Jalen Rose: "[UM does not] have a family-type atmosphere"

Submitted by MGoBender on

Submitted without commentary, Jalen Rose knocked UM for their treatment of former players:

“Every Michigan coach has left unceremoniously, even the greatest coach in the University of Michigan history, the only coach that’s taken the school to three Final Fours and well as won a national championship, Steve Fisher, and also the Fab Five – Jalen Rose, Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, Ray Jackson, Jimmy King – who played in two Final Fours and national championship games, two of the seven that the university has had since the 1900s,” Rose continued, his voice rising.

“So when you’re not able to have a family-type atmosphere where everybody feels welcome and feels like their contribution to the school is noted from a basketball and or football perspective, the relationships become fractured, and that’s something Michigan has to improve on. Michigan State, when you watch their games, it could be a guy that averaged two points, but the fans are going to celebrate him and treat him like he’s family. That’s why Michigan has lagged behind Michigan State in basketball, and frankly, right now, that’s why Michigan State has evened the playing field.”

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2014/01/24/jalen-rose-predicts-msu-victory-…

HollywoodHokeHogan

January 24th, 2014 at 6:55 PM ^

               and then take it down and burn the goddamn thing. Some of the players cheated, just like players at USC, (arguably) worse than players at OSU, and so on.  For all the unadulterated bullshit and 30 for 30s about how the Fab Five CHANGED THE WORLD, they hurt Michigan basketball much more than they helped.  I am so sick this crap. 

WolverineInCbus

January 24th, 2014 at 6:57 PM ^

I'm so sick if him talking about Michigan. Literally get over yourself. I want to like him so bad. But last year he made that final four appearance all about himself and his former teammates. They're not a part of the program anymore

AlwaysBlue

January 24th, 2014 at 7:02 PM ^

had always been my favorite of that era but if wants to draw a line...I am standing with Beilein and the direction he's taking the program. I suspect Jalen sees that as Duke-like which grinds him.

UofM Die Hard …

January 24th, 2014 at 7:08 PM ^

went ahead and said some dumb shit.....sorry Jalen, bout to get some backlash.

 

I would LOVE if D. Howard spoke up and said, thats bull, Michigan is all about family....that would be awesome.

James Burrill Angell

January 24th, 2014 at 7:10 PM ^

Jalen, maybe if you weren't such an asshole you might feel more welcome at the table.

Example 1) jalen agreed to throw out the first pitch for the UofM night at Comerica Park this past fall. At the last second he bails. However, Jalen's reputation sort of preceded him so we had Jimmy King on standby and he made it to do it. Classy move Jalen.

Example 2) making a big fuss about the acceptance of the Fab Five during last year's final four run. Just couldn't let the spotlight be on the success of last year's team. He had to drag the spotlight back to him.

Example 3) the night before the big game, who goes grabbing for the spotlight....

No family likes the obnoxious spotlight grabber. You want to be a part of the family, ACT THE FUCKING PART.

skurnie

January 24th, 2014 at 7:14 PM ^

Jalen...I mean, maybe it was a long time ago but guess what, your team set the program back about ten years. So maybe the program putting some distance between you and your teammates shouldn't come as a surprise.

Swazi

January 24th, 2014 at 7:47 PM ^

Well Jalen, don't break NCAA rules that cause those banners to get taken away.  Fisher let it happen under his watch, like Carrol with the whole Reggie Bush circus.

This is Michigan

January 24th, 2014 at 7:56 PM ^

Jalen must have missed when Brady was introduced as Michigan's head coach and the amount of former players who were present and who continue to show their support. I don't understand what gives him the right to suggest the football program, under the current regime, doesn't promote a family atmosphere.



M Fanfare

January 24th, 2014 at 8:01 PM ^

Really? One year when I was a student I was at the beginning-of-the-year banquet put on for the athletes by the M Club. They always have a featured speaker, and that year it was jalen. He got up with his custom-embroidered blazer with a big block M on it and talked about how much Michigan means to him and to all athletes. So...what gives?

WorldwideTJRob

January 24th, 2014 at 8:03 PM ^

He clearly stated that "Coach Belien has done a terrific job...." So I doubt this is an attack on the current coaching staff and team. I think it would be nice for Jalen to be embraced a tad bit more by the school since he is an emerging voice in the media.

Plus the university can be a little slow on acknowledging the past. Desmond just had his jersey number honored 20 years after he last played and C. Woodson is still waiting to receive that same honor.

I dumped the Dope

January 24th, 2014 at 8:46 PM ^

While I don't support his comments, I did admire the Fab 5 when I was younger.  I was there on South U during the outpouring of people.  It was an amazing time in Ann Arbor.  Alas...time has now marched on leaving us out in the cold winter.

My belief (and I'm not making an apology for him) is that he is frustrated and feels like this is slipping over the edge into the abyss of history.  Webber is going to stonewall until the day he dies.  Brandon is calling that bluff.  And so Rose is stuck because it can't be the Fab 4 and the banners are going to continue to collect dust, even if they did have a very small chance of re-emergence which I believe would have to be spearheaded by someone with the rank of Brandon.  I suppose we all worry about our legacy as we age, Rose may be trying to patch up some of the inadequacies.

Eventually Beilein's successes thru the adversity are going to overwrite all the bad period of M basketball (the true reason for lagging) and while the Fab 5 aren't going to be forgotten, the fact that their film isn't shown to promote M makes them closer and closer to a page in wikipedia.

xxxxNateDaGreat

January 24th, 2014 at 8:45 PM ^

He and his teammates committed several major NCAA violations. Those violations cost the school two final four appearances and cratered the program for 15+ years. Therefore, many at the school are probably not 100% enthused with associating the current program with the people who destroyed it.

I don't see why this is so hard for Jalen to comprehend.

Michigania

January 24th, 2014 at 9:30 PM ^

Not only it cratered our program, but it SPAWNED msu and izzo. It started with cleaves who was slated to go blue until that accident. Before this the only notable history their program had was magic johnson.



However, Rose is speaking some truth here. I was a frosh in 89 and fifth yr senior for webbers timeout. The disassociation should not be absolute, and it does seem that there hasnt been enough true effort to bring the Beatles back together. The program failed the players too in our blinding spotlight and everything that goes with it. You all know that Talley was screaming to call a TO, right? And the media ate Webber alive for it and no mention of it. Our AD profitted immensely for the same product left a bit unguided.

bronxblue

January 24th, 2014 at 8:47 PM ^

As someone who has occasionally listened to Rose on his podcast as well as other off-the-cuff situations, this probably isn't even the top half-dozen dumbest things he's said.

Webber and Rose are carrying some torch for the Fab 5 because they can't admit that their era is forever marred with scandal.  Is it hypocritical for the NCAA to freak out about Webber and Martin while getting billion-dollar TV rights for the games?  Sure.  But there were rules in place, and Martin, Webber, Rose, Fisher, and various other parties screwed it up so royally that the banners had to come down and their records had to be erased from the recordbooks.  It sucks for them, but they aren't victims and certainly aren't in the position to take the moral high ground they are presently occupying.  

This wasn't great timing for UM, but like most latent diseases they tend to flare up when you least expect them.  I hope Rose loves his work at ESPN/Grantland and piggybacking on the team's success last year, but if the athletic department ever wants to revoke his press pass, that would be fine by me.

Trey Mendes

January 24th, 2014 at 9:10 PM ^

Boo freakin' hoo, Jalen.  Y'all cheated, or at least watched while your teammates cheated.  BFD, your coach stood by and watched, and got what he deserved.  Fischer inherited Frieder's team anyway.  I was there in '89, and we won it with honest players winning things honestly.  You guys hopped on after the fact, and never accomplished anything.  Not a single championship.  Waa waa waa.

Piston Blue

January 24th, 2014 at 9:17 PM ^

With all the 'belein greatest coach' talk let's see how we continue to build, because if we started playing poorly in 3-5 years (not that I believe it would happen) or if another scandal occurred, the same fate as Steve fisher could be his fate (once again, I don't believe this would happen but you never know)

MGoDub

January 24th, 2014 at 9:30 PM ^

Jalen, you left the program after 1 year with a scandal that took 20yrs to recover from. You are a great family member. Sorry the athletic dept. doesn't really feel like giving you a warm welcome back. I mean how long was he actually in AA? 8-9 months?

GoBlueGladstone

January 24th, 2014 at 9:45 PM ^

That atmosphere is reserved for those who did not vault the program into a shameful disgrace. "We're both part of the same hypocrisysenator, but never think it applies to to my family...."

I was on campus during that short-lived gilded age - and we all looked the other way while we basked in the glory. Meanwhile (most of) these guys were getting racist hate mail, ballin' and taking advantage of every crack in the system. It's time we acknowledge their (crestfallen; erstwhile) greatness and also take some responsibility for the era. 

 

I will always love those guys. Jinx especially as the heart of that group. It was a crazy time and we all bought into it. The fallout was appropriately shunned and Jalen is grown up enough to know that his penance and those of his fellow (implicated) Fab-5ers has not fully been embraced across the Michigan spectrum. 

VaUMWolverine

January 24th, 2014 at 9:55 PM ^

I've long distanced myself from those guys. I used to appreciate them but now it's getting tired. Go away. Not all of them of course, but him and Webber get on my nerves.

Bando Calrissian

January 25th, 2014 at 2:55 AM ^

It's absolutely amazing to me how self-absorbed the Fab Five guys are about their "legacy," especially when just about every time they open their mouths about it, it takes away from Michigan student-athletes who actually won something, and who managed to do it without any of their teammates taking money from a number-running booster.

Plainly, Jalen needs to shut the hell up already. Enough is enough. You can't have a "family atmosphere" when a subset of alumni (who already acted a subset of the teams they actually played on) seems to think they don't get enough attention. You'd think Michigan didn't win an NCAA title two years before these guys set foot on campus.

jdon

January 25th, 2014 at 8:01 AM ^

This year/spring is the 25th anniversary of the 1989 basketball champs.  If Jalen had any respect for the players who came before him, or after him for that matter, he would spend his time talking about the inspiration of the 1989 run.

Jalen gone Jalen....

maybe we could add him to the list of people we are tired of talking about and move on?

jdon

 

Ps.  I have a friend from the mid 80s basketball teams and he has always talked about Michigan as a family atmosphere (we have known each other since 2006, long before Belien Championships and he never said anything but positive things about the university and how they treat former players)