A Call For Leadership
“It’s easy for [NCAA President] Mark Emmert to pass the buck. But he’s the single most influential person — at least image-wise and perceptively — in the system of intercollegiate athletics, and he hasn’t offered one thing,” Finebaum said. “He has been a complete embarrassment. And part of this is his fault. He has not spoken out, he has not said anything but passing the buck.” — ESPN's Paul Finebaum
It's not often we agree with our old friend 'Pete,' as head coach Jim Harbaugh once called him. But we've been wondering for weeks what Emmert's role was/would be, and we clearly weren't the only ones.
Last week's column in The Wolverine Magazine, in fact, outlined our own concerns ...
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The curve has been flattened and then some, at least in the Big Ten states. COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations in Michigan were way down from April peaks, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) — as of July 21, U-M had 12 positive tests among 559 student-athletes back on campus, and one positive among 170 staff members.
This was generally viewed as good news for those hoping for a college football season this fall. Coaches started leading workouts July 24, and it was full steam ahead in Ann Arbor with optimism that there would be some form of a football season this fall.
Sixty or so miles down the road, Michigan State paused workouts after one staff member — one — tested positive. When a second staffer and a player also contracted the virus, the MSU administration announced it would suspend workouts altogether and quarantine the team for 14 days.
If that raised an eyebrow or two, it should have. Without knowing the extent of the illnesses, which athletes at U-M were infected, etc., it’s impossible to say which approach seems more appropriate.
At the same time, one thing seems very clear: There’s no uniformity in the decision-making process in the Power Five conferences. And without it, this season is going to be one giant cluster of cancellations, suspensions and asterisks.
Some parents, including Michigan sophomore defensive tackle Chris Hinton’s, have taken notice, and — understandably — they aren’t happy.
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