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Michigan's response: nice league you've got there...shame if something happened to it

J

Jerry

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May 29, 2001
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Michigan's media waterboy, Dan Wetzel, naturally obtained the school's response (link below) yesterday to the commissioner's inquiry, and it basically threatens to burn down the whole league if any sanctions are imposed this week.

Elsewhere I read that the university has enlisted the services of legal heavyweight firm Williams and Connolly. The Wolvies are ready to go to war.

Petitti is in a hopelessly no-win situation now. It's hard to see how he can back down at this late hour without losing all credibility. Therefore, I think he'll move today to suspend Harbaugh for two games. This is little more than a gesture -- it's not like such a thing by itself would hurt Michigan -- but the symbolism and the message it sends are important.

Any other program in the league (except maybe Ohio State) would have been squashed like a bug by now. Is Michigan bigger than the entire conference? We're going to find out.

sports.yahoo.com

Michigan objects to 'premature' Big Ten discipline on sign-stealing scandal, says it'd 'exceed commissioner's authority' - Yahoo Sports

In its response to the conference, Michigan claims the Big Ten is acting prematurely and that the NCAA has not yet been able to provide significant evidence.
sports.yahoo.com sports.yahoo.com
 
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Jerry said:
Michigan's media waterboy, Dan Wetzel, naturally obtained the school's response (link below) yesterday to the commissioner's inquiry, and it basically threatens to burn down the whole league if any sanctions are imposed this week.

Elsewhere I read that the university has enlisted the services of legal heavyweight firm Williams and Connolly. The Wolvies are ready to go to war.

Petitti is in a hopelessly no-win situation now. It's hard to see how he can back down at this late hour without losing all credibility. Therefore, I think he'll move today to suspend Harbaugh for two games. This is little more than a gesture -- it's not like such a thing by itself would hurt Michigan -- but the symbolism and the message it sends are important.

Any other program in the league (except maybe Ohio State) would have been squashed like a bug by now. Is Michigan bigger than the entire conference? We're going to find out.

sports.yahoo.com

Michigan objects to 'premature' Big Ten discipline on sign-stealing scandal, says it'd 'exceed commissioner's authority' - Yahoo Sports

In its response to the conference, Michigan claims the Big Ten is acting prematurely and that the NCAA has not yet been able to provide significant evidence.
sports.yahoo.com sports.yahoo.com
Click to expand...
We'd also be fine
There wouldn't be outrage if it was anyone else
It's also not about them being bigger than the conference. Decisions are never black and white. This isn't about Michigan. It's about the conference as a whole.
 
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Jerry said:
Michigan's media waterboy, Dan Wetzel, naturally obtained the school's response (link below) yesterday to the commissioner's inquiry, and it basically threatens to burn down the whole league if any sanctions are imposed this week.

Elsewhere I read that the university has enlisted the services of legal heavyweight firm Williams and Connolly. The Wolvies are ready to go to war.

Petitti is in a hopelessly no-win situation now. It's hard to see how he can back down at this late hour without losing all credibility. Therefore, I think he'll move today to suspend Harbaugh for two games. This is little more than a gesture -- it's not like such a thing by itself would hurt Michigan -- but the symbolism and the message it sends are important.

Any other program in the league (except maybe Ohio State) would have been squashed like a bug by now. Is Michigan bigger than the entire conference? We're going to find out.

sports.yahoo.com

Michigan objects to 'premature' Big Ten discipline on sign-stealing scandal, says it'd 'exceed commissioner's authority' - Yahoo Sports

In its response to the conference, Michigan claims the Big Ten is acting prematurely and that the NCAA has not yet been able to provide significant evidence.
sports.yahoo.com sports.yahoo.com
Click to expand...
so, in summary...

  • yeah we stole signs, so what?
  • Everybody does it
  • The team is guilty but not Harbaugh
  • The clause has never been used before although we agreed to it as have all of the other B1G teams
  • And even if we are guilty, and we are, it didn't help. we just did it for fun and to see if we could get away with it
  • We may seek legal action
This comes down to two things IMHO. Michigan is guilty and they admit it. The B1G must have floated a suspension against Harbaugh as punishment but they suggest Harbaugh is not guilty. So, I guess, they want to punish the team and not Harbaugh? They are trying to delay things. First buy suggesting they need more evidence and an investigation and second by suggesting their file a lawsuit. One has to wonder why they want to delay. I guess they hope this all just goes away but I have to believe it will get worse during the PSU,tOSU, B1G championship and playoffs if UM makes it that far.

I still think a lawsuit is just a delaying tactic. UM signed the agreement giving the B1G and NCAA the power. UM has already admitted they are guilty. So their position is they don't like the punishment? Try that the next time your driver's license is suspended for a year and you got a $1500 fine for driving drunk and using the excuse "nobody got hurt".

The letter reads like spaghetti. It is all over the place and grasping at straws. It is GREAT to see the B1G implode on this as the B1G has gone out of their way to make sure it is still the big two little eight. We've seen the refs calls against these two teams year in and year out. I recall the head of officiating was a UM grad who had a UM helmet lamp in his office. Now if the B1G doesn't put the hammer down, they will be exposed because you can be damn sure Iowa or PSU would have gotten gutted. And if they do put the hammer down, they damage the B1G's premier matchup. Lastly, I have to say, UM now calling the NCAA and B1G unfair after what PSU went through is the highlight of the season so far.
 
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Obliviax said:
so, in summary...

  • yeah we stole signs, so what?
  • Everybody does it
  • The team is guilty but not Harbaugh
  • The clause has never been used before although we agreed to it as have all of the other B1G teams
  • We may seek legal action
This comes down to two things IMHO. Michigan is guilty and they admit it. The B1G must have floated a suspension against Harbaugh as punishment but they suggest Harbaugh is not guilty. So, I guess, they want to punish the team and not Harbaugh? They are trying to delay things. First buy suggesting they need more evidence and an investigation and second by suggesting their file a lawsuit. One has to wonder why they want to delay. I guess they hope this all just goes away but I have to believe it will get worse during the PSU,tOSU, B1G championship and playoffs if UM makes it that far.

I still think a lawsuit is just a delaying tactic. UM signed the agreement giving the B1G and NCAA the power. UM has already admitted they are guilty. So their position is they don't like the punishment? Try that the next time your driver's license is suspended for a year and you got a $1500 fine for driving drunk and using the excuse "nobody got hurt".

The letter reads like spaghetti. It is all over the place and grasping at straws. It is GREAT to see the B1G implode on this as the B1G has gone out of their way to make sure it is still the big two little eight. We've seen the refs calls against these two teams year in and year out. I recall the head of officiating was a UM grad who had a UM helmet lamp in his office. Now if the B1G doesn't put the hammer down, they will be exposed because you can be damn sure Iowa or PSU would have gotten gutted. And if they do put the hammer down, they damage the B1G's premier matchup. Lastly, I have to say, UM now calling the NCAA and B1G unfair after what PSU went through is the highlight of the season so far.
Click to expand...
The driving drunk example doesn't work because it's, in theory, always enacted
When has this been used prior? And, if it never has, why now? That's a problem because we can't pretend this is the first display of poor sportmanship or something that would break this.

I do agree with your first two points but the rest, especially, the last two, isn't grasping at straws. They're valid and I don't think the Big Ten is more worried than many here want to believe
 
LandoComando said:
The driving drunk example doesn't work because it's, in theory, always enacted
When has this been used prior? And, if it never has, why now? That's a problem because we can't pretend this is the first display of poor sportmanship or something that would break this.

I do agree with your first two points but the rest, especially, the last two, isn't grasping at straws. They're valid and I don't think the Big Ten is more worried than many here want to believe
Click to expand...
It doesn't matter when it was used or why. Let's use a different analogy. The next time you get pulled over for speeding, tell the officer that all of the other cars were speeding too. Or, you can say that nobody ever gets pulled over for speeding at that location. See how that works for you. And it isn't "poor sportmanship". Poor sportmanship is not shaking hands after the game. this is a direct violation of a rule.

the "legal action" path won't help them other than to delay things. They have no legal path. They signed up to follow the rules and did not. This isn't a law, they didn't commit a crime, they violated an agreement that promoted fair practice and competition for football. They can't win a lawsuit because they disagree with the refs call of roughing the passer or filling the punter's ball with helium.
 
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I don't think Petitti and the BIG have any balls at all. And we know that the NCAA is feckless. UM knowing the signs of opponents for 3+ years has been the equivalent of them playing with 12 players. There's no way that the entire coaching staff could not have known and it's highly likely that most of the players knew or at least suspected. Did they think that their coaches were so damn smart that they constantly called the right alignments play after play, game after game?
 
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LeatherHelmets said:
I don't think Petitti and the BIG have any balls at all. And we know that the NCAA is feckless. UM knowing the signs of opponents for 3+ years has been the equivalent of them playing with 12 players. There's no way that the entire coaching staff could not have known and it's highly likely that most of the players knew or at least suspected. Did they think that their coaches were so damn smart that they constantly called the right alignments play after play, game after game?
Click to expand...
agreed. but it doesn't matter if the rest of the staff knew or not. They had an employee illegally stealing signs. End of story. Now it is just a matter of punishment.
 
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Obliviax said:
It doesn't matter when it was used or why. Let's use a different analogy. The next time you get pulled over for speeding, tell the officer that all of the other cars were speeding too. Or, you can say that nobody ever gets pulled over for speeding at that location. See how that works for you. And it isn't "poor sportmanship". Poor sportmanship is not shaking hands after the game. this is a direct violation of a rule.

the "legal action" path won't help them other than to delay things. They have no legal path. They signed up to follow the rules and did not. This isn't a law, they didn't commit a crime, they violated an agreement that promoted fair practice and competition for football. They can't win a lawsuit because they disagree with the refs call of roughing the passer or filling the punter's ball with helium.
Click to expand...
It absolutely matters when it was used and why. Is the "sportsmanship rule" defined any where? If vague that's a problem.

We disagree on that. A crime doesn't need to occur for it to be handled in the courts, you realize that riht?
 
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LeatherHelmets said:
I don't think Petitti and the BIG have any balls at all. And we know that the NCAA is feckless. UM knowing the signs of opponents for 3+ years has been the equivalent of them playing with 12 players. There's no way that the entire coaching staff could not have known and it's highly likely that most of the players knew or at least suspected. Did they think that their coaches were so damn smart that they constantly called the right alignments play after play, game after game?
Click to expand...
Yeah, strange how they couldn't win sh!t before 2021 and then start beating everyone. Their last B1G title (before 2021) was in 2004. Hmmmm....I wonder if something happened that changed everything?
 
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Jerry said:
Michigan's media waterboy, Dan Wetzel, naturally obtained the school's response (link below) yesterday to the commissioner's inquiry, and it basically threatens to burn down the whole league if any sanctions are imposed this week.

Elsewhere I read that the university has enlisted the services of legal heavyweight firm Williams and Connolly. The Wolvies are ready to go to war.

Petitti is in a hopelessly no-win situation now. It's hard to see how he can back down at this late hour without losing all credibility. Therefore, I think he'll move today to suspend Harbaugh for two games. This is little more than a gesture -- it's not like such a thing by itself would hurt Michigan -- but the symbolism and the message it sends are important.

Any other program in the league (except maybe Ohio State) would have been squashed like a bug by now. Is Michigan bigger than the entire conference? We're going to find out.

sports.yahoo.com

Michigan objects to 'premature' Big Ten discipline on sign-stealing scandal, says it'd 'exceed commissioner's authority' - Yahoo Sports

In its response to the conference, Michigan claims the Big Ten is acting prematurely and that the NCAA has not yet been able to provide significant evidence.
sports.yahoo.com sports.yahoo.com
Click to expand...

This is how the PR game is played and the antithesis of what our BOT did during the Sandusky issue. Granted, for those that think it a conspiracy theory that this is a 2 horse league, Michigan seems to believe they have all the leverage and I don't they're wrong. Penn State on the other hand...
 
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Obliviax said:
so, in summary...

  • yeah we stole signs, so what?
  • Everybody does it
  • The team is guilty but not Harbaugh
  • The clause has never been used before although we agreed to it as have all of the other B1G teams
  • And even if we are guilty, and we are, it didn't help. we just did it for fun and to see if we could get away with it
  • We may seek legal action
This comes down to two things IMHO. Michigan is guilty and they admit it. The B1G must have floated a suspension against Harbaugh as punishment but they suggest Harbaugh is not guilty. So, I guess, they want to punish the team and not Harbaugh? They are trying to delay things. First buy suggesting they need more evidence and an investigation and second by suggesting their file a lawsuit. One has to wonder why they want to delay. I guess they hope this all just goes away but I have to believe it will get worse during the PSU,tOSU, B1G championship and playoffs if UM makes it that far.

I still think a lawsuit is just a delaying tactic. UM signed the agreement giving the B1G and NCAA the power. UM has already admitted they are guilty. So their position is they don't like the punishment? Try that the next time your driver's license is suspended for a year and you got a $1500 fine for driving drunk and using the excuse "nobody got hurt".

The letter reads like spaghetti. It is all over the place and grasping at straws. It is GREAT to see the B1G implode on this as the B1G has gone out of their way to make sure it is still the big two little eight. We've seen the refs calls against these two teams year in and year out. I recall the head of officiating was a UM grad who had a UM helmet lamp in his office. Now if the B1G doesn't put the hammer down, they will be exposed because you can be damn sure Iowa or PSU would have gotten gutted. And if they do put the hammer down, they damage the B1G's premier matchup. Lastly, I have to say, UM now calling the NCAA and B1G unfair after what PSU went through is the highlight of the season so far.
Click to expand...
Your last paragraph 🍻
 
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Jerry said:
Michigan's media waterboy, Dan Wetzel, naturally obtained the school's response (link below) yesterday to the commissioner's inquiry, and it basically threatens to burn down the whole league if any sanctions are imposed this week.

Elsewhere I read that the university has enlisted the services of legal heavyweight firm Williams and Connolly. The Wolvies are ready to go to war.

Petitti is in a hopelessly no-win situation now. It's hard to see how he can back down at this late hour without losing all credibility. Therefore, I think he'll move today to suspend Harbaugh for two games. This is little more than a gesture -- it's not like such a thing by itself would hurt Michigan -- but the symbolism and the message it sends are important.

Any other program in the league (except maybe Ohio State) would have been squashed like a bug by now. Is Michigan bigger than the entire conference? We're going to find out.

sports.yahoo.com

Michigan objects to 'premature' Big Ten discipline on sign-stealing scandal, says it'd 'exceed commissioner's authority' - Yahoo Sports

In its response to the conference, Michigan claims the Big Ten is acting prematurely and that the NCAA has not yet been able to provide significant evidence.
sports.yahoo.com sports.yahoo.com
Click to expand...
This letter is a really bad look for Michigan. How pathetic.
 
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Jerry said:
Michigan's media waterboy, Dan Wetzel, naturally obtained the school's response (link below) yesterday to the commissioner's inquiry, and it basically threatens to burn down the whole league if any sanctions are imposed this week.

Elsewhere I read that the university has enlisted the services of legal heavyweight firm Williams and Connolly. The Wolvies are ready to go to war.

Petitti is in a hopelessly no-win situation now. It's hard to see how he can back down at this late hour without losing all credibility. Therefore, I think he'll move today to suspend Harbaugh for two games. This is little more than a gesture -- it's not like such a thing by itself would hurt Michigan -- but the symbolism and the message it sends are important.

Any other program in the league (except maybe Ohio State) would have been squashed like a bug by now. Is Michigan bigger than the entire conference? We're going to find out.

sports.yahoo.com

Michigan objects to 'premature' Big Ten discipline on sign-stealing scandal, says it'd 'exceed commissioner's authority' - Yahoo Sports

In its response to the conference, Michigan claims the Big Ten is acting prematurely and that the NCAA has not yet been able to provide significant evidence.
sports.yahoo.com sports.yahoo.com
Click to expand...
Michigan knows they are guilty, so they are doubling down.
 
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LandoComando said:
We'd also be fine
There wouldn't be outrage if it was anyone else
It's also not about them being bigger than the conference. Decisions are never black and white. This isn't about Michigan. It's about the conference as a whole.
Click to expand...

Its not about any color other than green.
 
Obliviax said:
so, in summary...

  • yeah we stole signs, so what?
  • Everybody does it
  • The team is guilty but not Harbaugh
  • The clause has never been used before although we agreed to it as have all of the other B1G teams
  • And even if we are guilty, and we are, it didn't help. we just did it for fun and to see if we could get away with it
  • We may seek legal action
This comes down to two things IMHO. Michigan is guilty and they admit it. The B1G must have floated a suspension against Harbaugh as punishment but they suggest Harbaugh is not guilty. So, I guess, they want to punish the team and not Harbaugh? They are trying to delay things. First buy suggesting they need more evidence and an investigation and second by suggesting their file a lawsuit. One has to wonder why they want to delay. I guess they hope this all just goes away but I have to believe it will get worse during the PSU,tOSU, B1G championship and playoffs if UM makes it that far.

I still think a lawsuit is just a delaying tactic. UM signed the agreement giving the B1G and NCAA the power. UM has already admitted they are guilty. So their position is they don't like the punishment? Try that the next time your driver's license is suspended for a year and you got a $1500 fine for driving drunk and using the excuse "nobody got hurt".

The letter reads like spaghetti. It is all over the place and grasping at straws. It is GREAT to see the B1G implode on this as the B1G has gone out of their way to make sure it is still the big two little eight. We've seen the refs calls against these two teams year in and year out. I recall the head of officiating was a UM grad who had a UM helmet lamp in his office. Now if the B1G doesn't put the hammer down, they will be exposed because you can be damn sure Iowa or PSU would have gotten gutted. And if they do put the hammer down, they damage the B1G's premier matchup. Lastly, I have to say, UM now calling the NCAA and B1G unfair after what PSU went through is the highlight of the season so far.
Click to expand...

Soon to overheard at a field near you:

Referees to UM players - "You're just lucky to be playing."
 
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LeatherHelmets said:
I don't think Petitti and the BIG have any balls at all. And we know that the NCAA is feckless. UM knowing the signs of opponents for 3+ years has been the equivalent of them playing with 12 players. There's no way that the entire coaching staff could not have known and it's highly likely that most of the players knew or at least suspected. Did they think that their coaches were so damn smart that they constantly called the right alignments play after play, game after game?
Click to expand...
Saw somewhere that Harbaugh’s record before 2021 when the sign stealing allegedly began was 49-22 and 37-4 since. I’m sure Lando thinks this is pure coincidence.
 
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LeatherHelmets said:
I don't think Petitti and the BIG have any balls at all. And we know that the NCAA is feckless. UM knowing the signs of opponents for 3+ years has been the equivalent of them playing with 12 players. There's no way that the entire coaching staff could not have known and it's highly likely that most of the players knew or at least suspected. Did they think that their coaches were so damn smart that they constantly called the right alignments play after play, game after game?
Click to expand...
Well they ARE Michigan right and their you know what doesn’t you know what right
 
Obliviax said:
so, in summary...

  • yeah we stole signs, so what?
  • Everybody does it
  • The team is guilty but not Harbaugh
  • The clause has never been used before although we agreed to it as have all of the other B1G teams
  • And even if we are guilty, and we are, it didn't help. we just did it for fun and to see if we could get away with it
  • We may seek legal action
This comes down to two things IMHO. Michigan is guilty and they admit it. The B1G must have floated a suspension against Harbaugh as punishment but they suggest Harbaugh is not guilty. So, I guess, they want to punish the team and not Harbaugh? They are trying to delay things. First buy suggesting they need more evidence and an investigation and second by suggesting their file a lawsuit. One has to wonder why they want to delay. I guess they hope this all just goes away but I have to believe it will get worse during the PSU,tOSU, B1G championship and playoffs if UM makes it that far.

I still think a lawsuit is just a delaying tactic. UM signed the agreement giving the B1G and NCAA the power. UM has already admitted they are guilty. So their position is they don't like the punishment? Try that the next time your driver's license is suspended for a year and you got a $1500 fine for driving drunk and using the excuse "nobody got hurt".

The letter reads like spaghetti. It is all over the place and grasping at straws. It is GREAT to see the B1G implode on this as the B1G has gone out of their way to make sure it is still the big two little eight. We've seen the refs calls against these two teams year in and year out. I recall the head of officiating was a UM grad who had a UM helmet lamp in his office. Now if the B1G doesn't put the hammer down, they will be exposed because you can be damn sure Iowa or PSU would have gotten gutted. And if they do put the hammer down, they damage the B1G's premier matchup. Lastly, I have to say, UM now calling the NCAA and B1G unfair after what PSU went through is the highlight of the season so far.
Click to expand...

Yup, the irony is that suspending Harbaugh for two games at this late hour does not help us at all on Saturday. The impact could be just the opposite in fact. They'll use it as motivation...us-against-the-world. The pre-game speech to the players practically writes itself.
 
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Surprised that one of their arguments is that other teams stole their signals even though it was done within the rules. Kind of a middle school excuse.

Also, their threat of burning down the league seems a bit hollow. Where are they going to go? Seems as if they are threatening to burn their own house down. It’s not just Big Ten teams that believe there should be some sort of consequence.

I suppose it’s possible that Harbaugh and his assistants did not know how Stallions got his sign information, but that does not get them off the hook IMO. There is pretty strong evidence his info was used during games, and that would make the head coach and assistants culpable.

There is also the issue of how all the tickets, recording devices, and transportation costs were paid for. If any of it was paid by the football or athletic budget, then they are guilty as charged IMO.
 
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Jerry said:
Yup, the irony is that suspending Harbaugh for two games at this late hour does not help us at all on Saturday. The impact could be just the opposite in fact. They'll use it as motivation...us-against-the-world. The pre-game speech to the players practically writes itself.
Click to expand...
Agree but pre-game speeches wear off pretty quickly. Everyone has a plan until you are punched in the fact.

And I don't know about college football players but if I played, I'd take that 'us against the world' speech and try to use it as motivation. But there would be a voice in my head that would continue to say "you know, we DID cheat". So I am not sure how much value that would really provide. maybe that's just me.
 
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Jerry said:
Yup, the irony is that suspending Harbaugh for two games at this late hour does not help us at all on Saturday. The impact could be just the opposite in fact. They'll use it as motivation...us-against-the-world. The pre-game speech to the players practically writes itself.
Click to expand...
Doesn’t matter if it helps us or not IMO, there should be consequences for violating rules. Something that seems to have disappeared in many aspects of our culture and society.
 
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SR108 said:
Doesn’t matter if it helps us or not IMO, there should be consequences for violating rules. Something that seems to have disappeared in many aspects of our culture and society.
Click to expand...

In principle I agree, but these are two different issues: the requirements of justice and the impact on the game.

Personally, I'd love to see Michigan face the music. But even more than that, I'd love to win the game on Saturday. If I were given the choice between one or the other, I have to honestly say I'd take the W in a heartbeat.
 
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fastlax16 said:
Once you're already covered in shit, what's a little bit more?
Click to expand...
Agreed. Layers often are the worst writers. As a friend of mine says "when you have a mic drop moment, drop the ****ing mic!" If you don't you ramble. And when a reader reads rambling, it looks defensive.

Had I been writing that letter, I'd simply have said that Stalions was stealing signs but there is no evidence he shared he did that illegally with the staff. UM is willing to cop to a plea but the punishment has to be commensurate with the crime. If it is not, we will consider other remedies.
 
Obliviax said:
Agree but pre-game speeches wear off pretty quickly. Everyone has a plan until you are punched in the fact.

And I don't know about college football players but if I played, I'd take that 'us against the world' speech and try to use it as motivation. But there would be a voice in my head that would continue to say "you know, we DID cheat". So I am not sure how much value that would really provide. maybe that's just me.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure the players were aware...and if they were, I'm not sure their consciences are tender enough to care.

In any case, here's the locker room speech: Boys, everybody hates us. Everybody is blaming us. Everybody is saying all your hard work counted for nothing...that you cheated to win. They took our coach away to punish you. Go out there today and give the bastards your answer on the field.

End of speech. Utter bullshit...but potentially very effective.
 
Jerry said:
Michigan's media waterboy, Dan Wetzel, naturally obtained the school's response (link below) yesterday to the commissioner's inquiry, and it basically threatens to burn down the whole league if any sanctions are imposed this week.

Elsewhere I read that the university has enlisted the services of legal heavyweight firm Williams and Connolly. The Wolvies are ready to go to war.

Petitti is in a hopelessly no-win situation now. It's hard to see how he can back down at this late hour without losing all credibility. Therefore, I think he'll move today to suspend Harbaugh for two games. This is little more than a gesture -- it's not like such a thing by itself would hurt Michigan -- but the symbolism and the message it sends are important.

Any other program in the league (except maybe Ohio State) would have been squashed like a bug by now. Is Michigan bigger than the entire conference? We're going to find out.

sports.yahoo.com

Michigan objects to 'premature' Big Ten discipline on sign-stealing scandal, says it'd 'exceed commissioner's authority' - Yahoo Sports

In its response to the conference, Michigan claims the Big Ten is acting prematurely and that the NCAA has not yet been able to provide significant evidence.
sports.yahoo.com sports.yahoo.com
Click to expand...
Are people really surprised that nothing will happen?!

This is nothing new. This league has cheated and conspired against Penn State since 1993. Tried to kill our football program in 2011 (with much less - actually nothing - compared to what Michigan, Michigan State annd Ohio State have done).

Gotta live with it now. Beat them (and refs)…which means you can tack on an extra 3-7 needed points each game.
 
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Jerry said:
I'm not sure the players were aware...and if they were, I'm not sure their consciences are tender enough to care.

In any case, here's the locker room speech: Boys, everybody hates us. Everybody is blaming us. Everybody is saying all your hard work counted for nothing...that you cheated to win. They took our coach away to punish you. Go out there today and give the bastards your answer on the field.

End of speech. Utter bullshit...but potentially very effective.
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Eh. If either of these teams weren't already motivated enough to run through a wall on the way to the field then they shouldn't be playing. If Michigan wants to get so jacked up that they gas out after an adrenaline dump then I guess good for us.
 
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WaffleShopper said:
Eh. If either of these teams weren't already motivated enough to run through a wall on the way to the field then they shouldn't be playing. If Michigan wants to get so jacked up that they gas out after an adrenaline dump then I guess good for us.
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This--though I do think Michigan is going to take on the "us vs the world" mentality which usually helps teams short term.
 
rrdd2021 said:
Yeah, strange how they couldn't win sh!t before 2021 and then start beating everyone. Their last B1G title (before 2021) was in 2004. Hmmmm....I wonder if something happened that changed everything?
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don't forget harbaugh's 50% pay cut too...Here's the timeline.

2015-2020 record: 49-22 (average 2.67 B2G losses/yr)
2020 (50% pay cut)
Record since pay cut 33-3 (with 2 losses coming in the CFP)

That's an amazing turnaround. Definitely not because of something desperate being done when things are falling apart and you are on the hot seat
 
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