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FORGET TO REGRET
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It's not all black and white
even for the most "egregious" of violations |
As a young
impressionable fat little kid I, like Michigan basketball, peaked at the game of basketball during March of 1992. While the Fab Five were making headlines and changing the game, I was
merely using my two handed 12-foot bank shot from 12:25 to 12:55 ( that's recess) at Saddle Rock Elementary. Yet, when I put on the baggy maize shorts with the block letter "M" I
felt like I had the invincible powers of C-Webb, Jalen and Juwon.
So last week
when I heard once again that the entire Fab 5 was a non-existent farce, I couldn’t help but feeling betrayed. I realized that Weber wasn’t wearing baggy shorts to create a uniform
trend better than throwbacks; he merely needed some deep pockets to hide all his dirty cash.
No, Webber is not the main culprit. Instead, it seems that each party involved
holds some accountability. Instead of recognizing these violations and then correcting the root causes, most just want to forget about this entire
fiasco.
When the Sacrament Bee asked Weber about the sanctions, he responded, “As far as thinking about that, I couldn’t care
less…we have bigger fish to fry.”
The NCAA wants everyone to forget that the Fab 5 ever existed. NCAA Infractions
Committee chairman Thomas Yeager said, “The reputation of the university, the student-athletes, and the coach as a result of the basketball team’s accomplishments from 1992 through 1998 were
a sham.” As part of UM’s punishment they must disassociate from all involved players for the next 10 years. The Final Four banners are nowhere
to be found in the rafters of Crisler.
The fans are now supposed to forget the last ten years of Wolverine basketball. It’s
easy enough to forget the last five seasons, but erasing the Fab 5 from memory is like Capitol Hill asking American’s to forget that the US sold the Iraqi's half the scud missiles around.
Everyone seems to forget Steve Fisher’s involvement. Some accounts have Fisher
and Martin being as close as Sigfried and Roy. Martin regularly provided gifts for Fisher and his family, and Fisher scratched his back right back by
giving Martin free tickets, hotel rooms and access to the team.
University President Mary Sue Coleman “completely accepts” the probation and penalties but intends to appeal
the postseason ban (the harshest penalty). After kissing the NCAA’s ass for two years, Mary Sue and Tom Martin might have lips that are a bit
chapped. Apparently, Mary Sue forgot that the reason all the shit has hit the fan is because the basketball program was dirtier than a sluty sorority
sister with a tongue ring.
It seems that every party has strategically decided how to accept responsibility. Nobody--
not Webber, the late Ed Martin, The University of Michigan, the NCAA, or Steve Fisher- have unequivocally accepted responsibility for their wrongdoings.
This is the true sham. All the talk about integrity and the ideals of amateurism
are merely double talk. Every fan can easily see that money, power, and publicity are the real values that make college basketball just another
biznass. |
