Mitch to NBA
According to Yahoo Sport's Dan Wetzel Mitch to the NBA after testing positive for marijuana which netted him a YEAR LONG BAN from the NCAA
EDIT: Because some people aren't reading the article:
- Mitch failed an NCAA administered test during the tournament - schools test during the year
- The NCAA has harsher policies than schools do. Had Mitch failed a Michigan adminstered test it would have been 1-2 week suspension
- Mitch dressing did not affect his test. Had Mitch been in street clothes or in AA he could have been tested by the NCAA during the tournament
- Mitch passed 8 tests during his 2 years at Michigan, this was his only failure
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/mitch-mcgary-heading-to-nba-after-positive…
Mitch McGary took a deep breath. He wanted to tell the story of why he smoked marijuana one night in March, why the NCAA suspended him for a year because of it and why the confluence of those events is helping lead him to declare for June's NBA draft. It wasn't easy, so he started at the beginning. For months, McGary had struggled to come to terms with the back injury that limited him to just eight games for the University of Michigan this season, none after mid-December.
EDIT 2: Quotes from Mitch and Beilien from mgoblue.com:
http://www.mgoblue.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/042514aaa.html
"My family and I want to thank everyone for giving us privacy and the time to make this decision," said McGary. "As you know, it was important for us to weigh all the factors that go into something like this. With that being said, I am ready to move on to the next stage in my life and enter the NBA Draft. "Being a part of a program that values integrity, it is important to let everyone know of a poor decision I recently made. I tested positive for marijuana during the NCAA Tournament. We were notified of that result after the Final Four. I regret thoroughly disappointing my family, coaches and administration. Despite all of this they have been understanding and helpful over the last couple of weeks. "I take full responsibility for this poor choice and want to apologize to everyone, especially those I have grown close to during my fabulous two years at the University of Michigan. "I love the University of Michigan and all it has allowed me to do. I have had my ups and downs, especially with my injury this season. I want to thank all the fans for embracing me. This has been the best two years of my life and I have some unbelievable memories. I know that I will be a Wolverine forever. Go Blue."
Your union (in theory) negotiated testing on your behalf with your employer. For example, the NBA players union negotiated with the NBA such that after your THIRD failed weed test you get a 5 game suspension.
Mitch, and all players, have to abide by whatever the NCAA declares from on high, with no input.
April 25th, 2014 at 10:15 AM ^
I have a CDL and get tested randomly by the state. I guess my union could probably try to get it reduced to just a suspension for a positive test, but the testing process isn't negotiated. They are more worried about getting the number of comp time hours you can carry increased. Priorities and all.
April 25th, 2014 at 12:45 PM ^
And I'm not anti-drug testing in general. The greater point still stands. You union advocates for you in a way that no one currently advocates for student athletes.
He said he tried it one time because of his back and all the shit he'd been through and because he wasn't going to be playing anyway...
He's far from a pothead because of it.
I've never tried it once, but if I did...and someone made a comment to me like you just did. I'd punch that person in the face.
Would it be shocking if he only tried it once for pain relief? No. Would it be shocking if he uses it pretty regularly like a huge number of his classmates who never get tested in a city where it's quasi-legal? No.
I like the "punch-in-the-face" threat.... Sounds like a mid-80s Greg Lemond.
i know that firsthand. but then again, i've used it recreationally for a long time and i'm doing just fine with my life.
Just imagine the depth charts we could have...
April 25th, 2014 at 10:12 AM ^
When you say those things I get really sad...please no hypotheticals at this point, I am not emotionally ready for that
I stand by my original comment. I'm sorry if you don't approve of it. If he doesn't have a problem, great, hopefully he is fully rehabbed and ready to go. I wish him the best of luck no matter what.
if somebody is given an MIP, nobody automatically says, "gee whiz i gosh golly hope you don't have a drinking problem."
April 25th, 2014 at 11:11 AM ^
Things like this are all relative. You have a different perception of mind-altering substances than others. The fact that you're so harsh and quick to judge shows just how close-minded you are.
that you feel disappointed in him.
Clown.
Haha I'm sure it doesn't, but everyone on this message board is posting his or her opinion, both positive and negative, all the time. Does it break Glenn Robinson's heart that half the people on this board said he "sucked" during half of our basketball games this year? Or does it break Caris LeVert's heart that people said he should be benched in favor of Irvin? I would certainly hope not.
April 25th, 2014 at 10:45 AM ^
Just the fact that you think he needs to be rehabbed says everything I need to know about you. You're a moron.
Trying something once doesn't make you an addict.
If he tried vodka once time does he know have to go to AA meetings?
STFO and GTFO.
April 25th, 2014 at 10:50 AM ^
I did not say he is an addict. When I used the phrase "rehabbed" I meant for his back. I hope that his back is fully healed so he can do well in the work-outs and get drafted.
April 25th, 2014 at 10:23 AM ^
one of the problems with your post is that it goes well beyond Mitch making a mistake and suggests--no actually says--that he has a drug problem that must be rehabbed--potentially based on as little as one time use (though most of us doubt that).
I doubt your position would be the same if he were caught drinking--one time. And if marijuana use is evidence of a drug problem then we have an epidemic on campus.
You do know that marijuana use is legal in 2 states and will almost certainly be legal most everywhere--outside of the South--in the near future?
April 25th, 2014 at 10:30 AM ^
Where did I say he definitely has a problem? I said if he has a problem. I don't know if he has a problem. And when I used the phrase "rehabbed and ready to go," I meant his back injury. I don't have any opinions on legalizing marijuana, but even if it is legal, the NCAA can still choose to ban it, and then all of the athletes would still need to abide by that.
April 25th, 2014 at 11:41 AM ^
I see how you may have meant rehab his back. But you didn't say his back and when you add your previous concern that Mitch might have a substance abuse problem, I think my interpretation was understandable.
April 25th, 2014 at 12:10 PM ^
Yes, when I went back and read it I could see why my meaning wasn't clear. But I can't edit it now, because people have responded to it.
April 25th, 2014 at 10:45 AM ^
lol...you need to be rehabbed.
April 25th, 2014 at 11:43 AM ^
by society's overall representation of marijuana and people who use it.
but if you were stoned you'd probably just laugh at the idiot.
April 25th, 2014 at 10:49 AM ^
I thought this was another Glasgow/Lewan thread. Oops.
April 25th, 2014 at 11:19 AM ^
Well, in truth, it wasn't any secret among those that lived in West Quad that MM liked him some weed. This tale of trying it once for his chronic back pain doesn't pass the smell test.
Mitch passed 8 previous drug tests. Beilien and Michigan helped him appeal this decision to the NCAA and had he failed only a Michigan test the penalties would have been much more lenient.
I've a great movie suggestion for you Ilah17. I'm sure you'll find it spot on.
April 25th, 2014 at 10:13 AM ^
That's great to watch after a smoke sesh.
to leave the 1950s.
I am disappointed for Mitch not in him.
Eh... I'm both. I couldn't care less that he smoked weed, but it doesn't bode well for his self control/intelligence to be using when you know there is a likelihood of getting tested.
I tend to see these drug tests the same way I see NFL weed tests at the combine - teams don't care if you smoke weed. Teams do care if you're smart enough to stop when you know you're likely to be tested.
In a lot of ways it's more of a wisdom/intelligence test than a drug test...
Eh... I'm both. I couldn't care less that he smoked weed, but it doesn't bode well for his self control/intelligence to be using when you know there is a likelihood of getting tested.
I tend to see these drug tests the same way I see NFL weed tests at the combine - teams don't care if you smoke weed. Teams do care if you're smart enough to stop when you know you're likely to be tested.
In a lot of ways it's more of a wisdom/intelligence test than a drug test...
Never made a mistake your whole fucking life. Give me break.
It's a shame that this rule hasn't been addressed yet with all the changes in the status of pot. It's a ticket in Ann Arbor. Piss poor reason to potentially fuck up someones life. Yes he violated the rules but I can' understand why he never expected to be tested.
Here's an interesting article:
Looks like reducing it to a half-game suspension was in the works in 2013. I'm trying to find examples of athletes testing positive during a bowl game but I haven't found any yet.
April 25th, 2014 at 10:01 AM ^
If not go fuck yourself.
Ah yes, because college kids smoking pot == drug problem.
This is a stupid NCAA rule that was even more poorly implemented in this instance. I am tired of this moralizing by fans (and really society) about stuff like this. Just because you (and not meaning the OP, but in general) didn't do it doesn't make it inherently wrong. while I recognize that the law says it is illegal (and that's why some punishment is necessary), this 1-year ban and everything else just seems assinine and proves yet again why it an organization run by a bunch of old, mostly-white money-obsessed people might not have the best interests of the athlete at heart.
I mean, not incredibly surprising he tested positive for pot, but that's a year-long ban?
That would certainly motivate me to go to the NBA. Unfortunate that this sort of forced his hand.
this is the part that I was dissapointed in... 1 year ban? Not one game? Or one Practice? this is bloddy strange-- and this is coming from someone who has never tried pot.
I'd be banned for life.. see what I did there? Good thing I live in CO.. cough cough.
Didn't one AD make a comment as an argument against the players union something along the lines of "Well, if they are employees, does that mean we're allowed to fire players?".
Is this not essentially firing Mitch McGary? Seems they already have that ability.
A year long ban for testing positive for pot is absolutely absurd. I wish him the best in the future.
According to the article, it depends on the test. If Michigan had drug tested Mitch (which they did 8 times in 2 years and he passed all of them) and he had failed he would have had a 1-2 week suspension.
The NCAA only tests during national tournaments and the NCAA was a 1 year ban. NCAA changed the rules to a half-year ban, but wouldn't apply that to Mitch because his test was a week before the rule change.
IN THE FUCKING FUCK.