Harbaugh Tweets Common Sense

Submitted by HelloHeisman91 on

There R B-Ball teams & other NCAA teams that spend summer breaks traveling to countries around the world for team bonding & team development

— Coach Harbaugh (@CoachJim4UM) February 20, 2016

NittanyFan

February 19th, 2016 at 7:21 PM ^

The NCAA rulebook has literally dozens of pages of sport-specific rules as regards practice, signing periods (basketball of course has an early signing period whereas football does not), off-season workouts, et cetera.

And there's NO requirement for consistency.

Let football people should decide football-specific rules, and basketball people should decide basketball-specific rules.  

NittanyFan

February 19th, 2016 at 7:37 PM ^

Of course, Emmert --- a man who is at his core a politician --- spoke out today.  And Delany isn't speaking up on a conference member's behalf.  What politicians say/do is usually a pretty decent sign of which way the wind is blowing.

It's an unpopular opinion here, but it's appearing that JH over-played his hand a bit here.  Go hold practice at the Miami Dolphins facility (Miami's owner is a U-M alum), and I doubt anyone would care.  But it's at talent-rich IMG: nobody is saying it directly, but THAT is what is really getting some non-Michigan "football people" hacked off here.

IMO, what happens: U-M will get the 2016 practice at IMG, but probably no out-of-state practices in years beyond.

But I may also be wrong.  I am wrong a lot.  :-)  We'll see what happens in April at the NCAA meetings.

spigmoni

February 19th, 2016 at 8:00 PM ^

The whole point that went over your head there is that yes, that practicing at IMG is precisely the reason why they are getting hacked off there.  The hypocrisy Jim Harbaugh is trying to refute is the SEC's assertion for why we shouldn't be able to practice at IMG.  If thats the issue, they should've just said they don't want anyone on their recruiting turf.  Saying its about the student athlete's time taken is disingenuous.  Nobody screams bloody murder about athlete's missing Christmas/practicing during fall semester finals and practicing for Bowl games.  

NittanyFan

February 19th, 2016 at 8:25 PM ^

OF COURSE the SEC is being indirect and looking for a back-door way to keep JH out of IMG (and the South in general) in 2017 and beyond.

You may not like their tactics, you may think they are fighting dirty.  But it is what it is.  Proposed legislation appears to be coming this April.  The "war" is on.  So now you need a tactical strategy of your own.  I simply do not think that defending your cause by referring to a completely different sport is relevant!

Honestly, I'm not anti-Michigan here.  Even if legislation does pass, U-M has a victory: the IMG practice is going to occur in a few weeks.  As it should, there is nothing illegal about that.  It was a smart out-of-the-box move by JH.  But to win the "war" for 2017 and beyond, the arguments are going to have to be better than references to basketball.

Again, IMO.  :-)

LJ

February 19th, 2016 at 8:48 PM ^

Okay, how about this?  We take away students' entire winter break with bowl practice.  In football.  And no one raises a finger about it.

MIC DROPPED.

P.S. -- You didn't explain why it matters that basketball is a different sport.  Why would the concerns about student athletes' time be different across sports?

NittanyFan

February 19th, 2016 at 9:08 PM ^

Football season encompasses both Thanksgiving and (most of) Winter Break (if you go Bowling).  The calendar is what it is.

As to the PS.  The NCAA rulebook ---  Bylaw 17, which covers 68 pages, lays out the different practice rules and such for each sport.  Seriously, 68 pages, ~20% of the total rulebook.  Don't look it up, it will give you a headache.  :-)

You can argue "why would the concerns about student athletes' times be different across sports?" --- that's absolutely a fair question and argument.  The thing is: the concerns already ARE different, it's already been legislated in.  That door's already open.

LDNfan

February 20th, 2016 at 4:44 AM ^

Emmert's comment were about 'student-athletes' not football players. It is also his job to care about ALL athletes so yeah, if this is going to be a football only ruling then he'll need to explain why to all other athletes that are practicing out of season. And if it becomes a football only ruling then it will make him look like nothing more than an SEC pansy..which isn't good for UM or any other non-SEC program.

Furthermore, as a PSU fan I'd think you'd support the UM side of this given that I can see PSU benefiting from doing something similar in the future.  

Magnus

February 19th, 2016 at 8:56 PM ^

I don't think Harbaugh "over-played" his hand at all. He's essentially getting exactly what he wanted, and he essentially got the pick of the litter by getting to practice at IMG Academy. If/when it becomes illegal to hold off-campus spring practices next year, guess what - nobody else will be able to top what he did. Essentially, it's a wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am to this whole idea.

Unless, of course, it remains legal. And in that case, Michigan will be battling like every other school. There's really no downside.

MGoGrendel

February 19th, 2016 at 9:07 PM ^

The NCAA may rule against practices at high schools, but I doubt they will stop one college practicing at another college. There are plenty of Tier 2 schools that would love to have us. Just like last summer. Good for the local kids that can't travel to camps and cash for the small college/university.




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NittanyFan

February 19th, 2016 at 9:17 PM ^

Jacksonville, Stetson, Florida A&M, Bethune-Cookman,  West Florida --- plenty of non-FBS schools in Florida that have football facilities and would likely gladly host a school like Michigan for spring practice (and summer camps).

I tend to doubt there's a political compromise to the off-campus spring practice issue.  People are already too entrenched.  But if a compromise exists: it's what you said.