Jim and Jack Harbaugh Discuss Sexual Assault Issues on Podcast
On the newest episode of Attack Each Day: The Harbaughs' Podcast, Jim and Jack spend the first part of the show discussing Brenda Tracy and their personal perspectives on how to help solve sexual assault issues in college football, and within our culture as a whole.
The name "Urban Meyer" is never mentioned once. Their thoughts on the issue definitely lead you to ponder the current situation at OSU, but it was refreshing to hear people discuss how to instill change in regards to assault instead of what the difference between "legality" and "morality" is. I strongly suggest you give it a listen.
Harbaugh's main point from the episode: 90% of men will not commit sexual assault in their life. It is up to that 90% to hold the 10% accountable and investigating when even the appearance of assault is present.
Its times like these I am happiest to have Coach Harbaugh at the helm of our program. Go Blue.
I wish other coaches felt this way, especially at MSU and OSU. They have now joined Baylor and Tennessee as "schools where it's not safe for women to attend."
Heaven forbid they hold their football coaches to a high moral standard instead of just a legal one.
Tater: Yeah I'm sure all the female students at OSU are at high risk of rape and domestic violence. Seems like a totally rational possibility based on your argument and facts you set forth.
August 7th, 2018 at 10:09 AM ^
You should realize that not protecting a few students who allege assault against athletes or staff creates a culture of allowance, which then teaches these young men and old men that women are meat. So yes, this does raise the risk for every person to be assaulted without consequence of the law.
See: culture of Catholic Church before checked by law. I’m sure less altar boys are at risk, seeing as they know that another coverup would further destroy faith in the church.
August 7th, 2018 at 10:10 AM ^
Right. It's not all of the women on campus. It's just the ones who might be on campus alone at night. Or at a party where there are athletes from the money teams. Or popular athletes in general. Or people important to the university.
I think all these universities have made it clear whether it's more important to protect players and coaches who win games or the women they have beaten and raped. I don't believe that's overstating the matter. If you do, you need to find some perspective.
August 7th, 2018 at 11:58 AM ^
Sparty & Buckeye Land........where the girlfriends get more concussions than the actual players. Sad, but probably true!
August 7th, 2018 at 12:33 PM ^
You gotta add UM to the list. Remember the kicker that raped the girl as a freshman, but was not kicked off team until the end of his senior year. The OL threatened to rape her again if she talked. Everybody -- board, president, AD, head coach -- knew about the rape, and did nothing. Nobody was ever disciplined (expect the kicker, after being allowed to play three more seasons). The OL was named a team captain.
It really seems like he took Brenda Tracy's talk to heart. I'm glad he had the willingness to let her speak, and to really listen.
Harbaugh is pandering to the virtue signalling, mob mentality crowd with the fake outrage du jour being domestic violence. Harbaugh is smart enough to feed this crowd in order to win brownie points.
How was the rally yesterday?
pedantic trolling at its finest...
August 7th, 2018 at 10:03 AM ^
And coming to Michigan’s fan site to feed your own biases for OSU says more about your insecurities with Meyer’s actions than it does anything else.
August 7th, 2018 at 10:55 AM ^
Yeah, no shit. I can't believe how many assholes have migrated from Bucknuts to MGo since this story broke. I don't understand the compulsion. The cool OSU visitors like BuckeyeJohnRoss and RationalBuckeye have, understandably, not weighed in as far as I've seen. Yet people who NEVER had an inclination to come over to just talk football suddenly MUST come in to troll. Weird. This is your coach and your program, guys. Why come over here to talk about it?
August 7th, 2018 at 11:24 AM ^
The cool OSU visitors like BuckeyeJohnRoss and RationalBuckeye have, understandably, not weighed in as far as I've seen.
They did on one of Brian's posts, in a more level-headed way. The board has attracted the trolls for some reason.
Obviously they think they can convince us that their coach is not a creep and a liar. Seriously I would have a modicum more respect if they just said hey we know he's a lying sack of shit but we don't care because he wins a lot of games. Watching the mental histrionics of morons trying to convince themselves of a fantasy is quite nauseating.
August 7th, 2018 at 10:12 AM ^
Who is this fucking troll? (Referring to hgb)
August 7th, 2018 at 10:25 AM ^
So Harbaugh was virtue signaling when he kicked Nate Johnson off the team a year ago for domestic violence? I guess he must have known a year before Urban did that Zach Smith beat his wife and was playing the long con. Very astute move indeed.
Edit: meant to respond to hgb
August 7th, 2018 at 11:20 AM ^
Exactly. The stats don't lie.Meyers program has had twice as many verified assaults by players as Michigan's has had over the past 5 years, but Michigan has dismissed 50% more players.
August 7th, 2018 at 10:33 AM ^
I think Harbaugh honestly believes in this. I think that the way his family is involved in the team bodes well. I think Brenda Tracy is doing good things. I think that having reporters like Baumgardner will help to keep us clean. So I disagree with you 100%.
That said, Brenda Tracy also visited OSU and got a good reception, and we're all human and can do stupid things.
I'd like UM to be more transparent. I'd like them to stop being such dicks about FOIA requests. I never want this to happen to UM in any sport.
August 7th, 2018 at 11:23 AM ^
Brenda had some amazing things to say about Michigan on Twitter, things she did not say after visiting OSU.
I'll take the intuition of a rape survivor any day when it comes to this topic.
August 7th, 2018 at 10:52 AM ^
Ah yes, "virtue signaling," that great cryptofascist dogwhistle for "trying to say something that if truly believed would make the speaker not a totally shit human being."
I'd be very intrigued to know your evidence that Harbaugh doesn't believe what he's saying, btw.
August 7th, 2018 at 10:53 AM ^
It mystifies me that people really think you can't care about other people even if you may not know them. Is it really that hard to believe people don't want women to be assaulted? What is fake about this?
On the other hand spouting French cliches is pretty advanced for a 9 year old.
I had this conversation at a golf outing this past weekend. If you are a head coach of a football program and you even get whiff of foul play, assault, abuse, whatever from a player or someone on your staff, it is up to you to immediately put that individual on leave until you can comfortably stand before your team, your staff, fanbase, etc... and say "the police and university investigations have been completed, no criminal charges have been filed, person x was not in the wrong, and we are comfortable letting them back as part of our program."
In today's society it is vital to show you take this serious. There is too much on the line to be casual in regards to these sorts of allegations.
Very well said.....
This. Until you can say this is your attitude toward these types of issues and actually follow through on this proclamation, it is just lip service.
A great example of what a coach should do is how Harbaugh handled the Grant Perry situation.
Tully-Tillman as well.
Exactly...
Not to mention that Meyer has been sanctimonious as hell on this with his "Respect Women" sign up in the OSU Football building and his calling out other coaches that lie as being done in football.
I think Jim would blame all of this misconducted from other programs like MSU, OSU and PSU on the simple fact that they eat chicken.
Well it wouldn't be far fetched. The violence and torture that is used in factory farms impacts the animal products you eat. So of course the chickens are nervous, so are the cows and pigs. The old adage: "You are what you eat" applies. It disguising how the industry treats these animals.
August 7th, 2018 at 10:08 AM ^
No wonder I want to punch a kitten every time I eat a chicken sandwich. It all makes sense now!
It's because chicken-eating Badgers are nervous pugilists.
August 7th, 2018 at 10:02 AM ^
Great conversation. So glad to hear this kind of strong rhetoric and love that the team had Brenda Tracy in to spread her knowledge. #SetTheExpectation
August 7th, 2018 at 10:16 AM ^
I listened to this on the way in to work, it was fantastic. Great way to say all the right things on the issue and subtly throw shade at what's going down in Columbus all at the same time.
August 7th, 2018 at 10:33 AM ^
It would be interesting to know when Brenda Tracy was originally scheduled to come speak. Michigan (and probably many other campuses) has been fairly proactive when it comes to these issues. I know the sports teams had these types of seminars going back at least 25-30 years.
Point being that the goal may have been to educate our team and not to throw shade.
...and to be fair, I'm sure OSU has similar sessions. That's why Meyer's enablement is troubling. He knows better and the players know better, but when the head dude's actions invalidate the message it's more of a "treat women with respect" *wink* *wink* *nudge* *nudge* "Know what I mean? See it's on the wall."
August 7th, 2018 at 10:36 AM ^
I'm pretty sure I read somewhere the visit was scheduled before the Meyer situation came to light.
August 7th, 2018 at 10:50 AM ^
It was scheduled many months in advance...may have even been last year...forget what the exact time-line was.
August 7th, 2018 at 10:52 AM ^
She’s scheduled months in advance. She was at OSU just a week or two before IIRC. Her visit to Michigan and its timing was just coincidence.
Remember that coaching clinic last spring when Urbz was trolling an in-attendance Harbaugh by saying that the number one thing is to beat your rivals? Our head coach is and will continue to be the much bigger man.
August 7th, 2018 at 10:27 AM ^
It was good to see that Harbaugh was singled out by Brenda Tracy as one of the few coaches that really takes her work to heart and wants to learn more and more. It’s important. I’m sure Jim is looking back at his career and rethinking how he might have handled certain situations. I know the past few years have made me reflect on how I’ve talked about sexual assault and rape, and women in general. Things have changed in our society and it’s for the better. You can either change with it or you can get stuck and potentially hurt people.
August 7th, 2018 at 12:15 PM ^
The fact remains - sexual harassment, sexual assault, physical assault and rape are all crimes.
And such crimes need to be reported to law enforcement immediately and directly. Evidence must be gathered, witnesses questioned, criminal investigations made, arrests made and then prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Due process and equal protection need to be followed.
The notion that ANY university - whether Ohio State, Michigan State or even Michigan - an educational institution, is, was or ever would be capable of properly investigating crimes and following the law is just absurd. It is offensive to the very principles upon which the republic was established. They are simply not cut out for the job.
You might as well ask your local bakery to start building bridges over I-94 and Highway 23 around Ann Arbor. They are going to suck at it, and make colossal mistakes that will affect people adversely for the rest of their lives - the accused and victims alike.
Social media accusations and the resulting "mob rule" (90% to hold the 10% accountable) is the vigilantism that due process of law is intended to prevent.
Law enforcement and prosecution must take the lead here - not sometimes - not when its convenient - but always.
Universities, university employees, university policies are utterly incompetent and inappropriate when it comes to addressing these serious and heinous crimes.
Love this podcast but haven't had the time to listen as of late. I'll make sure I hear this.
All I know now is I wouldn't want any other human coaching this program. There is no better option out there.
WHO'S GOT IT BETTER THAN US?