Braylon dropping some hints in Angelique article

Submitted by Six Zero on

Angelique's piece on Braylon talks mostly about the #1 jersey and his relationship with Coach Hoke... but there's some interesting hints that he wasn't afraid to let out as well:

"I had  great time," Edwards said of his visit to Schembechler Hall last weekend. "It was like home again. Brady's door was open, he was on the phone, told the person he'd call him back and he gave me a big hug. (Running backs coach) Freddie Jackson (entering his 20th season as a Michigan assistant) is the last of the dinosaurs there. He's happy again. It's pretty exciting.

Read the complete article here.

Bando Calrissian

April 15th, 2011 at 4:15 PM ^

It's been so interesting to watch the MGoUniverse turn on Braylon with such amazing vitriol.

Don't like what he's doing?  Go put your mark on Michigan football history and endow a scholarship of your own.  As far as I know, there aren't too many other former players out there who have done that for Michigan.

Section 1

April 15th, 2011 at 5:39 PM ^

Jerry Hanlon, Tom Harmon, Jim Mandich, Lloyd Carr, David Brandon, Garvie Craw, Bob Ufer, Roger Zatkoff, Fritz Seyferth and Tom Maentz are just a few of the former players, coaches and others who have donated some form of football scholarship endowment.  There are many more.  Of course, few people know of what they've done, outside of the Athletic Department, because none of them have made a big deal about "their" scholarships in the press.  If there are any with the weird kinds of implied conditions that we see in the case of the Braylon scholarship, I'm not aware of them.

Braylon, as you know, existed in a world of almost limitless adulation.  Until his own actions drew him into infamy:

  • Arrest number one (assault) in Cleveland;
  • Arrest number two (reckless driving) in suburban Ohio;
  • "Loyd Carr's University of Michigan"
  • The juridictional games in his paternity lawsuit;
  • "He's beyond the hot seat"
  • "President of the Fire Rodriguez Committee" (Denied by Braylon and Stan -- falsely?)
  • Arrest number three (DUI) in New Jersey

Unlike you, I'm not at all amazed that people watch what Braylon does, listen to what he says, and judge him accordingly. 

SysMark

April 15th, 2011 at 6:33 PM ^

Good point. Don't forget, it wasn't just tucked in his sweatpants, he freaking shot himself in the leg, which tends to draw even more attention than a blacked-out SUV rolling erratically through empty Manhattan streets in the middle of the night.

Speaking of which I heard recently that our favorite sparty pass catcher is getting out soon

Section 1

April 15th, 2011 at 6:45 PM ^

was "Free Plaxico Burress" in the Wall Street Journal, of all places.

And beneath the headline was a cogent, clear-eyed, well-crafted legal argument that the New York handgun law under which Plaxi was convicted, was unconstitutional.  There could be a plausible argument that Braylon should be closer to jail, than Plaxi.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122835270947177981.html

SysMark

April 15th, 2011 at 6:57 PM ^

You could argue that Braylon was more of a menace to the public with his 2 ton steel gasoline and alcohol fueled weapon...and I agree that the NYC handgun law is more political theater than meaningful deterrent.  The thing with Plaxico is, of course, that he never would have been caught if he not discharged the gun in a crowded nightclub.  He shot himself!  Who does that?!!

Amazingly, and sadly I suppose, Plax might have been back on the field that season if he had not injured himself with the gun...that's really what he was suspended for   Braylon was back playing the same week.  Oh, yeah, Braylon sat out a quarter.  Rex Ryan must have attended the same school of sports discipline and ethics as Jim Tressel.

Section 1

April 15th, 2011 at 6:15 PM ^

About the Braylon Edwards Foundation Scholarship for Football...

I don't believe that there is any formal condition at all, that would interfere with coaching decisions and football operations.  I don't believe that Lloyd Carr, or any Michigan Athletic Director, or President Coleman, or any Regent, would ever agree to such a condition.  In a word, it is surely an urban legend, that there is some kind of Braylon Scholarship that formally limits who gets to wear the Number 1 jersey.  If tomorrow, Brady Hoke wanted to assign that number to a placekicker or a quarterback, he legally could.  And the only basis for the tax status of Braylon's original donation is that it is irrevocable.  The Number 1 designation is a purely informal understanding.

Which only makes it all the more odd that instead of handling his own "informal" understanding informally with Rich Rodriguez and the Athletic Department, Braylon chose to take his gripe to the press.

Louie C

April 15th, 2011 at 6:17 PM ^

Because according to Obi-Wan, only they deal in absolutes. I've seen a number of your posts go to the tune of "If you don't like it...." which seems rather absolute to me. I absolutely loved what he did on and off  the field for the university, but his actions in the media and on the police blotter not so much. Do you see Long, Hart, Henne, Dez, Chuck or any other award winning/record breaking former athlete being a media blowhard holding  their number hostage because they donate money and feel that no other player is "worthy" of it. Sorry but he can gtfo with that shit. I wonder what AC and David Terrelle think of his antics.

michfan4borw

April 17th, 2011 at 1:59 PM ^

plenty of alumni give to the school and help its progress w/o having to talk garbage and needing--I repeat NEEDING--the spotlight. 

No person or player or coach is bigger than the team.  That's the tradition that Braylon claims the current team doesn't understand. 

can anyone say "hypocrite"?

Tater

April 15th, 2011 at 4:59 PM ^

On the plus side, Braylon was one of the most exciting players to wear the Maize and Blue.  And it is very classy of him to give back to the school.  

The problem I have is that there are tons of wealthy donors out there who have given back to the school, and none of them are allowed to make decisions affecting the departments to which they contribute.  Imagine what would happen if every wealthy donor to contributes to the football program suddenly is allowed to dictate policy to the coaching staff, or everyone who contributes to the hospital gets to make decisions on research grants or hiring doctors. 

Also, it's obvious that Braylon's Carr-tel status still makes him think he should have an axe to grind against the person he helped run out of town.  It would be a lot classier of him to just let it go.  I think it's great that that alums are pro-Hoke and everyone is on the same page again.  It's great for the program.  But it can be done without the petty media sniping.  

 

SysMark

April 15th, 2011 at 6:28 PM ^

Does Anthony Carter try to force his way into having a say in this?  He is the first, best by a wide margin, and definitive No. 1 jersey wearer.  Braylon is not even in 2nd place, or 3rd.

He is however possibly the most self-centered player ever to come out of Michigan.  He seems to have no limits.

big gay heart

April 15th, 2011 at 6:17 PM ^

One former Michigan player beat OSU a couple times, won a NC, won a Rosebowl, won a Heisman, won a defensive player of the year award in the NFL, and gave a ton of money to help improve the lives of sick children.

Another former Michigan player lost to OSU in his senior season, never won a Rosebowl, never won a NC, never won a Heisman, has gotten multiple DUIs (one of which he called "BS" in today's press), insitigated a fight with Lebron James' entourage, and gave money to an atheletic department who didn't need it in order to stoke his own ego. This player also has an obnoxious, terribly unarticulate father who needs to stop calling into sports talk radio shows.

Why do we hear so much about one guy and next to nothing about the other? Whenever I hear this Braylon talk, I immediately want to talk about former Michigan players who deserve adulation on the basis of their ability to be adults who inspire others both on the field and off.

Louie C

April 15th, 2011 at 6:34 PM ^

The dumb hick that  fucked up with your number is gone. Manball is back at Michigan. A Michigan Man is at the helm of the program. WR's like Tay Odoms will be a thing of the past. The bubble screens have gone the way of the Dodo. Could you please just donate your money, host your celebrity game and stfu?

michfan4borw

April 17th, 2011 at 1:54 PM ^

implicitly talk garbage about Michigan after the spotlight was no longer on him too. 

Yeah, he was a great player, but that doesn't make him unaccountable or more valuable than other alumni.

He's not too bright given the evidence.  But yes he tooled on Sparty but he also lost to tOSU too.

He seems like a jerk. 

Glen Masons Hot Wife

April 15th, 2011 at 7:15 PM ^

all you want about Hoke uniting the alumni/former players.

It means jack until/if he starts winning enough games.

Please, spare me the bulls**t.

Wolfman

April 15th, 2011 at 8:53 PM ^

Thank you Lord Braylon, you pompous asshole. I'm happy now that the new coach has your blessing. I am finally at peace knowing that you endorsed the hiring of the present coach.

Jesus loves you.   Everyone else thinks you're an asshole.

BillyShears

April 15th, 2011 at 11:11 PM ^

Look, Braylon was a fantastic player. One of the best to ever play for Michigan. I'll always remember driving home and listening to the MSU game on the radio. I went into a gas station before that first big catch and didn't leave until the game was over. It is still my favorite Michigan moment.

But he is a moron. How many arrests does he need to have to prove this? How many stupid, divise comments does he need to make?

 

It's time that people stopped caring what he thinks.

jmblue

April 15th, 2011 at 11:56 PM ^

What if what he's saying is true?  People mad at Braylon seem to be assuming, rather arbitrarily, that he's just making crap up.  But he is not the only ex-player to say things like this.  What if, three years ago, he tried to reach out and RR gave him the cold shoulder? 

The Fred Jackson bit may well be true.  Jackson said something on one of the Inside Michigan Football episodes that surprised me.  It was like: "It's exciting to know that in this offense, the running backs will have an impact on the game." 

BillyShears

April 16th, 2011 at 1:40 AM ^

I suppose it is possible that things happened exactly as Braylon suggests. I don't believe that, but I concede that it is possible.

 

 

The thing is though, what good does it do to bring this up at this point? For better or worse, RR is gone and Hoke is here. Why can't he just leave it at that?

Section 1

April 16th, 2011 at 11:34 AM ^

There's not even a serious question.  Braylon has never even made himself clear.  Braylon's m.o. is to use the press to take inscrutable potshots at people, and then claim that he is misunderstood.

For instance, has anyone ever gotten a clear version from Braylon what his beef with the program under Rodriguez might have been?  Was it just a "feeling"?  Has Braylon ever listed his clear and concise disagreements with Coach Rodriguez?  No, is the short answer.

We know about the Number 1 kerfuffle.  And that the Coaches changed the jersey number assignment as soon as they were made aware of how Braylon and other Department people felt about it.  It never needed to be a sorry story in the press; just like a night on the town in Cleveland or NYC with Braylon shouldn't end up as a sorry newspaper story, but Braylon's stupidity made it a story.

But not only did Braylon do his best to make himself an embarassment over the course of repeated incidents over several months, and not only did he fail to make himself clear about Rodriguez, he and Stan muddled the situation further, by claiming that Oh, they really do support Coach Rodriguez.  While at the same time, Braylon is saying supid trashtalky things about "beyond the hot seat" and "Lloyd Carr's University of Michigan."

I just don't think that Braylon has the self-control or the wisdom to make a clear case for anything in the press.  He was just a mess and a headache for the Rodriguez staff.

Michichick

April 16th, 2011 at 5:11 PM ^

You may have heard about the "team meeting" that Hoke held last night (Friday) with the alumni players. One of the subjects addressed was to stop bashing RR, like Braylon's comments, "it's like home again" "he's happy again". There were some pretty high profile football alumni who did support RR--Rick Leach, Mike Kenn, the 1969 team (after some verbal lashing) etc.--so Hoke wants everyone to be united for the good of the team. He also knows that there are no guarantees about next fall's W-L record, and he could be the next goat. 

I like Hoke. he's smart enough to know with another coaching and system transition not to raise expectations too much. We've had enough drama, we need everyone to put up a united front for the good of the players and the program. Too bad not enough people did that for the last 3 years.