Mitch: Wishful Thinking
Zero % chance and while I appreciate your optimism, you are making yourself sound foolish.
Not the greatest analogy, but if you were fired from your job for archaic rule that had already been changed, would you take it lying down?
I am being optimistic, but it is interesting that they have been so open about the circumstances; if they didn't want discussion on the topic, why divulge so much? I do think it is because it is thought the media may react, and therefore garner sympathy for the case. Why do that if giving up?
April 25th, 2014 at 10:25 PM ^
The media would have found out anyways. You don't keep something like this bottled up for long. So it's better to get out in front of the story.
You know, not that the school has had any recent experience doing the opposite of this of course...
April 25th, 2014 at 11:13 PM ^
Still don't know what he did. Apparently you can keep some things quiet.
We do know what he did. It's just that no one will run it.
What did he do?
Juice.
April 26th, 2014 at 12:17 PM ^
Are you saying "we" from the position of an insider? Because I consume more college football media than 95% of the adult male population and all I've heard are a scatterplot of totally shot-from-the-hip rumors.
April 25th, 2014 at 11:33 PM ^
and then got another one that paid at least $500,000 or maybe more, I might just say screw it.
Now Mitch is turning down the possibility of having a great season and becoming a lottery pick, but that didn't work out so well for GR3.
But I highly doubt this. The NCAA's willingness to say "fuck you" to reason and public opinion is boundless.
The best hope here is that this galvanizes support for unions. The more people who realize the emporer has no clothes, the better.
Another thought: people should still email/tweet the NCAA and tell them how fucked up this is. Might as well make their lives difficult.
April 25th, 2014 at 10:20 PM ^
Imagine grandfathering a capital punishment rule that becomes lenient. The guy waiting gets executed under old rule despite the rule currently changed. If Mitch hasnt signed with an agent then there is hope for two days.
I must admit the thought did pop into my head. But so do thoughts of winning the lottery. I'd say each have the same odds.
So you're saying...
There's...
A.....
Chance??!!?
...small seemingly insignificant exchanges like this that makes love this blog.
That gave me small respite from all recent tumult. Bravo!
Nope. Despite Big Al's recruiting efforts, he's a Bronco:
http://247sports.com/Recruitment/Chance-Stewart-13697/RecruitInterests
I thought you were going to go in a different direction. My conspiracy theory is that IF Mitch really wanted to declare for the draft this year, getting disqualified next year for a stupid reason is a GREAT P.R. move. Michigan fans wouldn't be mad for him going pro because he'd be suspended next year anyways. Pro teams would think he has a higher ceiling because he was going to go back to college (and thought he would improve his own draft stock), but had to go to the NBA -- hence ruling out the possibilty that the only reason he was declaring for the NBA was because he thought he wouldn't recover from his injury while at Michigan or that he wouldn't have a productive junior season.
If Mitch really wanted to go pro but not face any wrath from NBA GM's, this is one of the better ways to do it.
That said, I don't think this conspiracy theory is why this really happened -- but it was interesting to me.
Typically, schools set their own guidelines when it comes to punishments for failing drug tests, and I believe we've heard that, if this had been during the regular season, the punishment might have been a suspension of perhaps a couple weeks (I could be wrong though). As it happened during an NCAA-sponsored event in which Michigan participated, it is their rules which apply, no matter how insane or overbearing they seem. I would imagine that Michigan wouldn't have a leg to stand on due to that alone, so I very much doubt they'll fight it.
It can be argued that the spirit of the NCAA view on the appropriate punishment is in effect now, and the punishment is meant to be served from the time of the offense. I am not a lawyer, but I wonder if there is precedent for this type of argument.
The NCAA is not an administrative or legislative body.
Personally I think Mitch was gone even without the suspension (maybe why he was willing to risk a drug test...).
Someone pointed it out: If Mitch returned, he'd be competing with guys for draft position that wouble be 5 years younger than him. That's not a good thing.
Michigan already appealed, and lost.
I wonder if that is the only forum in which to fight a decision that impacts one's ability to attend school at a public institution, or potential earnings in the millions of dollars at risk.
I would guess that there's an arbitration clause, if anything at all.
He's gone, let's not grasp at straws. He's not the best test case anyways.
April 25th, 2014 at 10:30 PM ^
There might be an alternate way to try and fight an appeal this but Mitch needed to decide on the NBA by the 27th. No legal appeal would be resolved that quickly. So if he tried to fight it he'd be stuck sitting out another year and no NBA team would draft a player that hadn't played in two seasons. So it's NBA or nothing for Mitch.
April 25th, 2014 at 11:15 PM ^
they didn't impact his ability to attend school. Michigan was kicking him out. he could've stayed and say out the season while still attending class. he choose not to and that's fine.
April 26th, 2014 at 11:13 AM ^
Michigan was kicking/kicked him out? I didn't read that. So does that explain the missed psych test someone posted about a few days ago? The NCAA enforcing its rules is one thing but UM kicking him out is another.
Long time reader, first time poster. I dont think by any means that a calculated PR move would include a star player declaring for the draft because of an impending one-year ban for a failed drug test. This seems like the complete opposite of a strategic PR play considering the scenerio.
Also, I saw you posted the word-for-word exact same thing in one of the other threads, a little repetitive don't ya think to start a new thread when the conversation was already going?
But thought it was thread-worthy on it's own.
He already signed with an agent.
This is Team Mitch getting ahead of the story so it doesn't hurt his draft stock. Now the story is the NCAA is evil, rather than Mitch is irresponsible. (Not trying to start a debate about Mitch's responsibility, just remarking how his team is trying to control the narrative, which they are smart to do.)
these tests? Do they test all players on a team or do they draw names from all of the players in the tournament?
I don't believe there is any conspiracy. I think Mitch wanted to return but was waiting for the result of the appeal. I don't see any other reason for him to have delayed his decision. Yeah, it's admirable that he owned up to he suspension but given what kind of crap NBA executives are willing to overlook in 19 and 20 year old kids it's hard to see a public admission as being as being more powerful than what he could have quietly accomplished.
gets for us. Best for both sides...Mitch and us to move on. For his future and our rep. We don't want to be the school that took on the ncaa over weed do we? Even if it was reversed he will get taunted at every road game, best to just move on.
April 25th, 2014 at 10:20 PM ^
I'm sorry but "we don't want to be the school that took on the NCAA over weed"
What about human rights?
That has famously allowed its students (and thousands of out-of-towners) for decades to toke up on the Diag one day in April, and you think it would cower before the NCAA?
April 26th, 2014 at 10:01 PM ^
If any school should take on the NCAA over cannabis, it should be UofM. It is located in Ann Arbor, after all.
Paging Jesse Ventura
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conspiracy_Theory_with_Jesse_Ventura
April 25th, 2014 at 10:21 PM ^
Glad to see the NCAA is truly looking out for the best interest of the student athlete here, who should stay in school.
April 25th, 2014 at 11:11 PM ^
he couldve stayed he choose not to.
To sit out half the year while he was suspended? Do you think he is an idiot?
April 25th, 2014 at 10:33 PM ^
can know peace from the threads that have been filling up this board lately
Even then you get the Friday Night "What Are You Haunting" thread.
April 25th, 2014 at 10:50 PM ^
I read this and thought it was the "What Are You Drinking?" thread.
April 25th, 2014 at 10:58 PM ^
The appeal is almost certainly why he was waiting to announce. But this thread still amazes me. While the NCAA rule seems harsh, it tests during one three week period that everyone knows the dates of. If you somehow get caught by this very foreseeable test, doing a drug that is still illegal in most places including Michigan, you deserve a serious punishment. It sucks, I wish it were not the case, but it is true. It just hard for most of us to admit because the truth means lowered expectations for next season.
April 25th, 2014 at 11:10 PM ^
yea if you were a smoker on thst team or any team and u didn't stop early enough so when they test it's out tour system then u deserve to get caught for being dumb. that's why the penalty should be harsh
Never went to college. I was walking around Philly yesterday and smelled more pot smoke than cigarette smoke.
Why is this even an issue? I though pot was legal in Ann Arbor.
At least it seemed that way when I was there.
And I have never smoked. But that is not the issue. I believe pot should be legal. But I also believe that if an organization bans pot and you know you can be tested during a three week time frame, than you should probably not smoke it. If you do, I get why they come down hard.