Wish Demar Dorsey well!
I wish Demar Dorsey the best luck and success following this botched ordeal. The rest of you should as well. Actually, one of the best things that could happen for Michigan is that Demar stays out of trouble, as he has been, and attains great success as a college football player elswhere. Even continuing into the NFL. Maybe then the school will realize that people can change and deserve, at least, the opportunity to prove themselves. I have been a lifelong Michigan supporter. No I did not go to school there. Hell, I've never even been to the state. However, I have grown tired of the arrogance and elite attitude of the school. I understand that there is a standard and a reputation to uphold, but wouldn't Michigan be well served to give a young man a chance to better himself at their school. It's fairly apparent that all he wanted to do was distance himself from his past life and start anew in a better environment. Michigan denied him that opportunity. If the school got burned by Mr. Dorsey on the deal, then.....lesson learned. The school could then use that as backup for any future dealings of this sort. To not have any experience in this matter and shy away from a chance to prove it's understanding and ability to better people in its own way is ridiculous. Am I going to cheer less for the Wolverines after this, no. Have I lost some respect for the school and it's stuffy, old fashioned ways, yes. I don't want this to seem like I am ripping on the school here. I am only frustrated that, given the current state of the football team, Michigan couldn't find it in themselves to take one chance on a single young man to help the team. In the end it could, if successful, provide future opportunities for other young men like Mr. Dorsey and only help the public image of the university itself.
That being said, I wish Mr. Dorsey the absolute best in his academic and athletic endeavors. Hopefully he can show Michigan what is missed out on by not giving him an opportunity and possibly open the minds of the admissions staff.
I would love to hear your opinions on this matter as well. Thanks for letting me vent.
This Diary seems kind of random and dated at this point. The issue has certainly been well hashed out here and elsewhere.
As far as I can see the young man simply did not have a high school record sufficient for admission to the University of Michigan. We all admire a comeback story but he got his grades up in a questionable, non-standard program. We all certainly hope he succeeds but Michigan made the right decision based on the record as it was.
We will go into the season with the players we have and we will succeed. The true fans understand that and support the University of Michigan.
I understand your point. However, whether his means of getting his grades up was orthodox or not, he made the effort. He was doing his best to meet the standards he needed to. I am only upset that Michigan wouldn't meet him halfway on this. It just shows an unwillingness to let someone prove their worthiness. I disagree that it was the right decision. I don't see how it's a comeback story when he was never there to begin with. Maybe a coming of age story.
As far as being dated, this is a past, present, and future issue. Michigan could've set a precedent. As I said, if he failed, then the lesson is learned. How do you know until you try? All you'd be out is a scholarship player. That's the way it is now, regardless.
I am only frustrated that, given the current state of the football team, Michigan couldn't find it in themselves to take one chance on a single young man to help the team.
This becomes an issue when you have a 12 ACT and your grades suspiciously go from a D to straight A's within the span of a semester at a non-traditional vocational school. The relevance of how well the football team is doing should have no relevance as to the admission standards.
Ummmmm...welcome to MGoBlog. Stop posting diaries now, k thx.
I apologize for trying to have an intelligent conversation about an important issue. Next time I'll post an infantile MS Paint and small captions for you.
Never once did I say we, as fans, dislike him. I am only stating that the school could've used some more thought on what was at stake for the school as well as Mr. Dorsey. I would hope that the school would want the opportunity to help shape a productive member of society along with a great athlete.
This is a diary post. My chance to share a point of view with fellow M fans. It is not meant to provide earth shattering news for you and you alone. My point is to simply express my opinion on the Dorsey matter. If you're tired of talking about it, don't read it. Do you really have nothing else to do but cut down people who express their views without being completely cynical and providing mindless cartoons to do so?
Never once did I try to tell anyone how to run anything. I only state that there is a chance to help a kid and better the process in the meantime. None of this is an indictment of the schoold or Mr. Dorsey. It's only a statement of what I'd hoped could happen for a young man and a school.
Michigan is not simply holding someone to some arbitrary standards. Standards for high schoolers looking for admittance are there for a reason. Michigan is a highly competitive school with rigorous academic programs. Admissions needs to not only decide if a person has qualified to attend, but if they can succeed at a place that has such rigorous standards.
The university and athletic department can supply tutors and advisors and help any kid as much as they can. But at some point it comes down to trying to decide if that student can be a successful student at the University - this is why standards exist. In the case of Dorsey, it must have been determined that based on his academic record he could not be expected to succeed. Like I said, you can help many of those borderline cases get through, but lines have to be drawn somewhere.
When doing one's first mgodiary, there are a few behaviors that are probably best avoided:
1. Belaboring an old thread while adding nothing to it.
2. Telling everyone here what they "should" do.
3. A 330-word "paragraph."
4. Chronic misuse of punctuation.
5. Bitching about Michigan "arrogance" and "elite attitude."
Hope this helps.
Thanks for the critique. I'll take all your bullet points to heart when writing MY points of view. Seriously, I feel bad for anyone who posts anything around here. There is an unending amount of vultures just ready to tear apart anyone for having their own point of view and be willing to express it.
But I highly doubt that is the case here. I think many people have expressed similar views as you. Some did, and then changed their views as a torrent of information was provided by many members and, most significantly, Brian.
What is hurting you is that this has been substantially discussed around these parts. There were many better moments and opportunities to provide your opinion and probably in better ways. It sucks that you're posting something and immediately getting cut down, but it doesn't help you when you start off by calling Michigan arrogant, [strongly and perhaps a little rudely] implying many around here have the wrong view, and discussing something that has been discussed to such a degree.
This is a great place for information, and it doesn't hurt to have differing points of view. Just be respectful about it and don't come across like you did and you'll be alright. If you want to stick around these boards because of the great stuff it offers, I'd suggest probably taking a break because I don't think the negative criticism is going to cease soon. Take a week off, come back, and just comment on stuff and learn the ropes a little more. Just my suggestion.
By the way, thank you for just proving your hint #5 correct.
I also feel that this probably should have been a board post rather than a diary. The board is typically used for times of venting, basic discussion, and what not. Diaries tend to look further people's knowledge through stats, analysis, or a comprehensive gathering of information, such as the recruiting profiles Tim and TomVH typically put together.
As for the OP's comments - which has been discussed widely on these boards - I agree with some of his points and disagree with some others. While it's always nice to give a kid a second chance and yada yada yada, real life typically doesn't work that way, and typically for legit reasons. You say if it doesn't work out then it's just fine and dandy, lesson learned for Michigan, but that's not how it works. We already are desperate for people to stay academically eligible. Beyond looking out for Michigan's own needs, it is important that admissions believes that if Dorsey came to Michigan he could succeed. The worst thing that could happen for Dorsey would be for him to get accepted and be unable to meet the academic responsibilities. I think, in the end, the decision admissions made was lowest risk for both parties, and I think probably best in terms of risk/reward for both parties as well.
this probably would have been a better post for the mgoboard. We've already beaten this topic to death, and it's the type of thing most people were angered by but have already begun to move on from and forget about.
I think the majority of people are interested in keeping it that way.
I am so terribly sorry for bothering any of you with this thread. I was hoping to have a civilized conversation of like minded people about a topic that has me irritated. I guess people don't want that sort of crazy activity around here. It won't happen again. I throw myself at your mercy.
I wanted to have sex with Erin Andrews. Sadly, I didn't meet her standards.
Next?
dude, the more you keep trying to rationalize your points. The deeper the hole you are digging for yourself.
I am done. I will never look at this post again. Once again, I apologize. Thanks for the negbang.
em0 is that you?
Well, you certainly responded enough times to get negbanged into oblivion. First rule of MGoBlog: If you are getting crushed, stop responding. You will save yourself some points and some dignity.
Well, maybe this would be the second rule, with the first being: Don't post played-out topics in the diaries and pretend that you could possibly know what is better for the University than those that are paid to.
(That's sincere. Who wouldn't wish the kid the best?) Okay, now that that's over with ...
To suggest that somehow the admissions office had its collective mind closed is insulting to those folks. The red flags on Demar's academic turnaround went up like whoah. I would rather they not blindly look away at what was staring them in the face and say, "Aw screw it, he's a great athlete and didn't deserve the raw deal he got from the press. Let's let him in." That's not the admissions dept's job. It may be part of the deal in other places (ahem, Tuscaloosa), but not in Ann Arbor, and that statement is neither elitist nor arrogant. Doing it by the book may be old fashioned. And it may cost Michigan same great talent from time to time. But it sends the right message, and it's the way it should be done. It's no different than what coaches demand on the practice field. Here's the standard. This is the expectation. It's up to you to get there. This is what ordinary people face every day when they're reaching for something big, whether it's playing football for the University of Michigan, becoming a successful businessman or woman, becoming a great musician, or even becoming a great husband or wife or parent, and on and on. It's tough work.
Who's to say this isn't a great opportunity for the young man to realize a few things about himself beyond football, because he may never achieve great success as a college player. And it's even less likely the NFL is in his future (that's the case for the vast majority of D-1 players). If he has success as a football player, fine. But I wish him success as a person. Live a productive life. Contribute to his community and to his family. Playing on Sundays doesn't make him a success story. The other stuff does.
I'm just not sure how you know he was doing his best to meet the standards and I think Michigan actually set a precedent by not admitting him. It's actually refreshing to see for college athletics.
Michigan stood to lose more than they could gain from this situation if he did get into trouble again. Especially in the midst of all these other ncaa issues, etc. They made a call with the University's best interest in mind and you can't fault them for that.
Haha Garnett was in a code red...so great, great game 7 tonight.
the dumbest and most pointless post on MgoBlog ever.
We are all disapointed and mad about the Demar Dorsey situation. He would have helped our team tremendously and would have hopefully thrived in Ann Arbor.
Having said that, I would not call this a "botched" situation. I defer to the university on this one. Many players before him have fallen victim to the same results, however Dorsey's situation came to the forefront due to the publicity he received when getting recruited and due to the overall media blasting of the Rich Rodriguez era. Additionally, blogs, tweets and facebook are more popular than they ever were before.
I feel bad for Dorsey, but he knew from day 1 that it would've been tough for him to get into UofM. The kid signed an LOI at Juco and barely qualified for the NCAA minimums.
Don't blame the University and our arrogance....I can assure you that plenty of "borderline" players are admitted because of their 40 time, not because of their grades.
Having said that, I can assure you that everyone in the Michigan fanbase is sad to have lost Demar to grades and that we all wish him well. He will certainly be my favorite player that doesn't wear the winged helmet.
But you, sir, win the award for the dumbest and most pointless diary in the history of MGoBlog.
Well said.
The only thing I would add is we applaud Demar for the work he has done to pull himself up in addition wishing him continued success.
What happened to Demar?
/sarcasm
In a case like Demar Dorsey's, or someone else in a similar situation where their grades aren't at the level they need to be when they're recruited, does the university just hope for the best? They must be aware that there's a chance he won't make grades - is it a wait-and-see type of situation where they proceed cautiously, knowing matriculation may not happen?
Also, just wanted to say that having just met a group of football players over the weekend, I was so impressed with their level of maturity and discourse. We at the university should feel proud of our athletes, and not just their athletic ability and what they achieve on the field, but what they achieve in the classroom and later in life as well.
absolutely wrong. Demar Dorsey denied HIMSELF from attending UM. Like i have said in many previous postings. It is about time the university stepped up and took stance. He scraped by in high school. Why should he gain acceptance into Michigan?? I thought michigan was all mighty and didnt accept mediocre students?
I stopped commenting and replying for a while to see if this would stop. I'd remove the post if I could. I even said I was done. Will you people let it die? No. So I will say it one more time. I am done posting on this thread. I will defer to all of you who say that I am wrong. Since you obviously have to be right for voting me down and tearing apart everything I said. I am so terribly sorry that my opinion clashed with yours. It will never happen again. Next time just let me know what my opinion should be and that's what I'll type. It's my opinion and view people. I thought I might be able to say what I was thinking in a free forum, on the internet, from a free country. I guess I was wrong.
tl;dr
I haven't been able to figure out what "tl;dr" means. Can you please help me out?
too long; didn't read
Thank you.
Read what I said earlier, your opinion isn't why you're getting negged. The reason is because your acting hostile, argumentitive, and now just completely melting down. If you would have read a few posts above they say just stay away for a while, but you keep posting and digging the hole deeper. Now you're just melting down and people find it funny, because, well, it's kind of funny.
By the way, you are free to type your opinion on a free forum, on the internet, from a free country. People also have the right to disagree with you. mgopoints mean very little. Brian has the right to make mgopoints mean very minimal. Essentially, you are no longer able to make diaries and board topics because you apparently aren't meeting a certain standard Brian has set for the board and forum. If you add to the community in a half way decent way, you will once again gain that privilege. Don't worry though, you are still free to express your opinion on this site by commenting on posts, diaries, and on the boards.
For someone who has enough points and the will to post a diary, you seem to have very little information on the Dorsey deal. I recommend learning about what really happened and who exactly screwed up.
the First Amendment. Nobody's stopping you from saying anything. You're getting negged not for your opinion on Dorsey, per say, but for the manner in which you presented everything and your callous denouncing of all Michigan people.
Now of course since you decided to write this sarcastic caustic response due to the negbang rather than take it like a man, you'll probably get negged further. Thanks for playing.
You previously said in your last post that you weren't going to post again, did you forget that?
This whole negbang debacle reminds me of the detention exchange between Bender and Principal Vernon. So yes, if you mess the bull you'll get the horns but if you keep the faith and write more constructive points maybe, just maybe, you'll get to take Molly Ringwald home for the night..
Wow, I'm almost afraid to comment after what's happened to this poor guy.
I too wish Dorsey the best, but the proper decision was made here. It's what's best for both parties.
Gotta admit though. Woulda been nice to see him in a winged helmet.
It sounds an awful lot like the pot calling the kettle black when you call people from Michigan arrogant. Who are you to say to the admissions office of a top 3 public university, you should completely ignore your admissions standards to admit this kid who has dropped out of his school, had legal issues in the past, and comes no where close to the standard of admissions for any other applicant. Do you understand how bad an 18 is on the ACT? And every report states that his score JUMPED to 18 after previously being much lower. the middle 50 percent admitted to Michigan score about a 30 on the ACT and have about a 3.6 gpa. I am not saying DD is not a changed person or a good or bad kid, but the honest truth is that he would not have been able to succeed at Michigan. In recent years you have seen this problem with Mike Milano, Boubacar Cissoko, and Justin Feagin. How has the admissions office lowering their standards and giving out "chances" payed off in recent history at all? The university has REALLY helped its image by admitting kids who had no business being admitted through all of the headlines on ESPN about kids getting kicked out for drug trafficking or academic issues. And maybe we would be having a different conversation if we were 11-1 last year or even 9-3, but we werent. I completely disagree with your opinion and I think that the only mistake that was made by Michigan was not seeing the personal, legal, and academic issues before they okayed a scholarship to be offered. Also, you need to understand that Michigan is not just considering admitting or not admitting Demar, they are considering whether or not they should spend 150,000$ by paying for his time at UM not to mention his books, room, travel, and food costs. Not all superstars are troubled either. Look at any interview with Timmy Jernigan, Kris Frost, or Dee Hart for that matter and you can see that they are composed and talk about the importance of being strong in the class room as well as the field. These are the types of kids we should be offering scholarships to.
You are part of the old school Bo contingent who won't let go of the past and lend your support to the current staff. You are clinging to the memory of a ghost. I respected Bo as much as you do. I'm sorry, but his style of game is becoming a thing of the past and in no way fits the style of play being employed by RR.