Michigan Football ‘Failure To Promote Compliance’ Charges Dropped

Michigan football finally catches a break, in the investigation that time (and we) forgot: The NCAA Committee on Infractions is dropping the “failure to promote an atmosphere of compliance” charges against the program, which were biggies, and is expected to announce this afternoon that the Wolverines’ self-imposed sanctions will largely suffice as punishment for extra practice time. They’re facing three years’ probation for the football program, cuts in their staff roster, and reduced practice time.

Our brothers at SB Nation’s Maize N Brew have a few choice words for the Detroit Free Press, whose staffers are going to have to take up knitting now that their hilariously overt campaign to run Rodriguez out of town has crumbled:

This whole thing started with their crusade against Rodriguez and the only thing it did was strengthen everyone’s original perception that it was an honest mistake and make the paper look like a bunch of angry lemurs jumping up and down on a typewriter. I’m still mad at Rodriguez’ handling of the defense this season (and last season, and the season before that), but I’ve never questioned that he is a man of integrity. The muck raking and dirt flinging by the Free Press in an attempt to paint Rodriguez as a, to borrow from Joe Tiller, a snake oil salesman has been inexcusable. It simply represents another reason why newspapers like the Free Press and their brand of “sports journalism” are dying.

Stay tuned to Maize N Brew for more on the specifics of the report when it’s released in a few hours.

Much of the chatter around the Michigan sanctions situation has revolved around the near-certainty that the Wolverines only got caught doing what every other major program does to be successful when the cameras (and vengeful newspapers) aren’t around. Now that the hand-wringing over the self-imposed penalties is dying down, one of SBN’s Maize n Brew bloggers is of the strong opinion that Block M faithful need to live in the now and join the rest of us in accepting the shadiness inherent in big-time college athletics:

We’ve been sanctioned for the first time in our history, and all of the sudden our little ivory tower has a little smudge on it. But guess what? That ivory tower never meant anything anyways because while we were holding our heads high on some kind of faux moral supremacy, those schools who already were pushing the limits were winning championships and building sustainable programs that would compete nationally well into the future. The sanctions on Michigan - as ridiculous as the circumstances that brought them about are - have brought Michigan down into the mud with the rest of them, and maybe - just maybe - we can start holding our heads high about winning football games rather than holding our heads high because our tower is whiter than yours.

I’m not saying that you can’t have it both ways, but ask Notre Dame how that’s going. What I think I am saying is that....the sanctions don’t bother me. It doesn’t bother me in the least that our “good reputation” was besmirched because no amount of NCAA rulings will take down our reputation faster than 3-9, 5-7 which have both already happened.I hate to say this about any Michigan man, but he’s got a very valid point here. Winning is forever. Sanctions just live on in internet jokes. (Auburn players cannot read! Good night!)

We went to our Michigan blogger extraordinaire, Maize ‘n Brew, for his opinions on this morning’s announcement of self-imposed sanctions for the Wolverine football program. We had questions. He had answers.

Ever pull the “I’ll go away and never come back!” routine as a kid as a preemptive strike to get yourself out of trouble? Michigan has announced its intentions to basically do just that in the interest of saving itself some major-infraction flagellation from the NCAA:

[Athletic Director Dave] Brandon did not disclose what the punishment will be. U-M will announce that next week — likely on Tuesday, one day after U-M’s deadline to file its response to the NCAA’s notice of allegations. The NCAA sent U-M that notice in February after a five-month investigation — an unprecedented development for a storied football program that never has been found guilty of a major infraction.It’s a strategy that really does work with the Association, from time to time. But SBN’s Maize n Brew crew worries that the results of the Michigan investigation isn’t the only news the school has to get out in front of, and that their fate might be accidentally twined with that of USC:

That’s the question SB Nation blog Maize n Brew asks itself after reconsidering the allegations the Detroit Free Press made this past weekend. Sifting through the original “Practicegate” piece - and really, nothing screams fake controversy more than adding “-gate” as a suffix - Maize n Brew finds a few problems:

...or at least the closest you’ll get to it thanks to LSUFreek on EDSBS. In other news, the Freep needs a new copy editor.

During his weekly press conference, Rich Rod addressed the alleged violations. Things got a little emo, as the Detroit Free Press explains:

If the internet is as awesome as I know it is, there will be video to follow shortly.