Six days after trashing the program, the Freep has finally published an article providing some of the vital context that should have been in the original article. The discussion was on countable and voluntary hours, and they also touched on the 2006 survey, and the article includes this mind-blowingly infuriating statement (because it should have been in the original allegations):
"Player 1 worked 45 hours on football last week.
But his coach required him to work only 20 hours.
No violation. It's that simple. But not really, as the firestorm that has erupted in Ann Arbor shows.
There are variables that can mush up the calculations. For instance, the NCAA, which governs college sports, counts some hours, and not others, toward its rule limits.
And within those limits is a loophole: Players can put in as many hours as they please, assuming they do so voluntarily.
The debate emerging from a Free Press report last Sunday is: What did Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez require of his players? "
None of this was in the miscarriage of journalism last Sunday.
That's like telling a guy his fiancee's a prostitute a week before their wedding, and then on the day of saying, "Well, someone once saw her walking around downtown at night with a few of her friends. Enjoy your wedding!"
Awesome, Free Press, just awesome.
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