No Paul, they won't stop responding because they're concerned about what our field general is doing and only Alabama and LSU had better recruiting classes from the SEC than UM.
"Yeah, he beat Florida, but just ignore him already"
- Thread starter detroitjohn
- Start date
"But, wait Tony, there's a separate issue here, if a kid wants to visit his ill grandma..."
Personally I'd have gone with, "If a kid that wants to visit his terminally-ill grandmother that marched right next to MLK in Civil Rights marches in the 1960s...", but that's just me.
Personally I'd have gone with, "If a kid that wants to visit his terminally-ill grandmother that marched right next to MLK in Civil Rights marches in the 1960s...", but that's just me.
Evan Habeeb/Getty Images
Last offseason was the "Summer of Harbaugh" after Jim Harbaugh took over his alma mater Michigan and dominated headlines for nine months thanks to satellite camps, mean mugs and his recruiting prowess
It looks like the next month will be the long-awaited sequel: "The Winter of Whine."
Harbaugh made waves on national signing day when he confirmed that he will take the Wolverines to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, over spring break for a week of spring practice. IMG, of course, is essentially a sports vocational school that boasts 10 of the247Sports Top 200 prospects in the 2017 class, and produced seven Top 200 prospects in 2016.
Predictably, that has drawn the ire of the SEC, according to DennisDodd of CBSSports.com.
"Our primary reaction [is] that, in the face of the time-demand conversations, we've got one program taking what has been 'free time' away," SEC commissioner Greg Sankey told Dodd. "Let's draw a line and say, ‘That's not appropriate.'"
Harbaugh fired back, subtweet-style, on Wednesday:
Sankey stood strong, according to AL.com's Brandon Marcello.
"I'm not going to reduce what is an important conversation to some childhood use of Twitter," he said. "This is an important issue."
You have to admire the hustle and creativity of Harbaugh. It's an innovative, unique and bold way to spread the word about the Michigan program, and it enhances the buzz that he has already built in just over a year on the job.
The weeklong trip will likely be allowed this year, mostly because there isn't enough time for a rule to be passed preventing it. It might be the only year, though.
Butch Dill/Associated Press
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey
If Harbaugh wants to portray Sankey's response as whining—either passive-aggressively or directly—that's fine. The truth of the matter, though, is that Sankey has every right to object, and not only is he looking out for himself and his conference's interests, but the entire sport's.
Of course it's a threat for Michigan to be at the highest-profile high school football factory in the country, and it's even more of a threat that it's located within the SEC footprint in Bradenton. That's an underlying theme in his objection, but he's not going to say that publicly because it would give off the impression that he is whining—as Harbaugh suggests.
So he veiled his objection within the larger time-management issue, which is a valid concern.
College football players don't get much downtime. They're stretched incredibly thin during the season, have offseason conditioning from the moment they step foot on campus for winter semester, slide right into spring practice and "voluntary" workouts during the summer are anything but voluntary in this day and age.
The only time players actually get time off is during spring break, between the spring and summer semesters and a few days prior to fall camp. That's it. And even then, some of those players choose to stick around to work out, quarterbacks travel to work with private quarterback coaches and many try to get an edge by keeping sharp even while on vacation.
What's more, Sankey is looking out for the sport of college football.
Players are already toeing the line of being considered university employees, which is what the Northwestern unionization effort alleged two years ago. How's it going to look to the outside world if coaches start taking away some of the time off they previously enjoyed?
Not good.
Enjoy Bradenton, Michigan. It's a lovely place and the trip will certainly generate buzz.
It's likely the only time something like this will be allowed.
I really hope Nike intends to make Jim's hat and shirt match when they take over this summer. That shirt looks black to me.
Agreed on the match. Can we get rid of those god-awful bibs that the assistants wear as well? They look like the temp shirts my kids get at Applebees to make sure they go home unsoiled.
Finebaum is like how Holtz and May played off each other - in both cases they say stupid shit for the sake of ratings. Paul, here's a tip: Harbaugh doesn't give shit one if the SEC screams its head off or if it ignores him. He's not doing it for reaction - he's doing it for the team and the school.
I have a feeling ol' Jim is having the time of his life in Ann Arbor.
I have a feeling ol' Jim is having the time of his life in Ann Arbor.
I'm wondering how this goof Sankey could have used Twitter in his childhood. He looks far too old for that.
Evan Habeeb/Getty Images
Last offseason was the "Summer of Harbaugh" after Jim Harbaugh took over his alma mater Michigan and dominated headlines for nine months thanks to satellite camps, mean mugs and his recruiting prowess
It looks like the next month will be the long-awaited sequel: "The Winter of Whine."
Harbaugh made waves on national signing day when he confirmed that he will take the Wolverines to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, over spring break for a week of spring practice. IMG, of course, is essentially a sports vocational school that boasts 10 of the247Sports Top 200 prospects in the 2017 class, and produced seven Top 200 prospects in 2016.
Predictably, that has drawn the ire of the SEC, according to DennisDodd of CBSSports.com.
"Our primary reaction [is] that, in the face of the time-demand conversations, we've got one program taking what has been 'free time' away," SEC commissioner Greg Sankey told Dodd. "Let's draw a line and say, ‘That's not appropriate.'"
Harbaugh fired back, subtweet-style, on Wednesday:
Sankey stood strong, according to AL.com's Brandon Marcello.
"I'm not going to reduce what is an important conversation to some childhood use of Twitter," he said. "This is an important issue."
You have to admire the hustle and creativity of Harbaugh. It's an innovative, unique and bold way to spread the word about the Michigan program, and it enhances the buzz that he has already built in just over a year on the job.
The weeklong trip will likely be allowed this year, mostly because there isn't enough time for a rule to be passed preventing it. It might be the only year, though.
Butch Dill/Associated Press
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey
If Harbaugh wants to portray Sankey's response as whining—either passive-aggressively or directly—that's fine. The truth of the matter, though, is that Sankey has every right to object, and not only is he looking out for himself and his conference's interests, but the entire sport's.
Of course it's a threat for Michigan to be at the highest-profile high school football factory in the country, and it's even more of a threat that it's located within the SEC footprint in Bradenton. That's an underlying theme in his objection, but he's not going to say that publicly because it would give off the impression that he is whining—as Harbaugh suggests.
So he veiled his objection within the larger time-management issue, which is a valid concern.
College football players don't get much downtime. They're stretched incredibly thin during the season, have offseason conditioning from the moment they step foot on campus for winter semester, slide right into spring practice and "voluntary" workouts during the summer are anything but voluntary in this day and age.
The only time players actually get time off is during spring break, between the spring and summer semesters and a few days prior to fall camp. That's it. And even then, some of those players choose to stick around to work out, quarterbacks travel to work with private quarterback coaches and many try to get an edge by keeping sharp even while on vacation.
What's more, Sankey is looking out for the sport of college football.
Players are already toeing the line of being considered university employees, which is what the Northwestern unionization effort alleged two years ago. How's it going to look to the outside world if coaches start taking away some of the time off they previously enjoyed?
Not good.
Enjoy Bradenton, Michigan. It's a lovely place and the trip will certainly generate buzz.
It's likely the only time something like this will be allowed.
What I find amazing is the SEC's holier-than-thou approach to this issue. I could understand the Ivy League or maybe even the Pac 12 but there is no bigger conference of whores and liars than the SEC. When their commissioner also includes more issues such as booster pay (the conference could issue its own Death Penalty you know like Auburn-Newton), oversigning, etc. than others could respect the SEC. As of now it is a bunch of whiners and birtchers.
I don't mind programs and conferences fighting for legislation that gives them a competitive advantage. That's what a competitive organization should do. But trying to justify their protests by making it an ethical or morality issue when the true reasons for their protests are so obvious, just makes them look foolish.
It reminds of Saban and Bielema voicing concern about the risk that up tempo offense's presented to players, but didn't see it as a concern when 300 lb 5 star athlete with a 4.6 forty from Alabama, slams into a 260 lb D1a no star athlete with 6.1 hour forty from Louisiana East West International Tech.
It reminds of Saban and Bielema voicing concern about the risk that up tempo offense's presented to players, but didn't see it as a concern when 300 lb 5 star athlete with a 4.6 forty from Alabama, slams into a 260 lb D1a no star athlete with 6.1 hour forty from Louisiana East West International Tech.
