 at 4:48 PM ^
This is what it takes to compete and win national titles these days. We can lie to ourselves and say this is nothing like what OSU did (we are pulling a football scholarship without UM doctor's evaluation/ OSU waited for their doctor's to evaluate) but I believe this is about Kareem Walker. If this is what we have to do to get the #1 RB, I'm okay with it.
October 19th, 2015 at 4:57 PM ^
good try though.
October 19th, 2015 at 8:37 PM ^
It isn't the greatest thing to do, but they are giving Falcon more than enough time to find another landing spot, and he has a great fallback if he really can't find another place to play football.
October 19th, 2015 at 12:18 PM ^
Not the sharpest tool in the shed, are you?
October 19th, 2015 at 12:23 PM ^
I still don't see the situations as drastically different. Yes, Falcon now has a chance to switch schools, but Harbaugh has still taken away the possibility of playing for Michigan.
I love Harbaugh and I understand why he did it, but it still feels too close to the Urban situation for my liking.
October 19th, 2015 at 12:29 PM ^
October 19th, 2015 at 12:34 PM ^
No, because Hatch was given the opportunity to play. He even scored a couple points. But it was clear that he was no longer able to play competitively in the Big Ten.
October 19th, 2015 at 12:51 PM ^
Yes, but not really. It was always the understanding that if Michigan needed that scholarship, he'd go to medical. We just had one open that year and Hatch got to stay on the team for one season. There was never an intent for him to stay on, which is why he wasn't redshirted. He got some garbage time play, sunk a free throw, and it was great. But basketball is also different than football, and Hatch was told beforehand that this would be the plan, just like with Falcon, so if he wanted to go to a smaller school and play, he could. He chose Michigan knowing full well he'd be on medical scholarship and never a real contributing member on the team.
Maybe that was easier for Hatch to accept since he was in a freaking plane crash and lucky to be alive, but the circumstances aren't all that different. Would it really be better (or even different) if Harbaugh let Falcon get 2 carries against Delaware State before putting on a medical?
You can't officially put a player on a medical hardship before he enrolls anyway (as far as I undertstand it) so if Michigan happens to have an open scholarship next fall (like they did with Hatch) he can technically be on the team for one season without it affecting anyone. Would that make it OK with you? Because, that's still really not any different.
October 19th, 2015 at 12:58 PM ^
Very solid point.
Much to my delight, I have been proven wrong in my skepticism of the move.
October 19th, 2015 at 1:22 PM ^
The specter of Bolivia will do that to a man...makes him wise up right quick.
I once bedded a Bolivian man...
October 19th, 2015 at 1:31 PM ^
Persuasive arguments will as well.
October 19th, 2015 at 1:42 PM ^
It sounds like there should be a punch line coming next.
October 19th, 2015 at 12:53 PM ^
Harbaugh's offering Falcon a free Michigan education in return for, well, nothing. It's quite an honorable thing to do. Harbaugh's keeping his promise to the kid, even though he doesn't think Falcon is physically capable of fulfilling his part of the agreement.
If Falcon is more interested in an opportunity to play football, he's free to go elsewhere. No hard feelings.
October 19th, 2015 at 1:36 PM ^
Well said.
October 19th, 2015 at 2:18 PM ^
Hmm, last I checked there's other ways to make a team and get playing time. Glasgow brothers? If anything this kid has an advantage because they are still honoring his scholarship. He can probably walk on if he wants.
October 19th, 2015 at 3:18 PM ^
He could pay for his own school and ask to walk on, but that would also be up to the coach.
If they pay for his school he is done playing football.
October 19th, 2015 at 12:53 PM ^
This is much better then <inset coach here> cooled on him or slow played him. He has 8 months to find somewhere to play, Meyer told Dean like 3 months after signing day, not even comparable IMO. If he can't find a scholly anywhere else he can still come to Michigan for free, I don't know what else he could expect.
October 19th, 2015 at 5:00 PM ^
physical over a month before signing day and was told then.
Dean tried to get outside help to clear him. OSU Dr.'s weren't swayed. News broke to public after signing day but that doesn't change the actual timeline as to what happened.
October 19th, 2015 at 1:40 PM ^
So UM is offering to pay this guy's way through UM for four years and ask nothing in return from Falcon, and that seems to be dirty and exploitive to you? He can come here and spend four years having fun and not have to pay? Sounds just aweful!
October 19th, 2015 at 2:41 PM ^
October 19th, 2015 at 2:51 PM ^
More than one of the posts above explain why the Falcon thing is not even close to comparable to what what Meyer did to Dean.
October 19th, 2015 at 4:57 PM ^
I still don't get the reasoning behind the difference. Does it make it better that we pulled his scholarship before our doctor's even looked at his knee? OSU could argue that at least they were willing to wait and let their doctor's take a look at his knee and the only reason UM is pulling the football scholarship is to lure away an OSU commit. Both schools offered to pay for the player's college education.
I guess I can see a slight difference, but which one is better? You could argue either way. I'm probably in the minority here because I didn't think it was slimy when Meyer did it, because that's what all the top notch programs do. Harbaugh isn't here for a conference title every once and a while, here's here for a dynasty and to get their it's not always going to be pretty. With all the attention we are getting now, I have a feeling this is the first and not the last player committed to this class that won't be a part of the team come nsd.
October 19th, 2015 at 5:13 PM ^
You have no reason to say we pulled the football scholarship to lure in an OSU commit. That's completely conjection on your part based on absolutely nothing. The timing doesn't even work out, since Falcon was told this before Walker's visit.
The reason the OSU situation is worse is because the kid was left high and dry after signing day. This was after official visits and the whole recruiting process, and after the kid moved away from home. That's a lot. Falcon now has a number of months to see what his other options are and make a decision. It also gives him time to rehab and possibly (though unlikely) prove the Michigan coaches wrong. If come March or April Falcon is running and cutting well and MIchigan has an open scholarship (and Falcon hasn't signed his medical hardship waiver yet) he might get a shot.
If Michigan has a spot open in this class, they can always give it to Falcon if he's somewhat healthy and if they feel the same way that they do now, medical him then.
October 19th, 2015 at 10:38 PM ^
October 20th, 2015 at 8:31 AM ^
There's absolutely nothing wrong with what Harbaugh is doing. The football program has no requirement or moral obligation to allow a player onto the team who has not signed any financial aid agreements or a National Letter of Intent. Furthermore, there appears to be a very good chance that the player - who has no official connection to the university - would not be able to fulfill his role as a football player.
Some of you people act as if players are owed some unending gratitude just because they say, "Yeah, coach, I want to play for you."
October 20th, 2015 at 10:19 AM ^
It isn't about what is owed. It's about what is the right thing to do.
Unless you know the kid can't play again (and we have have plenty of folks on the team playing after torn ACLs, and we haven't had a doctor look at him, and and least one other doctor says he can come back) - you give him the chance.
...but football recruiting is scummy and everyone does it, so I guess that is just how it is.
October 20th, 2015 at 10:54 AM ^
The "right thing to do" is not necessarily to jeopardize an existing scholarship on your roster just because some poor kid who's good at football got hurt (for the third time). The right thing to do could very well be awarding that scholarship to someone who is just as deserving but also does not have an injury history.
For every scholarship that is taken away from one player, there is another player who is the recipient of good news.
Furthermore, Falcon is still being given the opportunity for a free education. I don't see how that's the wrong thing to do.
October 20th, 2015 at 12:11 PM ^
This is just someplace where we ethically disagree.
...but, as I said - the whole system is a hive of scum.
October 20th, 2015 at 1:29 PM ^
It's odd to take YOUR ethics and think that the whole world should abide by them, when clearly there are plenty of people (not just me) who disagree.
October 20th, 2015 at 3:39 PM ^
All ethics are subjective and personal. Everyone thinks their ethics are correct - or they wouldn't adhere to that ethical framework.
It's not odd for someone to think their ethics are correct and everyone who disagrees is wrong - it's the most common thing in the world.
You don't think your own ethical framework is wrong, do you?
October 22nd, 2015 at 7:18 PM ^
No, I don't think my ethical framework is wrong. But I certainly realize there's more than one way to approach a situation, and this is one of those times. You may not choose to do it Harbaugh's way, but that doesn't mean your way is the "right" way.
October 19th, 2015 at 1:40 PM ^
So UM is offering to pay this guy's way through UM for four years and ask nothing in return from Falcon, and that seems to be dirty and exploitive to you? He can come here and spend four years having fun and not have to pay? Sounds just aweful!
October 19th, 2015 at 3:02 PM ^
Well...... I would have loved four free years of a college education. Nothiing slimey about that.
October 19th, 2015 at 8:40 PM ^
But he didn't. All Harbaugh gave Falcon was a scholarship offer to play at UM; if he really is as injured as people think, he'd probably never see the field except in mop-up duties. Now, if that's his dream to run onto that field in the uniform, then yeah that sucks. But playing for UM is never assured, and at least here Falcon is given a chance to look elsewhere.
October 19th, 2015 at 2:54 PM ^
I don't see how this can be characterized as a negative. It's the type of decision by someone who realizes; 1. How hard it is to make it to the NFL; 2. How short the average playing career is if one makes it to the league in the first place; 3. Life goes on long after you get done playing football; 4. A degree from a school like Michigan has transitive value that will last a lifetime. This scholarship accomplishes the goal of receiving a free education from one of the greatest public universities on the planet. Unless you have a transcendent career in the NFL and are able to parlay that into another post-playing career as a talking head or infotainer, the decision seems like an easy one.
This seems rather similar to the Ondre Pipkins issue prior to this season. Harbaugh is looking out for the long-term physical health and welfare of these young men, many of whom will never make a dollar by playing football.
Sometimes the truth is painful in the short-term. However, by being honest up-front, Coach Harbaugh is making it clear where he stands on the issue of student athletes. These young men are students first, athletes second. A medical scholarship is provided to the student even if he doesn't ever play a down as an athlete. Think about that... Matt Falcon will never provide any sort of material advantage to the University of Michigan football team, but Coach Harbaugh will still provide a scholarship to the student because of a prior promise.
October 19th, 2015 at 12:26 PM ^
Harbaugh offered this kid four years of free education at the University of Michigan to not play football because it would risk injuring his knee further. Exactly how is that "scummy?"
October 19th, 2015 at 12:56 PM ^
I wish somebody would treat my kids that scummy. Hey, they are really BAD, BAD kids Jimbo. Pay for them to go to grad school too!
That'll fix em.
October 19th, 2015 at 1:07 PM ^
It's only scummy when Urban does it duhh
October 19th, 2015 at 1:45 PM ^
Sweet handle, brah.
October 19th, 2015 at 2:16 PM ^
What? Meyer offered this kid four years of free education at the Ohio State University to not play football because it would risk injuring his knee further. Exactly how is that "scummy?"
For the record, it's not scummy. And if Falcon chooses to not play, and attend Michigan as a student, good for him. But if he gets a second opinion, and then plays for someone else who will give him a football scholarship (Auburn/Dean) then how is it terribly different?
"I would have to sign a waiver saying I can't play even though top surgeons told me, my family and Coach Harbaugh I will be able to get back on the field and play at a high level."
Literally sounds exactly like what Jamel Dean said. And in regards to the timing, OSU didn't medical Dean until they got him on campus and tested the knee. Sounds like Michigan is "medicaling" Falcon before he even gets on campus. Maybe it's because they're already projected to be over the scholarship limit and there's a running back in New Jersey they would love to add to the class. Or maybe it's because they truly believe he can't play football anymore.
I guess it depends on who you root for, huh?
October 19th, 2015 at 2:24 PM ^
Thank goodness you're here to monitor our logic and fact stretching Jon Ross. It's very important that Michigan fans view Urban Meyer as the good guy you know he is after all. For such a fairhanded fellow there can be no doubt you're also doing the same thing keeping the lunacy of your monkeys on 11W in check when they twist every last thing about Michigan? God bless you.
October 19th, 2015 at 2:34 PM ^
I don't comment on 11W because they're mostly insane. I read the articles. The only OSU fans I interact with are at OTE.
I, quite frankly, don't give a fuck about your opinion on Urban Meyer. Think whatever you want. If you're talking about OSU over here, I read and generally reply to those comments about OSU.
October 19th, 2015 at 3:18 PM ^
Fuck off