Info from fireside chat w/Schlissel: AD change not ruled out
RT'd by Brian. Proppe is the former student president at Michigan who took the AD to task when the student seating fiasco went down.
Hearing from several students who attended Schlissel's fire chat that he signaled AD needs a culture change. Read into that what you will.
— Michael Proppe (@mikeproppe) October 8, 2014
By AD I mean athletic department. Was a question about whether that meant a change in leadership, and Schlissel did not rule it out.
— Michael Proppe (@mikeproppe) October 8, 2014
I wasn't there, but several students did all relay the same thing to me. So, as I said, read into it what you will.
— Michael Proppe (@mikeproppe) October 8, 2014
October 9th, 2014 at 12:34 AM ^
I've never understood why anyone had any problems with Harbaugh's comments. He was dead right.
Here's his comment:
“Michigan is a good school and I got a good education there,” he said, “but the athletic department has ways to get borderline guys in and, when they’re in, they steer them to courses in sports communications. They’re adulated when they’re playing, but when they get out, the people who adulated them won’t hire them.”
Please tell me what is wrong with that comment? Especially since he was making it from the perspective of Stanford, a place that has pretty high academic standards.
If Schlissel is a hard-line academic, he should have no problems with a coach who would make a comment like that. I sure as hell don't. He was just telling the truth. After the constant misinformation and lies of the Brady Hoke era, wouldn't that be refreshing?
Maybe Harbaugh would push to make Michigan football better in regards to steering kids into easy majors just to use their talent.
October 8th, 2014 at 6:58 PM ^
If Schlissel really is the disinterested-in-sports academic, I have to think the smart move for him is to get someone the regents/donors want and who doesn't make athletics an issue he needs to be constantly involved in. I know it's not even close to the issue, but I have to imagine that somewhere along the line the hiring committee would have made sure he was okay with a non-Ivy AD and I'm sure it's something that he has seen first hand so far as well.
TL;DR version: If I'm Schlissel and don't want to be bothered with athletics I hire someone the people who are engaged in athletics want and let him run athletics.
October 8th, 2014 at 7:46 PM ^
October 8th, 2014 at 9:18 PM ^
October 8th, 2014 at 9:39 PM ^
BJ Dickey, aren't you?
October 8th, 2014 at 10:39 PM ^
October 9th, 2014 at 10:43 AM ^
Schlissel's idea of "culture change" may very well mean a broader de-emphasis of the athletic programs at Michigan. And frankly, all the craziness on campus and in the media after "Concussion-gate" might confirm his initial instinct that athletics plays an outsized role at this great university and that it all needs to be toned down. Everyone who thinks Michigan should just back up a Brinks truck with $6 million/year to Harbaugh's house needs to remember that Schlissel might well consider it ridiculous to pay a football coach so much money.
October 8th, 2014 at 6:46 PM ^
October 8th, 2014 at 6:47 PM ^
October 8th, 2014 at 6:50 PM ^
President Schlissel that he is, in fact, paying attention to the controversies within the Athletic Department.
October 8th, 2014 at 6:57 PM ^
I was there this afternoon. He clearly identifies that there is a problem and that the Athletic Department is not connecting with students in a satisfactory way. He certainly did not rule out the possibility of a change in AD, but he didn't seem to possess a clear urgency about the situation. He was very thoughtful and sincere with his answers but clearly acting with haste is not top of mind for him at the moment. The discussion (when focusing on athletics) centered solely around how to make the experience better for students and how the Athletic Department can better connect with and serve students, so that lended itself better to some topics than others. It was a very interesting chat.
One thing I'll say for sure is that if he was being honest in his answers, then big money donors such as Stephen Ross are not going to be an obstacle in the removing of Brandon if he deems it necessary. Schlissel was extremely down to earth and conscious of the student experience. He de-emphasized the monetary aspects of Brandon's job for the most part and really focused on what the students wanted, though he said he wouldn't relent to protesters at his house or make a knee-jerk reaction.
October 8th, 2014 at 7:05 PM ^
My feeling on this, just based on the politics involved, has been that DB will be fired but it's going to take time. If I were Schlissel, I wouldn't fire him now, because I wouldn't want to send the message that I'll do whatever a protesting group of students - or public opinion more generally - demands. At the same time, there's no way on earth that I'd lose the faith of large groups of stakeholders (students, alumni, fans, etc.) by keeping a bad AD who was hired by a different president.
I'd be shocked if DB has his job six months from now. I'd also be shocked if he doesn't have his job six days from now.
October 8th, 2014 at 7:45 PM ^
October 8th, 2014 at 8:04 PM ^
Do you really think that firing Brandon right now would fix anything on the field??
October 8th, 2014 at 8:11 PM ^
Firing him in six months will mean either Hoke is still around in six months, during spring ball, or Brandon was involved in hiring the new head coach. And if we believe John U. Bacon (and of course we always do), no decent head coach will come work for Brandon.
October 8th, 2014 at 9:29 PM ^
October 8th, 2014 at 8:51 PM ^
October 8th, 2014 at 10:06 PM ^
October 8th, 2014 at 7:13 PM ^
Thank you for sharing this
October 8th, 2014 at 6:58 PM ^
John U Bacon guesses Brad Bates AD,and a Harbaugh for coach. Schissel cracks open the door for DB SCHLOCKMEISTER to walk out.
We are generating some SERIOUS positive waves here today, folks. I like that.
October 8th, 2014 at 8:57 PM ^
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October 8th, 2014 at 9:14 PM ^
Hoke has been a head coach for over a decade now. It's awfully hard to imagine him accepting a monster demotion to DL coach.
October 8th, 2014 at 9:22 PM ^
If he doesn't have a lot of interest in trying to resurrect another program I honestly hope they can find a home for him in the athletic department. Depending on who the next coach is that might have to wait, but I would hope the AD could find something that fit his strengths and allowed him to keep up a relationship with Michigan.
October 8th, 2014 at 10:11 PM ^
October 8th, 2014 at 11:42 PM ^
I call fucking plant.
Get the fuck out of here that anyone would hate to see Brady fucking Hoke as a Head Coach at another Big Ten school. Here, I'd love to see him as head coach for Sparty.
What a joke.
October 9th, 2014 at 9:50 AM ^
No plant. I was sent to bolivia by a mod who didn't like me taking him to task.
More importantly, I'm not saying Brady is the man for us, we're probably way too far down this road now, absent a miracle of epic proportions. I am saying the guy is a good coach and has been successful. He will be successful at his next position. Guy can flat out recruit, and I think this blog has correctly identified the correlation between recruits and winning.
October 8th, 2014 at 9:46 PM ^
Hoke will never be a HC again after this debacle...so why not?
October 8th, 2014 at 9:56 PM ^
Hoke might not get any Power 5 offers but I definitely think a lower tier program would love to have Hoke as their coach. He's had success at Ball State and SDSU and being a former Michigan coach would probably be a help, no matter what happened with his records here.
I wouldn't be surprised to see Hoke hang it up because at this point he's already achieved his career goal (HC at Michigan) but I don't think his best option after this season would be Michigan's DL coach.
October 8th, 2014 at 10:45 PM ^
October 8th, 2014 at 10:13 PM ^
October 8th, 2014 at 6:57 PM ^
October 8th, 2014 at 6:59 PM ^
and until he is on board forget about a AD change. That said, Ross did indicate that unless there was marked improvement from Hoke a change would be necessary.
October 8th, 2014 at 7:04 PM ^
From what Schlissel said at the chat today that really does not seem to be the case. Schlissel has the final say at the end of the day, and speculating that he won't act without a proverbial sign-off from Ross is useless.
October 8th, 2014 at 8:31 PM ^
October 8th, 2014 at 8:47 PM ^
October 8th, 2014 at 9:24 PM ^
October 8th, 2014 at 11:54 PM ^
Is Ross actively supporting him? I thought his support was voiced befoe the Minn game? Not sure he has said much since.
October 8th, 2014 at 9:06 PM ^
I mean, this is coming from a guy who loves Stephen Ross. Absolutely love the guy. His donations have made a huge, direct positive impact on my educational experience and career prospects. I just don't think donors will hugely impact Brandon's retention or firing as AD, and there are many big donors beyond Ross. From what Schlissel said today, he REALLY sounds like a guy who takes in all the information he's given over a period of time, internalizes it, determines what he thinks is best for the University he leads, and then will act. He's certainly in no hurry at all to spit out a firing, but he didn't sound at all like he would cave to any donor no matter the size. He spoke about relying on the experience of the regents who've been around the block a few times, but eventually making a decision on his own based on what he thinks is best.
October 8th, 2014 at 9:22 PM ^
October 8th, 2014 at 10:16 PM ^
October 8th, 2014 at 7:03 PM ^
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October 8th, 2014 at 7:07 PM ^
October 8th, 2014 at 7:11 PM ^
Schlissel...Schlizzle...Sizzle...Bacon...
I think this has legs guys. I mean who's seen them in the same room together?
October 8th, 2014 at 7:11 PM ^
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October 8th, 2014 at 7:40 PM ^
Bacon is Bauchspeck.
Finkle is Einhorn.
October 8th, 2014 at 8:09 PM ^
October 8th, 2014 at 7:07 PM ^
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October 8th, 2014 at 7:08 PM ^
October 8th, 2014 at 7:37 PM ^
Thank you.
I hope you whipper snappers boycott the shit out of kickoff on Saturday.