Dear Michigan Nation,
You are now reaping the fruits of hiring a no account coach that is willing to lie to his alma mater in the back for a nicer job. It’s gratifying to see. However, for the sake of the Buckeyes and the Big Ten, you must take action and end your error now.
Your program has been set back years. Rich Rodriguez’s contract is sunk cost. Having that unaccountable coach head your program erodes the values of the entire University of Michigan and threatens the national relevance of Big Ten Football. You must take action.
Ignore the dumb contract. Rich Rod ignored the last one he signed, and likely misled you about it. It’s unlikely that you’ll be able to get out without paying him, that money is lost money, and he’ll be doing you a favor by not coaching the Wolverines. Donations will pour in. This is a great year to be looking for a coach. The stakes are too high. The Big Ten needs a winner now, and Rich Rod has proven that he isn’t up to the job.
Do You Want His Values Leading The University Of Michigan?
For all the rivalry, there’s a (tiny) part of every Buckeye that looks up to Ann Arbor. It’s a special place, a special school. The academic standards coupled with the sustained excellence is equaled only at Stanford. For better and for worse, college football coaches are more memorable than university presidents.
Do you want to be remembered as a place where:
- Rich Rod knifed his last job, let alone his alma mater in the back the second he could get a better job?
- Rich Rod blames his predecessor (Who went 11-2 and 9-4, coming within 3 points of playing in the national championship game) for the lack of talent on the field instead of being personally accountable?
- Brought NCAA scrutiny to a clean and honorable program
- Had the first…last place finish in the big ten in who knows how long?
- 3-9, 5-7? Is that the message you want to send, that Michigan squanders some of the best resources and advantages and still can’t produce wins?
I can’t see him ever embodying any of the classy competitive and championship values of the U of M. I can’t see his players coming together, so it’s time to take action and get rid of him. He might be a good guy, but he’s in over his head.
Bill Martin, you made a mistake. Lots of people make mistakes. The men you remember are the men that fix it right away. Be that man and do what’s right for your university. You’ve given a lot, it’s time to give them one last gift and put the program on track. Now is a great time to do this, and if you don’t the University of Michigan and the entire Big Ten may be on the brink of collapse.
Donors: Force The Issue And Stop All Automatic Payments Today.
Donors, immediately stop any automatic donations to the program. Start donating to Purdue or Penn State, or wherever, and tell them that the donations will return once the mistake is fixed. Call your people and make this happen. The entire Big Ten is
If you keep Rich Rod another year, you risk everything–including the relevance of the other 10 schools that play in this conference. You are hurting every school with your indecision.
The Big Ten Is On The Brink And Can’t Afford This Again.
Our Big Ten is maligned right now for not being able to beat anyone. We can’t wait for your program to get back on track. Another two years of futility, and the erosion of prestige may be so great that no good coaches come to coach. Good players won’t play. Another few years of futility and you may never be able to get as close as Coach Carr brought you to a championship game.
Having a badly coached, poorly playing unmotivated bunch of losers up north hurts the Buckeyes. It hurts because when they win, they didn’t beat anyone good. If they lose, well, the Buckeyes suck. Michigan needs to run roughshod through the Big Ten and only then get shot down by the Silver bullets.
So, do whatever it takes to find a coach. Dan Wetzel has listed good candidates at Notre Dame. Think of what they’d have do at Michigan.
Make this happen today. Big Ten football is in your hands. Do not delay a hard decision. Keep Big Ten Football.
Sincerely Yours,
Buckeye Nation
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An Open Letter to Chris Johnson,
Hi, Musket here. You might know me as the preferred weapon in the Revolutionary War. Or you might know me from such cinematic favorites like, The Patriot, or Rain Man (I’m not sure about that last one). You might also know me, although probably not, as one of a militant army of writers for the Wolverine Liberation Army. Which, with space restrictions and all, we’ll call the WLA, for short. You see Chris, you recently posted this DOOZY of an article in the comments section of our blog. While, we find ourselves amusing and intellectual, we find you to be droll, tiresome, and perhaps even a pedophile. While we won’t hold the first two things against you, I mean, after all, you are a Buckeye, you aren’t know for being charismatic and creative, we will hold the whole touching kids thing against you. You see, touching children inappropriately is kind of a big deal in society. People frown upon you dangling your chocolate-covered penis in front of a child’s mouth. You just can’t do these things. Also, baiting them with bikes to get them into your “fun van” doesn’t fly either.
We aren’t here to go after you. We aren’t going to “notify the police,” or “beat you with barbwire covered baseball bats.” No, we are here to help. It turns out, miscreants like you can be helped. These days we can incarcerate you for your perpetually awful habits of diddling six year-olds. There, you yourself will get diddled. But not just diddled, you’ll get fucked. And by fucked, we mean aggresively raped by people much larger and much sinister than you. Although, for the record, you are a sinister fuck.
What I’m trying to say is, stop touching kids. And stop trolling our message boards, you grimy Buckeye tard.
Sincerely,
Musket Rebellion
Re: character…glass houses, my friend. Thanks for the sentiment though.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=1920867
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=1919258
Also, just from the time when Tressel and Mark Dantonio joined forces at OSU:
• Nov. 15, 2001: Quarterback Steve Bellisari drunken driving. Suspended then reinstated in time to play in Bowl game. Later served a weekend in jail.
• March 21, 2001: Cornerback Derek Ross. Driving without a license and providing false information to police, giving an incorrect name when pulled over for speeding. Sentenced to 30 days in jail, suspended for 2001 spring practices, then played most of the 2001 season… See More
In 2002, OSU paid consulting money to Eric Lichter (who would later become director of football performance there) ….”Eric Lichter was convicted in1998 on a misdemeanor drug-possession charge…Lichter was one of 23 people indicted in March 1998 after a long-term federal investigation into a Texas- and Utah-based drug ring. He was initially charged with distributing Ritalin and Rohypnol, commonly known as the date-rape drug. The felony charge was later dismissed, and Lichter pleaded guilty to possession” http://ohiostate.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=556324
Oct. 30, 2002: Kurt Wilhelm,a long snapper. Felonious assault. Did not dress for the game against Penn State.(unclear what happened after)
• Oct. 13, 2002: Linebacker Fred Pagac Jr. Intoxicated and had a role in a fight involving two women . The police report said an officer told Pagac to stop but he continued to fight. Pagac was suspended for the team’s next game at Wisconsin. Acquitted (presumably by an Ohio court) just before the team’s national championship game against Miami
• Aug. 17, 2002: Defensive lineman Quinn Pitcock Underage drinking in his hometown of Piqua. Plead no contest. Missed no games..
• Aug. 24, 2002: Flanker Chris Vance, a leading receiver Suspended one game, offense not reported.
• July 29, 2002: Wide receiver Theft of a set of golf clubs from a sport utility vehicle in West Carrollton. Prosecutors approve but do not file a theft charge. Reinstated in time for the season-opener. Did not play again.
• July 26, 2002: Branden Joe, fullback, Refused to take a Breathalyzer test. suspended for one game.
• April 27, 2002 Linebacker Marco Cooper, linebacker, Plead guilty to felony drug abuse and carrying a concealed weapon. Probation.
• March 2, 2002: Redgie Arden TE, Found guilty of drunken driving. Three days in jail. Suspended for the summer, but reinstated and played in 11 games.
• Nov. 16, 2003: At 3 a.m. Santonio Holmes WR and QB Troy Smith. disorderly conduct after a fight in a parking lot on campus. Holmes held out of the starting lineup at Michigan but returns to play most of the game. Later, charge dismissed against Holmes Smith found guilty.
• Oct. 27, 2003: Louis Irizarry Guilty of assault, negligent assault after three people sustain minor injuries during a fight in a ..dorm room. Reinstated to the team and listed as starter on 2004 spring depth chart before he is suspended indefinitely after another, May 2004, arrest.
• June 2003: Redgie Arden TE. Second drunken driving charge in 15 months after pleading guilty in March 2002, 3 days in jail.
• April 2003: Maurice Clarett RB. Charged with lying to police and falsification of the police report on a theft. Pleads guilty on Jan. 14, 2004, to failure to aid a law enforcement officer.
•
:
- May, 2003: Chris Gamble DB and 9 other players paid an hourly salary for working at a booth operated by a central Ohio health care company
(Gamble, after 3 years of school at OSU scored below the minimal literacy level on an NFL aptitude test)
- October 11, 2003: Robert Reynolds DT chokes Wisconsin QB, Jim Sorgi, knocking him out of the game. RR was directly coached by MD.
One game suspension
- Fall 2003: NCAA investigates Ohio State players, including Clarrett and Gamble, for possible academic ineligibility. A teacher admitted that Clarett got preferential treatment. Clarett was guilty of 14 violations of the ethical-conduct bylaw and two violations of receiving preferential treatment or benefits because he is an athlete. Clarett was suspended for the entire 2003 season. However, a more severe penalty was given to the teacher who reported him. She was fired.
Respectfully, your sentiments regarding the University of Michigan and its head coach are wholly irrelevant.