The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/666058
INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS ships with a booster and ultimately heavy, self-imposed sanctions — is often referred to as a "Fab Five" issue. It wasn't. Only one member of those five ultimately found himself in the NCAA crosshairs. But Chris Webber's line crossing occurred amid a culture of wink-and-nod NCAA rule breaking that ultimately brought down the Wolverines for many years. Some will say, "Oh, give him a break. Everybody does it, and he was just a kid." Well, everybody doesn't do it, evidenced by a John Beilein crew that got as far as the Fab Five did in the NCAA Tournament without a hint of illicit activity. Further- more, Webber wasn't a kid when, a decade later, he lied to a Federal Grand Jury about his dealings with booster Ed Martin. Webber has never once acknowledged any hint of regret or angst regarding the issues the program endured. He's carried a defiant tone that sent a loud message to anyone playing attention. His actions caused the Fab Five's Final Four banners to come down in Crisler Arena. They can't go back up because they represent accomplishments that are no longer even recognized by the NCAA. Furthermore, the problems that began then cost Michigan basketball years of chances at legitimate success, even acknowledging the bungled hiring process after Steve Fisher's firing. Want to celebrate two years that dramatically impacted college basketball? Go ahead. But it should be accompanied by a counting of the cost, by all concerned. Michigan basketball's 1991 recruiting class — dubbed the "Fab Five" — changed col- lege basketball. The highly touted members of the class were (from left to right): Ray Jackson, Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, Jalen Rose and Jimmy King. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS