ADVERTISEMENT

Scandal brewing in AnnArbor: Michigan Wolverines athletes selling team-issued shoes for $5,000 a pop

Do you believe Jerry Sandusky was just washing up alone with the boys after some workouts? Do you believe Zach Smith was just protecting himself for his viscous wife? That line of thinking would seem to fall in line with your belief here.
Not certain I understand the equivalence you are raising here. If any UM athletes sold shoes they should be punished; I’ve held that since the UNC report came out a week ago. That said, the mere existence of UM athlete-issued shoes on StockX et al doesn’t equal wrongdoing; there are several former UM athletes who are known to have sold their shoes after they graduated.
 
After seeing what the NCAA did to UNC for both the fake classes deal and the shoe scandal, I wouldn't expect much. What a clown show Emmert and crew have become.
Considering the way that UNC presented their case I don't fault the NCAA. However the Southern Association ... Colleges should have used their (UNC) claims against themselves and revoked their accreditation. Would have made an interesting sideshow (faculty vs. fans) to boot.
 
It looks like sticky notes were used to cover up the numbers of the player who owned the shoes for the pictures.

Seems like it wouldn't need to be done if it wasn't the number of an active player?


https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=michigan+jordans&_sacat=0&_sop=16

One listing says, "These shoes were only made available to players on the Michigan Football team. Out of respect of the player, any area that indicates their number has been hidden. These spots have the player's number on it in marker. The buyer of the shoes will be able to see the number when they receive them. I did not want to tamper with the shoes and try to clean it off."
 
  • Like
Reactions: anon_xdc8rmuek44eq
If this is a scandal are there newspapers reporting it as such? Anyone applying pressure for an investigation?
 
Last edited:
$4700 for a pair of shoes. That's a whole lot of money! Especially if you're a 18-23 year old college student.

Going forward, maybe these 2 things need to happen:

(1) If Nike is going to put out a "limited edition" of shoes, the school needs to tell Nike "no." Either everyone, including the general public, has the ability to buy these shoes, or the school won't wear them as part of a special uniform. The primary reason these shoes are going for $4700 (!!) is because of their scarcity.

(2) Players don't get these shoes, their gold pants, etc until after graduation/they've left the program. All these goodies get held in an "escrow account" of sorts.

Why? Is being asked/expected to follow the very well-known rules that probably 90+% successfully follow too much to ask?
 
If players are getting $5000 for a pair of shoes, I'd love to know what they are doing with that money.
 
I think players should be able to make money off things like this... not a popular opinion but seriously.... so many people making money off of them.

Should be expelled IMMEDIATELY. I'm so poor; boohoo! You are getting a world class education for playing a game that you would be playing whether you are going to college or not. I need is the the battle cry. Well I could have used a free education for playing a sport that I loved too!

I have a questions for all of these POOR athletes. Who the hell paid for all of these tattoos? Where did you get the money, if you are so POOR?
 
  • Like
Reactions: PSUPride1
Not certain I understand the equivalence you are raising here. If any UM athletes sold shoes they should be punished; I’ve held that since the UNC report came out a week ago. That said, the mere existence of UM athlete-issued shoes on StockX et al doesn’t equal wrongdoing; there are several former UM athletes who are known to have sold their shoes after they graduated.

The equivalence I am raising is that there is a tendency to wait for proof of things when it applies to things that we care about.
I would assume that active players sold their shoes. I’m sure I would have.
 
If it ever becomes ncaa compliant for players to sell overnight RV passes, PSU players will have cars that rival those in neighboring Clinton County.
 
Why? Is being asked/expected to follow the very well-known rules that probably 90+% successfully follow too much to ask?

Your naive if you don't think ~ 10% of our players may not have done the same thing.

It's called "the institution minimizing the risk" of players doing things that could get the school in NCAA trouble.
 
I think players should be able to make money off things like this... not a popular opinion but seriously.... so many people making money off of them.
I am more ok with them selling their autograph or endorsements, but this equates to me taking office supplies at work and selling on Craigslist. It’s pure theft.
 
"NOTHING TO SEE HERE."
Really interesting clip. He's worried. He thinks and hopes they're ok, but he's not sure. And he's not indignantly puffing out his chest like Urbs did a few weeks ago. Not that the scenarios are similar, but Harbaugh was very measured with his response unlike Meyer who went full-on arrogant prick only to be exposed.

While it's possible that Harbaugh knows damn well that current players took an impermissible benefit, I don't think so and am ok with how he laid it out: although the players on the team know better, it could have happened without his knowledge, and if they did, they're going to be ruled ineligible.

I'm no Harbaugh fan, but he handled this pretty well. And again, he does seem worried.
 
I am not about to listen to that nut, but reading the tweet, is he saying players sold shoes but won't be suspended or that they won't be suspended because they didn't sell shoes?

The shoes don’t match anyone on the current roster it sounds like they went through everyone on the roster and they all still have the shoes they were issued.
 
It's unseemly, but in the greater scheme of things selling sneakers is no big deal. I understand that they've got to put a lid on it now that it's surfaced, but I don't think anybody should be suspended over it.
It’s an NCAA violation, so if someone did it, they should be suspended. I don’t think you can pick and choose which violations to enforce and which to ignore.
 
It's unseemly, but in the greater scheme of things selling sneakers is no big deal. I understand that they've got to put a lid on it now that it's surfaced, but I don't think anybody should be suspended over it.

I think the program should be burned down to the ground. Of course, it should have been over gibbons and lewan.
 
It’s an NCAA violation, so if someone did it, they should be suspended. I don’t think you can pick and choose which violations to enforce and which to ignore.

Yes, because all NCAA violations are enforced equally, across the board, against all schools at all times.

Cam Newton was purchased for over $100,000 and nothing happened. OSU had suspended players reinstated for a bowl game. Joe Mixon broke some girl's jaw and got off very light. UNC gave away good grades to athletes taking fake courses. Suspending kids for selling shoes seems out of place here.

I get that it's technically against the rules, but every day shit happens in college football that is against the rules.
 
Yes, because all NCAA violations are enforced equally, across the board, against all schools at all times.

Cam Newton was purchased for over $100,000 and nothing happened. OSU had suspended players reinstated for a bowl game. Joe Mixon broke some girl's jaw and got off very light. UNC gave away good grades to athletes taking fake courses. Suspending kids for selling shoes seems out of place here.

I get that it's technically against the rules, but every day shit happens in college football that is against the rules.

UNC kids were suspended for it.
 
UNC is off the hook entirely now. The NCAA isn't touching Michigan, that's for sure.

It's open season. Every NCAA football player should sell those shoes. Of course, if you are a 5-star guy, some booster is going to give you 100 pairs to sell every week.

Link: https://www.ien.com/regulation/video/21017676/five-charged-in-73m-fake-shoe-scam

Five Charged in $73M Fake Shoe Scam

The investigation speculates that the crew imported nearly 500,000 pairs of knock-off Air Jordans.

authors Eric Sorensen, Jeff Reinke

"I commend our law enforcement partners for helping to bring today's charges, which send a clear message to would-be counterfeiters: Just don't do it.” Those were the words of U.S. attorney Geoffrey S. Berman after five people were charged with trafficking counterfeit Nike Air Jordan sneakers.

Each member of the crew will face a potential maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. It’s alleged that over the last two years they’re responsible for $73 million in counterfeit shoe sales. The Fake Five were charged after investigators completed an eight-month probe that included the individual inspection of almost 27,000 pairs of sneakers. In total, the investigation speculates that the crew imported nearly 500,000 pairs of knock-offs.

The 42 containers of shoes arrived from China through the Port of Newark with the same design and color of authentic Air Jordans. The iconic Jumpman logo and other trademarks were added at locations throughout Brooklyn and Queens.

The Air Jordan brand tallied over $3 billion in sales last year for Nike. The company has released new versions of the Air Jordan shoe every year since being introduced in 1984. A pair of the shoes in question typically retails for about $190.

Even though he hasn’t played since 2003, Michael Jordan, the namesake and inspiration for the brand, made $100 million from licensing his name and likeness to the shoes last year. That more than three times the amount of the second highest shoe beneficiary - LeBron James
 
UNC kids were suspended for it.

I get it, but the school skated. It could have been a lot worse, and should have been. That was institutional malfeasance.

Look, I don't condone it, but Harbaugh's making $9 million/yr up there. They make millions and millions on those kids. Then they go ahead and give them these fancy shoes. What the hell did they expect would happen?

If they want to get real about this stuff, then make the school/team suffer, and not just the kids.
 
I get it, but the school skated. It could have been a lot worse, and should have been. That was institutional malfeasance.

Look, I don't condone it, but Harbaugh's making $9 million/yr up there. They make millions and millions on those kids. Then they go ahead and give them these fancy shoes. What the hell did they expect would happen?

If they want to get real about this stuff, then make the school/team suffer, and not just the kids.

I'm always on the side of labor, but the "these poor kids" thing doesn't fly with me anymore. They now get a stipend of what, $5k a year?, in addition to being on scholarship and not having to worry about books, rent, or any of the other things every other college student does. They don't need to sell their team issued merchandise for a couple thousand in order to afford a pizza.
 
Yes, because all NCAA violations are enforced equally, across the board, against all schools at all times.

Cam Newton was purchased for over $100,000 and nothing happened. OSU had suspended players reinstated for a bowl game. Joe Mixon broke some girl's jaw and got off very light. UNC gave away good grades to athletes taking fake courses. Suspending kids for selling shoes seems out of place here.

I get that it's technically against the rules, but every day shit happens in college football that is against the rules.
I’m a strong proponent of allowing collegiate athletes to license their name, image and likeness; but anyone who sold shoes knew full well they were breaking a rule and should be punished accordingly. There’s no grey area here - they signed an agreement not to sell team-issued shoes and apparel when they were issued.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Westcoast24
Your naive if you don't think ~ 10% of our players may not have done the same thing.

It's called "the institution minimizing the risk" of players doing things that could get the school in NCAA trouble.
"Our" ??????? But we already have proof that Michigan players have sold and are selling their shoes!!! What is this "our" that you speak of, michnotalion?????
 
I see Hill but can't make out an L. If he did he should be suspended in my book. Your tweet is interesting
I pasted the image in AutoCAD and took a picture. The first letter followed by a dot is not a K.

IMG_20180814_081953309.jpg
 
Last edited:
While I get that they do get some extra money now, even the coordinators are getting north of a million at the big schools. That piece of crap Zach Smith was making $350,000. What they give the kids is a pittance. It's a broken system.

But again, you give these kids a bunch of free collectors' items. Is anybody really surprised that they are selling them?
 
How about we all pitch in a few bucks and buy a pair of the shoes but we have the seller provide authentication that they are a UM player. Think some are that dumb?
 
I'm always on the side of labor, but the "these poor kids" thing doesn't fly with me anymore. They now get a stipend of what, $5k a year?, in addition to being on scholarship and not having to worry about books, rent, or any of the other things every other college student does. They don't need to sell their team issued merchandise for a couple thousand in order to afford a pizza.

No they don’t. But it’s a hell of a thing to own something and not be able to do what you want with it. They should just not give them to the kids. It’s like putting a chocolate pudding pie and a can of whipped cream in front of me and telling me not to eat it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: odshowtime
Player "Bonus" for achieving a Bowl Game:

$400 spending card for BestBuy...…. and they damn well better not be re-selling their PlayStation :)


Empty Suit, making nearly seven figure base salary - who had zero to do with any such "accomplishments" - "Bonus":

$120,000


Coach, making well over 7 figure base salary, "Bonus":

$350,000
So the guy down on the assembly line should make as much as the CEO??? If the players don’t play, someone else will. The school is generating the money, not the players that’s why every year, regardless of the players, people come to the games or watch it on TV.
 
WTF? Cal is on that list? Where is the market for Cal basketball shoes? The Cal MBB team won eight games last season ....
 
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest posts

ADVERTISEMENT