I have a ton of respect for Desmond Howard. He has been successful on the field and off of it. He has a Heisman Trophy and a Superbowl MVP in his trophy case. He is a smart man and one I would hope young Wolverines would inspire to be like.
On Thursday, Desmond (IMO) made a mistake on the example he used in proving his point. He was speaking at the Black Coaches and Administrators Convention and said this:
"I was told by a giant, Bo Schembechler, that no one man is bigger than the program. Not even (Schembechler). He was larger than life. For me to sit there and this guy tells me nobody's bigger than Michigan, that's all he had to say."
Howard said the prominent coverage of recruiting has young players in the spotlight before they've accomplished anything significant in college. He said if Bobby Bowden can be forced out as coach at Florida State, why should any player feel irreplaceable?
"I'll give you a perfect example: Michigan fires coach Rich Rodriguez," said Howard, who starred at Michigan from 1989-91. "All the noise in Ann Arbor is, 'Is Denard Robinson going to stay or leave?' I'm like, 'Hey, if the kid wants to go, don't let the door hit you on the way out. You looked fantastic for five games against nobody. That's what you did.' I'm not going to deny his talents, but, 'You ain't won nothing in Ann Arbor, son! Not so much we need to worry about if you're going to be here next year or not.' "
The premise of Desmond's remarks are valid. There shouldn't be any entitlement to playing at Michigan or any other program. The mistake he made was using Denard as a possible example. Denard is one of the finest student athletes at Michigan or any program nationally. He works hard everyday and has zero sense of entitlement. If he left Ann Arbor, it would have been for a better fit for his skills. Just as if Desmond left ESPN for CBS or Fox. Use Justin Boren or Tate Foricer as an example, not Denard.
I am disappointed in the example Desmond used and my hope he apologizes to Denard, because Denard deserves it.
- Wayne Morgan has moved his announcement out a day and now will announce on June 2nd.
- TomVH catches up with Offensive line prospect Joshua Garnett from the State of Washington.
- I'm now officially worried about Tate and his mental state. He was seen hanging out a window in Grand Rapids at an apartment building where his girl friend lives. Again, many more questions then answers regarding Tate.
- RJS has been added to the Army All American Game Roster.
2 comments:
Perfect post about Desmond Howard's gaffe. To point out Denard! of all people is both ridiculous and shameful. Get back on the bus #21.
Bob I agree with you totally on this. First let me say that I love Desmond because he is and forever will be a part of the Michigan family. However, Desmond put his foot in his mouth this time. What he did by hanging Denard out to dry in the national public eyes was not kool. Denard is also a part of this Michigan family, a great guy and teammate. They all love him in that locker room. Even if he had a legitimate complaint against Denard [which he doesn't] then he should have made a call or sent him a text and told him so but Desmond didn't do that, instead, he took the low road.
Now regarding his issue against Denard; Denard didn't do anything wrong to warrant this attack on his character. He experienced a coaching change that reflected a serious change in coaching styles and philosophy that does effect him and how he would fare on the field. He never went to the media, the media went to him and asked him, "are you staying or going?" He responded in essence "I don't know yet." So what does he do, he talks to his new coach, and his family and teammates and confirms early on that he is not transfering. He doesn't drag this thin out. He even says that he loves his school and his teammates and never really wanted to leave. I don't believe Desmond gave Tate or any other player this much grief when he was implying that he was not happy and wanted to leave.
However, Desmond says, "I'm like, 'Hey, if the kid wants to go, don't let the door hit you on the way out. You looked fantastic for five games against nobody. That's what you did." Well Desmond, the last time I checked, it was a Michigan TEAM on the field winning and losing those games and not just Denard. Denard has always been a team player. He was the one running a system that he was taught while our defense was AWOL.
What Desmond did to Denard was not Kool. If I didn't know any better I would swear that Desmond's comments were a result of jealousy. The media was touting him as possibly the greatest player to ever wear a Michigan uniform for a while. Maybe Desmond's ego couldn't handle it. This goes to show you that you can't put a microphone in front of some people even with a Michigan education.
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