Michigan Defensive Back Tyler Cochran pulls no punches on "incompetent" Schlissel
Go get 'em hot shot! Between Warde and Mark, we have a clown show of administrators. Let's bring in some that care about sports, care about winning, and will stand up for our teams when they get screwed.
August 12th, 2020 at 10:12 PM ^
Should he speak to every sport impacted? Or every organization? Or just the one that makes the most money while alienating everyone else in the university community? Personally, my guess is he has more important things to figure out during this unprecedented time and he has leaders underneath him to communicate decisions on a more personal level.
August 12th, 2020 at 10:36 PM ^
He should speak to all of the sports impacted. I get that he doesn't have to, but it would be the correct and courteous thing to do. Not necessarily every player, like I said earlier, but team representatives.
Part of good leadership is communicating with your minions. Yeah, you can choose to do that through intermediaries, but you lose some respect that way.
August 12th, 2020 at 10:42 PM ^
Fully agree. That was poor form. The other thing I would say is that he should absolutely more of a responsibility to do that to the ones who bring in a boatload of money to the university and who cannot just leave (like any other student could) for another school if they don’t like it.
August 12th, 2020 at 11:39 PM ^
Should he also bring a bag of cash to all the ones who bring in the boatloads of money to ease their pain a little?
August 13th, 2020 at 12:35 AM ^
Can we do that? Well, hell, he might as well then!
August 13th, 2020 at 1:16 AM ^
No, if he responds to anyone (which he doesn’t need too), he should respond to all the employees who have been laid off or lost their jobs first. Followed by the staff that had to take mandatory pay cuts. But since the don’t bring you entertainment on Saturday, they don’t matter. The point is, this is WAY bigger than football.
August 13th, 2020 at 12:45 AM ^
Should he speak to every sport impacted?
Yes, he should. At least record a message explaining the logic behind this. Leadership is being accountable. Even if he personally didn't make the decision, it was made in his name as our university president.
August 12th, 2020 at 10:07 PM ^
That football people are still claiming you should play a contact sport during a pandemic that requires social distancing tells you a lot why we don’t put football people in charge of public health. His reasoning is self-centered and illogical.
August 13th, 2020 at 12:29 AM ^
Everyone who was going to take the field was going to be monitored first. That's the part of this that people are overlooking.
If it's true that we've had 353 consecutive negative tests in the football program, it's a fair question whether they'll be any less likely to contract COVID now that they're going to be under much less supervision.
August 12th, 2020 at 10:08 PM ^
That football people are still claiming you should play a contact sport during a pandemic that requires social distancing tells you a lot why we don’t put football people in charge of public health. His reasoning is self-centered and illogical.
August 12th, 2020 at 11:08 PM ^
Go Tyler...
B10 released a schedule, then cancels a week later, with no clear reason why.
Pure clown show imo. I hope the 3 remaining conferences have good seasons.
August 12th, 2020 at 11:20 PM ^
Schlissel is an immunologist.
Tyler Cochran is a (possibly) soon to be former walk on football player.
Go talk to Brady Feeny about his currently ongoing battle with COVID.
August 12th, 2020 at 11:36 PM ^
I would also encourage him to talk to my friend who had COVID. Mind you, my friend is completely fine, but while he’s talking to people, he should talk to several...
August 13th, 2020 at 1:18 AM ^
Glad your friend is alright.
160k+ other Americans wish they could say that.
August 12th, 2020 at 11:41 PM ^
"I want to play, but I truly believe that we need it to be safe. Information on my medical history with Covid-19 is widely available,'' he said in a tweet.
https://www.si.com/college/indiana/football/brady-feeney-speaks-out-we-want-to-play
Seems like Feeney and Cochrane want the same thing.
August 13th, 2020 at 12:09 AM ^
Huh... well... that is... something.
August 13th, 2020 at 12:14 AM ^
Yep. Not a good look for us when players question experts.
August 12th, 2020 at 11:38 PM ^
Wait, do you mean that the immunologist put the university ahead of the football team? You mean Michigan could cancel football forever and still be one of the best universities in the world?
Football is a thing we do for fun. But, the football team doesn't make the university. It's not why the university is known. The football team is what it is because of the university and the community it created.
August 12th, 2020 at 11:45 PM ^
I think "incompetent" was a particularly poor choice of words, but Cochran is certainly entitled to voice his opinion, and I think he and his teammates deserved a face-to-face, or social distancing-appropriate equivalent, explanation from Schlissel of the factors leading to the decision.
Sorry for the lack of politics and name calling, they seem to be a requirement in this thread.
August 13th, 2020 at 12:04 AM ^
The responsibility for that face-to-face falls squarely on the AD and Head Coach. The AD was highly involved discussing the options and providing Schlissel input. Once the vote and decision is made, it’s Warde’s responsibility to sit down with Harbaugh and both of their responsibility to address the team.
Warde ranks somewhere on the second set of five fingers in importance to Schlissel. I know it is hard for football fans to understand this, but the first people Schlissel cares about in no particular order are:
- the general student body
- the Director of Development (fundraising)
- the large donors
- the director of admissions
- the trustees
- the Heads of Academics for the undergrad school
- the Heads of the graduate schools
- the head of the hospital
- the head of the patent office and accompanying lawyers
- the manager of the endowment
I was wrong, the AD doesn’t even rank on fingers and thumbs. He may be the little toe on the first foot.
August 13th, 2020 at 12:37 AM ^
And honestly so much of that list - while surely pretty close to accurate - is what’s wrong. What’s not on that list? The THOUSANDS of people who work for the university without whom none of the rest function. Sad, but true.
August 13th, 2020 at 1:10 AM ^
Typically the day-to-day responsibility for engaging all of the people who make up the institution falls on the vice-president/provost (whatever term the school uses for “second-in-charge”).
August 13th, 2020 at 9:19 AM ^
Do faculty deserve a face-to-face, or social distancing-appropriate equivalent, explanation from Schlissel?
Do staff deserve a face-to-face, or social distancing-appropriate equivalent, explanation from Schlissel?
Do students deserve a face-to-face, or social distancing-appropriate equivalent, explanation from Schlissel?
Does every other sports team deserve a face-to-face, or social distancing-appropriate equivalent, explanation from Schlissel?
Or are the football team entitled?
August 13th, 2020 at 12:00 AM ^
I still maintain the players would have been better off playing football. They would get tested often, have close monitoring and would be more disciplined to not go off an party, since they know such actions would harm the team, if they get sick and brought COVID back to practice. Now you will have players going out all weekend and partying down. Many will get COVID and some may not even know they have it and go off and infect their family members. And all the secondary heart, kidney, lungs and liver problems may fester and become a huge problems without players knowing they had caught the virus with little or no symptoms. When the Big 12, SEC and ACC have a successful season, the B1G and PAC 12 will be looking very foolish! This will really hurt Michigan recruiting as we will always be a 4 loss per season team. This may force Harbaugh to jump to the NFL next season.
August 13th, 2020 at 12:31 AM ^
There have been NFL players posting on social media from nightclubs. Players on at least one MLB teams snuck out to a club and got infected leading to the infection of teammates and the postponement of many games.
If the guys who’s livelihood is on the line are willing to put themselves and teammates at risk, do you expect 100% of college kids to make better decisions?
August 13th, 2020 at 10:26 AM ^
You’ve identified the problem, but you’re ignoring it. You and Harbaugh are correct that the football players would likely benefit from the team’s organized approach during the season, but that’s not the problem. The problem is that the university is going to have students on campus at all — the whole damn thing is insane. People are going to make bad decisions. This is true even in countries that have successfully controlled the spread, but here in the US we have not done so. That’s just a fact.
The university is moving forward and it is going to try to create a closed environment, to make contact tracing effective. I think it is folly, but I understand why it has to happen. If anyone can do it, it’s Michigan.
In sum, the question isn’t whether the football team can complete its season with students on campus, the question is whether the university can complete its semester with students on campus.
I can think of ways a season could have happened, like playing every two weeks and having the team isolate for the first week after each game. But even that blows up if the campus has to shut down.
August 13th, 2020 at 12:22 AM ^
Good for him, this not playing is soft. Football itself has risks associated with it. I’m really not convinced that with all of the precautions the team takes that there’s much more risk.
Give the kids the option to opt-out, but if the parents and players feel comfortable PLAY THE GAMES.
August 13th, 2020 at 7:32 AM ^
The problem with a contagious disease is the risk isn't limited to just those that engage in the risky behavior, the risk gets extended to everyone. This becomes especially problematic when the disease carries a much higher risk to some than to others. If my risk of dying from a disease is 0.001% I may be fine with accepting that risk, but what if that same disease has a 2% chance of killing someone else? This is the situation we are in.
August 13th, 2020 at 12:24 AM ^
Honestly feel for him and I get he’s frustrated. But he’s wrong. This is one of things where you type it up and then just don’t hit send.
The people in this thread acting like Schlissel is a moron is mind boggling. He’s the president of the university and he’s been a damn good one. You’re just a fan (with a much shittier resume and no authority) who wants to watch football so bad you don’t even see what’s going on.
Schlissel isn’t the only person to vote for no football. A bunch of ADs did. Pro leagues are having difficulties. You have to take emotion out of it and look at it objectively. As a fan you want football come hell or high water and damn everything else. The people making these decisions have to live with the consequences, you don’t.
August 13th, 2020 at 1:17 AM ^
He's a moron.
August 13th, 2020 at 1:09 AM ^
Who the fuck are you?
August 13th, 2020 at 8:30 AM ^
That's a hell of a way to say "OK Boomer"
August 13th, 2020 at 9:19 AM ^
Its sad for him but he also doesn't get to make that decision for a reason.
I for one am glad we have a president whose primary concern isn't sports, that is how you get PSU.
August 13th, 2020 at 12:07 PM ^
I get the anger and frustration. But it's misdirected.
Asserting that the President acted out of incompetence, or any degree of indifference or malice for the student athletes is absolutely the wrong take away here.
Yes, he has a fiduciary responsibility too not to get the UofM sued. His decision was not an easy one, and it's going to follow him for the rest of his life too.
This is unprecedented stuff we're all dealing with. A lot of windows are closing for people and major life opportunities lost. I know a good friend whose fiance is still in London, and he's in Texas. They were supposed to get married in June. They broke up.
It's a great lesson for all of us to learn to cope with failure, disappointment, and loss - even when it's not our fault - and to live life differently going forward. Blaming others gets you no where, and makes you bitter that you might miss the next window opening.
I disagree with attacking Schlissel on this issue in writing, and to do so passive aggressively to the media, or blaming him for ruining your life and career. That's not what adults do.
Just my opinion.
August 13th, 2020 at 12:46 PM ^
Agree in full.
August 13th, 2020 at 3:25 PM ^
Of course the players and coaches opinion's shouldn't be considered. It's asinine to think they should when it comes to something like this. Incredibly stupid statement on his part, but his frontal lobe likely hasn't fully developed yet, which is why younger folk tend to be more rash.
August 14th, 2020 at 11:49 PM ^
Lil Dick Schlissel