Shemy Schembechler joining Michigan Football Staff
Uhhhh...
Not a fan of this hire. It will shine more light on uhhh… certain family issues in a year when the team has national title aspirations.
EDIT: Just looked at his Twitter likes. Yeah that’s a no from me dawg. Dude is insane. You’d think this shit would be vetted more…
More importantly, can he play the 4?
If it weren't for Twitter we wouldn't know every unpleasant aspect of someone's world view and we would be better off for it. It's a cancer that promotes self righteous attitudes on all sides.
And yes...I'm an old man shaking his fist at clouds.
Yes.
Also if UofM had political purity tests for hiring we wouldn't have Harbaugh or diversity of thought.
With that said, he should tone it down a bit so it doesn't interfere with work.
Sorry, remind me when Harbaugh endorsed sedition and raising the voting age to 25 (this should go over well with the college demographic lmao)?
Harbaugh actually made interesting discourse on campus when he got here w his perspective. Not to mention him working with the Obamas while also being seen at a Clinton rally on campus essentially “crossing” the aisle for common causes.
This dude can kick rocks w Steve Deace.
I didn't see the exact posts of sedition and raising the voting age to 25.
I agree that it is great that Harbaugh has promoted free speech and discourse...i.e. supporting BLM protests and Kaepernick's freedom of expression.
I think that is great...the way a college campus should be. An open market place of ideas. Twitter is toxic by nature and limits debate with short messages. It's more about an echo chamber to reaffirm your beliefs than actual genuine discussion...at least it seems that way to me.
If we did have a political purity test, I'm not sure Harbaugh would pass it with his prolife and conservative military positions.
I agree with you that if hired he shouldn't be embarrassing his employer online, but I don't want a good candidate not hired over political beliefs as if it were the 1950s.
No, social media is not toxic by nature. People make the website toxic, because the open exchange of ideas on there goes awry when the entirety of human spectrum of thought is given equal platform and equal weight, plus the ability to do so anonymously. Because many low IQ folks believe freedom of speech means anything said is held to be equal in value and allowable, then get all whiny when they take their words too far.
At any university, the open exchange of ideas has expectations of decorum and integrity. In college, you can hold a discussion on differing viewpoints, but speech is only protected in as far as you do not intentionally troll other people and openly slur and hate or be obligatory with obscenity.
Your post ignores the reality of HOW people speak of their views. You are ridiculous to imply that Michigan, as a progressive institution, cares what its AD employees views on abortion are outside of whether or not those employees say, and here's the key point..."crazy shit."
It's really tiring how many people don't reflect on HOW they speak or act on their views. Schembechler is spouting off extremist views, and our society is more pathetic for trying to justify those views as okay in anyway.
Rather than seeing someone with your same political affiliation as a family member, maybe treat them like the dumbass they are rather than using whataboutism and "the political divide" as reasons for defending them under the notion that "universities should be open to discourse and not so liberal."
There is a difference between Michigan fans like Jay Nordlinger of The National Review and Trumpster Fires like my Uncle Roger, obsessed with sharing his illiteracy with the world.
This talk of "purity test" is so feckless because it presumes that politics are either/or. Either you are 100% right or wrong is a very stupid test.
I don't agree with the religious view Harbuagh takes on abortion, for example, and my wife and I both agree that abortion is not something we would consider unless the doctors said she or the baby were in danger. However, state and Federal governments should not get to apply one person's religious views or one person's ethical views to everyone. Because I disagree with Harbaugh on the situation does not make him 1) un-hirable or 2) less "pure" than me.
Schemy's post illustrate a person unwilling to see the nuances of a view, and they also show someone who is quite gullible to extremist views. That his views are conservative do not matter. That his views are severe, blinded, and juvenile in presentation...that matters more than any feck-ing political party one registers for.
No one should be required to see or accept your preferred “nuances,” nor should they be required to express them in a way you deem acceptable.
I bet the climate change denial goes over well with the kids too.
word
In a sense I agree, in that I don't need to see everyone's vomit. On the other hand, it does make apparent some fatal flaws that can (and should) be taken into account when considering someone for a position of influence (in this case an indirect/symbolic one). It's unfortunate that M did not make better use of that opportunity.
Can you point to a specific tweet that shows he is insane?
Edit: I see others have done it. No red flags, to be honest.
yikes. tho there are tens of millions of people who think similarly so i guess not surprising.
Maybe people think your Twitter post mean you should've a job. Seems pretty stupid huh
I agree that this is less than awesome, but also probably inconsequential in the big picture. He's not going to be a coach, just a dude looking at HS film.
EDIT: didn’t see some the uglier stuff he liked on Twitter. Whoo boy.
But why add that to what has developed into a stellar culture? I am not feeling this. Jaybaugh has more than proven his worth to assuage concerns about nepotism.-and granted, this was over time. Here's hoping lightning strikes twice.
No one should be hired for any job who has ever expressed any views that conflict, in any way, with the official positions of the Democratic Party which, of course, all good people are members of.
He’s liked posts about how Jim Crow helped Black folks. This has nothing to do with politics, it’s just racism and extremism. He’s a piece of shit just like his dad.
Years ago an ex-Cleveland Brown and fellow Michigan grad friend George Lilja called me and asked if I'd like to have breakfast with Bo, George and Shemy. Bo was speaking at the local FCA and had remained in touch with George so I got to tag along.
That was one of the most entertaining breakfast's I've ever had the pleasure of attending, listening to George & Bo swap stories from their years together was absolutely priceless. I think Shemy enjoyed it too as neither of us said two words for over an hour and just listened.
Edit - I thought I'd get a nice story in about Shemy, his dad and an All-American Michigan football great from my era before the inevitable shitstorm errupts.
What an incredible opportunity and memory for you. As a lifelong fan I remember George Lilja--heck of a center in the 3 yards and a cloud of dust era.
George?
Edit: Missed the name in the original post.
mGO - great story. The football community is very close knit, and - especially going back a few years.
The connections between college ball - the Michigan staff - and, the NFL - are incredible.
I have always enjoyed hearing Dan Dierdorf talk about his experience as an NFL rookie when his NFL coaches asked - "Where did you learn to block like that?" Dierdorf's response - "In Ann Arbor with Coaches Hanlon and Schembechler." What happened? The Cardinals coaches called and scheduled a visit to Ann Arbor with Jerry and Bo.
I just came across the story of Dierdorf playing with a broken jaw and his mouth wired shut. Here's him describing how it happened:
“It was my own stupidity,” Dierdorf told the New York Times a few weeks later. “They intercepted a pass and ran it back and when the whistle blew, I saw Matt Blair coming at me about 10 yards away and I assumed he was going to stop or run past me. I assumed wrong. He hit me just under the helmet on the right side of the jaw. It wasn’t a cheap shot or anything. It was just stupidity on my part for standing around and assuming he wasn’t going to block me.”
Wasn't a cheap shot? Man how the game has changed over the years. 😂
Lilja was quite a player and part of the group that beat Washington, ending Bo's long drought in the Rose Bowl. Also remember good linemen athletes such as him totally dominating IM basketball boxing out and getting every rebound.
Good to see Shemy involved with the team, the team, the team.
I also remember decades ago when the football players were still allowed to play IM basketball. My teams could never get past those guys but it was amazing to be on the same court with athletes of that caliber.
What do you mean "decades ago". The football players on my floor in west quad got to play with our IM team. That was only back in 1999...oh...oh god.. what the hell.
I lived in West Quad in 1999 as well, Adams House. Lived right below some of the football team...Oh the stories my roommates and I could tell....
Yeah, I remember playing in one game matched up against a defensive lineman on one of Bo's teams. Can't remember his name but he was in the 240 range, and I was 160 dripping wet. That didn't go well.
EDIT: I think the player may have been Chris Godfrey.
There were 3 Lilja boys in Big Ten football. Besides George, Larry at Northwestern and another one played for Indiana. At least two of them played in the NFL.
That's George to Bo's immediate left as you look at this picture taken right after his first Rose Bowl win in 1981
Boy I miss those thick-barred facemasks. Those and the thick neck rolls were badass.
Ending that drought in 1981 is one of the highlights of my childhood. 24-6. That and the Michigan Panthers beating the Stars in the inaugural USFL season - Bobby Hebert to Anthony Carter - are the first two teams that I rooted for that won anything. Then came the Tigers in 84, the Pistons five years later, and then OMG the Red Wings. And then came the Call Sam ads. Good times.
Thanks for sharing, my dad played with George in that era as well. And I'm glad to hear Shemy is coming back. He's a good dude and has a lot of strong experience as an NFL scout.
As far as the shitstorm that I agree will follow your post, I think a lot of people should redirect their (rightful) anger to the Medical and Student Services Departments instead of Bo for this tragic scandal. They were actually in a position to know that Dr. Anderson's conduct was medically wrong and criminal. We obviously can't say for sure because just about everyone's dead and it's hard to prove a negative. But I think there's a strong possibility that given the climate around medicine and sexual assault awareness at the time, Bo didn't realize what his players were alleging and thought they were complaining about medically required prostate exams (which guys commonly joke about to this day). Those exams of course weren't required for those players and Dr. Anderson was assaulting them even beyond that, but they were required in some other physicals at the time (i.e. Army). It's plausible that was Bo's frame of reference for those complaints without connecting them to the sexual assault that was happening. You can make the argument that he should have known, but it's hard to understate what a different era it was. And sadly, Dr. Anderson had a strong disguise for his criminal conduct. My dad was one of the players who had to get examined by this scumbag, so I take this very seriously. I just don't think Bo understood the allegations.
Again with the caveat that this all conjecture, it just doesn't line up with his conduct in other criminal situations. A few years later, when Bo learned that two of his players were connected to agents with mob ties that were being investigated, he had those players talk to the FBI on the spot, and Bo went on to appear as the star witness in the agents' trial. I think if he knew his players meant that they were being assaulted (which I don't dispute at all), he would have acted similarly with Dr. Anderson. Of course questions should still be asked about everyone involved given the severity and longevity of Dr. Anderson's conduct. But this perception that it can be connected to Bo in a concrete manner, it's similar to Joe Paterno (who admitted while he was alive that he was told about sexual assault), and he should therefore be cancelled is unfair in my opinion.
Edit: I said that about Shemy based on personal interactions where he was a nice guy. I had no idea on the Twitter history and agree with the decision for everyone to move on.
But how will directing their anger at an institution or department instead of a scapegoat with a face score internet points and boost their self esteem?
I respect your take and while it is certainly reasonable IMHO to wonder where the rest of the sizable medical staff was and what they knew or should have known when Anderson was around, I don't think it mitigates Bo's responsibility to know and understand what was going on. Bo was certainly a man who knew right from wrong and seemed to lead on that basis during his time at Michigan. He even appeared somewhat rigid about it, e.g. refusing to let Frieder coach the '89 hoops team in the tournament after he accepted the ASU job (which made sense to me at the time and obviously turned out well).
As a kid I was at Crisler when local political representative Perry Bullard was to introduce Bo for some award at halftime of the basketball game. Bullard was a blowhard and took the opportunity (with Bo already standing next to him at center court) to vilify Ann Arbor's $5 pot law. Bo listened patiently for a few moments but as soon as Bullard conveyed his apparently pro pot message Bo slam tapped the microphone and stormed off the floor before the award could be bestowed upon him.
My point is that Bo was clearly in many/most respects what we would consider an honorable man. Nevertheless, as the head coach and leader of the program, he should have known and understood that Anderson was perpetrating criminal sexual assault against Michigan football players (and others) for many many years. Yes it was a very different time when such behavior wasn't openly discussed or understood by many but, like Paterno at PSU, he was in a position to know and to discuss/report to higher ups what he didn't fully understand. That was part of his job as a leader and I suspect that if he were alive today he might agree.
As for his son Schemy now getting a job on Harbaugh's staff, I suspect that Harbaugh has known him for much of his life and is bringing Schemy home with confidence in his ability to help the recruiting department. Only time will tell but I for one don't have a problem with it, despite Schemy's previous comments about the Anderson scandal. As others have written he should not be held accountable for his dad's failing during that awful saga.
Yep I don't disagree with you there, Bo would probably be disappointed in himself that he didn't catch it. I just think there's a big difference between that (again, given the lower awareness at the time) and what seems to be the common perception that he knew and covered it up.
Add to that the fact that Anderson didn't work for Bo or the AD, and that the university very deliberately kept a high wall between the sports medicine side of things and the sports side of things, and we can se how Bo would be predisposed to let the medical side handle the medical side.
That Bo should have realized that players were not just bitching about medical procedures Bo himself had to undergo is obvious in retrospect, but not so much from prospect.
I do not know a ton about the FBI case you reference but that feels like a pretty different situation. It seems as if that story had no way of harming the program and therefore he had nothing to lose by acting. The University employing and protecting a predator could/would damage the program and therefore he had a lot to gain from ignoring it.
Also, the prostrate exam/military excuse may be valid but it definitely comes off as doing anything to protect Bo.
Understood, and I don't purport to exonerate Bo (or anyone) because I ultimately don't know. But since we have to sort of read tea leaves to analyze this issue, my only point in bringing up the Army example (which Bo served in) was that it was plausible at the time for someone like Bo to think that a prostate exam would have been part of a required physical. And if he reasonably believed that, I understand how he possibly could have missed the fact that his players were talking about a sexual assault rather than a typical exam.
And Bo underwent that digital exam himself every time he had a physical. This was in the days before PSA tests.
Prostate exams were standard of care
Not just to examen the prostate but detection of rectal tumors. In the late 80s/early 90s as a medical student and surgical intern, I remember the oft repeated "There are only two reasons not to do a rectal exam: 1) the patient has no rectum or 2) the doctor has no finger."
Good comments. I think Bo has taken the brunt of the criticisms and condemnations, but there are plenty of other people in the AD and Medical School who were at least as much to blame for enabling Anderson. Let's start with Bo's boss Don Canham. He had to have gotten reports about Anderson - not just from Bo but from other coaches and athletes of other sports. He could have gotten rid of Anderson in a second.
Other coaches whose athletes were assaulted also bear responsibility. And don't forget about Andersons boss in the medical school.
A lot of what happened and why is rolled into the culture in those days and the much different understanding of sexual assault. Obviously it doesn't make anything better or reverse the awful things that happened to many athletes.
“He could have gotten rid of Anderson in a second.”
This has always puzzled me—Canham was equal to Schembechler in institutional power on campus, whereas Anderson was just some mid-level medical guy—it wasn’t like he was head of Michigan Medicine or a prominent professor who was bringing in millions of research dollars. Canham could have squashed Anderson like a bug and literally nobody would have given a shit at U-M.
My dad worked with Bo on the admin side, and I've just never been able to reconcile the two faces--the adoration on one end, the seething dislike on the other. Bo yelled at everyone and was widely known as a tantrum-pitching tyrant. People did not like him. A certain kind of cruelty was considered manly and laughed over then that wouldn't fly now, and my dad saw the transition.
Further, Ann Arbor had a gay subculture where a fair lot of ugly was going down, also not an easy thing to talk about in a day when we're fighting for acceptance of homosexuality. When openly or flagrantly expressed, it brought condemnation and worse. But there were a LOT of people who quietly shrugged or shook their heads over the knowledge that this or that (often fairly macho) character was having his way with young men. Right across middle American culture.
They're probably checking out fast, but there are some people around still who knew about that subculture in A2.
I can give Bo some latitude. But a number of people came to him, not just one. He f'd up. And I doubt VERY much that Anderson was doopsing him, as someone suggests above. More likely, Bo was just not a super evolved person, and in denial, than that anything more complicated was taking place in his brain, TBH. He just refused to face the facts or act for his troops. And that was, absolutely, a dereliction of his duty to the young men placed in his charge.
These are my thoughts exactly. How many players of the thousands that came through blame Bo for anything? I can only think of two - Vaughn and one other I forgot.
It looks like Shemy will be working with Denard.
Just wondering - Tom Brady has retired, and - probably doesn't have a "seven day a week" job anymore. Perhaps there's room on the recruiting staff for Brady. I'd assume talented high schoolers would enjoy a few minutes with him.
Gonna have to get your money cannon primed if you're gonna try to compete with his broadcasting deal...
Still, an occasional pop-in/Zoom to pump up the boys on game day shouldn't be too much for the GOAT.
agree. zero chance of that happening. maybe in 10-15 years.