In early October, Yahoo Sports’ Dan Wetzel suggested Michigan could be held responsible because former U-M receiver Tai Streets — now the head of an AAU program out of Chicago called MeanStreets — gave one of his recruits $5,000.
It had nothing to do with potential Michigan involvement. U-M didn’t even make Saginaw four-star Brian Bowen’s list of 12, let alone the final two (Louisville received his pledge, while Michigan State was reportedly his second choice).
That didn’t stop Wetzel from suggesting that Streets was still a Michigan representative per NCAA rules, so the U-M program could be in trouble because he did something wrong.
Beilein had only heard about it in passing before he met the media Oct. 11 during Big Ten Media Day in Chicago, but he didn’t need to hear much more. He quickly interrupted someone who suggested Streets could be doing things to negatively impact Beilein’s program.
“Not our program. They could impact other programs, but not our program,” Beilein said adamantly. “I know who we are. I have no issues worrying about any of those things at Michigan or ever being involved with that. I can’t give you a lot of certainties today … I can give you thatcertainty.”
Others asked if he felt helpless knowing there were things people could do to affect his program that he might not be able to prevent.
“I don't fell helpless at all,” he continued “I feel 100 percent in control, because we have done the right thing every single time. You don’t worry about those things. At this point in a season when all this is happening, you can’t worry about the other 366 teams. I know Michigan is clean, so I’m not going to worry about any of those other things.”
As for those that aren’t …
“We need to get them out of the game. We need to get them out of this thing so we can proceed and run all the programs the right way,” Beilein said. “But I’ not going to accuse anybody. People have got to be proven guilty, first of all. But then if they are proven guilty, they can’t show up on any coaching staff ever. Pretty simple. If it is a known violation that they know they’re doing things they should not be doing, then the tone at the top has been set at the university …
"No. 1 is that I think the Presidents and A.D.s have to enforce it themselves. You can’t be hiring a guy if he broke rules at another place, just because he’s a good recruiter or a good coach. That can’t happen.”
Bowen Sr. alleged representatives of several programs gave him cash to try to secure his son’s services. Bowen Jr. committed to Louisville and is now playing overseas.
Beilein paused when asked if he was surprised to hear Bowen Sr. out so many programs.
“That’s a tough comment. I think I always was maybe confused when everything would line up — if this is all true — would line up with a particular recruit where we were doing good, graduating guys, we’re on TV, Jordan brand … everything’s good, but we’re not in their top [schools],” Beilein said. “We’d have great recruiting meetings with them, but not in their top group. I was like, all right. I don’t worry who we don’t get ever. Ever.All right, we’re not in their top group.
“I might have felt something in his visit, just say, ‘you know what? I’m not going to be calling him as frequently as those other guys. I Fgelt this kid was a better match. Whether that was because of the environment of meeting that I didn’t feel we were on the same page as I did with another kid [I don’t know]. We’d just focus on another direction.”
So Beilein called himself surprised, but someone who was also naïve to the process.
“But I’m not dumbfounded, I’ll tell you that,” he said. “Something’s been going on somewhere, somehow. I can’t be worrying about the other programs. It’s like if you’re the police chief in New York, and you’re worried about what’s happening in Los Angeles. I’ve got my own job to do.”
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