Michigan details football woes to NCAA

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP)—The University of Michigan admitted Tuesday to a series of violations in its storied football program, saying it doesn’t believe the problems related to practice time and coaching activities are enough to warrant major punishment from the NCAA.
Athletic director David Brandon characterized the disclosure as one of relief.
“I don’t think this is a black eye,” he said. “This is a bruise.”
Michigan released more than 150 pages detailing its investigation and self-imposed sanctions it hopes will satisfy the NCAA, which will hold a hearing on the case in August. A final decision on NCAA penalties could take months, but coach Rich Rodriguez is not worried about that distracting his players.
“I don’t think this ongoing case will affect them at all,” Rodriguez said. “I think our players are very excited about the season and our staff is excited.”
The sanctions included a recommendation for two years of probation for the NCAA’s winningest football program, which is 8-16 in two seasons under Rodriguez. The school also said seven people, including Rodriguez, had been reprimanded and another was fired.
“We believe that probation is typically one of the outcomes of major violations,” Brandon said. “Probation puts your program under a microscope.”
The school said it should not be tagged as a repeat offender despite a 2003 scandal in the basketball program—a key argument, since the designation would almost certainly mean harsher penalties from the NCAA.... read more