The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/888498
4 THE WOLVERINE NOVEMBER 2017 Dear The Wolverine: In the last week of September, I read the dramatic late-breaking news about the FBI investigating and indicting individuals corrupting the nationwide recruiting of high school basketball stars. My knee-jerk reaction did not in- clude apprehension that M i c h i g a n ' s p ro g r a m would be affected. I would have been very nervous if that news had broken during the Steve Fisher/Ed Martin Era. It was an astounding coin- cidence that only a couple days later I received The Wolverine's October issue that included a "By The Numbers" blurb about John Beilein receiving the most votes from coaches polled about who best complied with NCAA rules. Wolverine fans should feel grateful that we root for an athletic department dedicated to the ideal of the student- athlete and faithfully following NCAA rules. I am not so naïve as to think that every coach, athlete or employee in the department is a perfect angel all the time, but I feel proud that the two most visible Wolverine coaches, Jim Harbaugh and John Beilein, are men of integrity and high character. Having played for Coach Schem- bechler, there is no doubt that Har- baugh is one of Bo's most devoted disciples. Don't forget that AD Warde Manuel was a Wolverine teammate of Jim's. One of Bo's most famous quotes was, "If you have cheated, you have already lost!" Please note that he said "cheated," not "been caught cheating" or "been accused of cheating." Some of my knee-jerk reactions to the FBI article did include, "My word, have the perceptions that the NCAA can't keep its own house in order be- come so abhorrent that the federal government has to step in?" Are we witnessing the beginning of the end of the NCAA as we have known it? It was not that many years ago that Northwestern football players voted to form their own labor union. Is this the next step towards college basket- ball and football fans accepting that the NBA and the NFL need to have their own player development farm system like MLB and/or that college programs gradually morph into a sys- tem where players are legally paid for their contribution to an enormously lucrative entertainment industry? Anyone who still thinks that big university athletic departments and the schools that they represent are not separate businesses needs to wake up and smell the coffee. Everyone remembers where they were and what they were doing when they learned that JFK had been assassi- nated and that the World Trade Center had fallen. Maybe the last week of September 2017 will be something like that for college sports fans. Maybe this will be a turning point in the NCAA following the lead of the International Olympic Commit- tee's discarding the antiquated Oliver Cromwell versus Aristocrats amateur- ism ideal. I am grateful that the Michi- gan athletic department is not guilty of the obviously widespread corrup- tion that is forcing this issue. Lou Hoekstra Kalamazoo, Mich. We appreciate you reading the October issue, and hope you enjoy seeing your thought-out insights in the November one. These are legitimate questions and obser- vations. Dear The Wolverine: With [redshirt junior quarterback] Wilton Speight out with three bro- ken vertebrae and [fifth-year senior backup John] O'Korn hopeless, now it is evident why he lost the starting job in Houston. Maybe [redshirt fresh- man] Brandon Peters should be given a crack at the QB spot. I watched the spring game, and Pe- ters seemed to be more accurate with his passes, threw long down the field and could use his feet when needed. November 2017 • Vol. 29, No. 4 ISSN 1048-9940 Editor John Borton The Wolverine.com Editor Chris Balas Football Recruiting Writer Brandon Brown Staff Writers Austin Fox Andrew Vailliencourt Managing Editor Ryan Tice Contributing Editor Steve Downey Layout And Design Jeanette Blankenship Chris Miller Contributing Photographers Lon Horwedel Per Kjeldsen Cover Photo Per Kjeldsen Publisher Stu Coman Business Manager Linda Autry Circulation Manager Gail Evans Marketing/Merchandise Manager Beverly Taylor Director Of Advertising Michelle Delee-Hamilton Customer Service Lauren Saunders The Wolverine is published monthly. A one-year (12 issues) subscription is $52.99. The Wolverine is printed at The Papers in Milford, Ind. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Wolverine, P.O. Box 2331, Durham, NC 27702. Periodical postage paid at Durham, NC 27702 and additional offices. For advertising or subscription information, call 1-800-421-7751 or write The Wolverine, P.O. Box 1304, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. The Wolverine is a publication of Coman Publishing Company, 905 W. Main St, Suite 24F, Durham, NC 27701. E-Mail Address: thewolverine@comanpub.com Subscription questions: gevans@comanpub.com Web Site: www.thewolverine.com Be Heard! Send your letters to: Wolverine Letters • P.O. Box 1304 Ann Arbor, MI 48106 Or e-mail: ryantice@comanpub.com Letters may be edited for clarity or length. FROM OUR READERS