It has not been a good week for Michigan. Image: Newscom

According to reports, Michigan’s coaching staff has been pushing the players to work out many more hours than is allowable according to NCAA rules. While these extra hours are “voluntary” on paper, anonymous players have said that punishment was in store for anyone who didn’t volunteer their time.

Sez the Buckeyes, “Um…yeah.”

Kurt Coleman and Doug Worthinton, co-captains of Ohio State’s team, say that every college football player in every program is putting in extra time if they want to have a great season. They look at the 20 hours per week during the season that the NCAA says is a max for mandatory work out time as a minimum.

Coach Jim Tressel agrees, saying that in his experience, the players want to be there more and more and more hours. They want to be good, because on Saturday, they want to be on the field.

Post from: EveryJoe

Michigan has an Unlikely Ally: Ohio State

I have to say, though, I think many are willing to give him a chance. The Big Ten needs to be taken into 21st century to be a conference that has national championship contenders year after year. Rich Rodriguez could be the man to do it.

Image: Newscom

But there seems to be a bit of mutiny going on at the school, as a number of players have come forward to report NCAA violations at Michigan.

Under conditions of anonymity, a group of current and former players have told the Detroit Free Press that Rodriguez and his staff members routinely demand more of the players than is allowable by NCAA rules. The NCAA sets limits on workouts and other practices in order to prevent injury, to provide student athletes with enough time for academic work, and to keep any one team from gaining a competitive edge over another due to workout time.One player says that the practices were certainly affecting classwork, with some players even falling asleep during class due to the demands of the football program.

Says Rodriguez,

“We know the practice and off-season rules, and we stay within the guidelines. We follow the rules and have always been completely committed to being compliant with all NCAA rules.”

The allegations mainly surround the workouts by conditioning coach Mike Barwis, who followed Rodriquez from West Virginia. Although some of those players who came forward insist that his workouts are “ridiculous,” others who work out with him, including NFL players, swear by his methods.

Here’s what’s going on with the allegations:

• During the off-season, teams are only allowed to require players to work out for 8 hours per week. Players can work out on their own for more hours, but it must be voluntary. However, players say that the staff members would call workouts voluntary, yet severely punish anyone who didn’t show up, essentially making them mandatory.

• Players can also hold scrimmages during the off-season, but quality control staff can’t attend, and they have to be player-run.  Trainers are allowed to attend for safety purposes only. Players say, though, that quality control staff members routinely observed the games

• During the season, they can only practice for 20 hours per week, with a maximum of four hours per day. Players say that both of those limits were exceeded, with players spending nine hours or more on the field on game days.

Players said they were made to sign forms that say they were complying with NCAA rules. Everyone signed because they felt like there was nothing they could do if they wanted to play. Even now, players refuse to give their names, as they are worried about repercussions from staff members and other players.

At the school’s media day, some freshman, perhaps unaware of NCAA rules, talked about how long they practiced, one player saying that they’ve been working out from 8:00 AM to at least 6:00 PM six days a week. These players didn’t note whether or not the workouts were mandatory, so that in and of itself doesn’t incriminate the coaches, but it does fall in line with what others are saying.

That, and Rodriguez has been caught saying, “The workouts aren’t mandatory, but neither is your playing time.” That statement seems to be used often at Michigan, since players who have left have quoted it.

So that really begs the question: what is “mandatory.” If you’re determining playing time by voluntary practice attendance, doesn’t that kinda cancel out the “voluntary” part of it? Actually, YES according to the NCAA. Rules state that if attendance is tracked or is given to coaches by trainers, the workout or practice must be considered mandatory.

But isn’t everyone doing this? Being honest with yourself, don’t you think that other schools are also breaking workout rules? Says one anonymous player,

“They know the rules. Of course they know the rules. There was a time when the offensive line coach told me, ‘You’re not doing nothing different than anybody else in the country is.’ ”

Wrong. I mean, I don’t know every school’s conditioning schedule, but former players have come forward to say that the NCAA workout rules were strictly observed by Carr and players who are now in the NFL and have come back to visit have said that the current requirements are crazy.

Players have also allegedly been hunted down by junior staff members, graduate assistants, and others when not attended, receiving phone calls even while in class.

Rodriguez has a lot riding on this season. Last year, the team’s abysmal showing was somewhat allowable by fans, since it was a rebuilding year with a new coach. However, another season or two like that, and Rodriguez will be run out of down. After all, there are a number of other good coaches looking for jobs, Phillip Fulmer coming immediately to mind.

Post from: EveryJoe

Are Things Falling Apart at Michigan?

NCAA rules prohibit any college player lending his name or picture to a commercial promotion. While it is unclear whether or not Florida could be fined over an event they couldn’t control, it is better safe than sorry, and they quickly emailed the Miracle about the event. The team was a little disappointed, but complied, changing the name of the event to “What Would T.T. Do?”

Tim Tebow, who's initials just happen to be T.T. Image: Newscom

While many fans just went with the flow, some were a bit upset about the chance. Says one fan,

“I think Tim Tebow is a fan of anything related to getting his name out there. I don’t think Tim Tebow would send destruction on us. I think it’s kind of ridiculous. I can see where UF is coming from but the Miracle are just doing it for fun. They’re not trying to profit off of Tebow, they’re just trying to get their team out in the public and get some attention.”

The team gave away promise rings to fans before the game on Wednesday night and had a character named “T.T.” who attempted to walk on water.

Post from: EveryJoe

“What Would Tim Tebow Do?” Night Problem

Image: sxc.hu

The NCAA isn’t requiring the players/teams to shake hands, but they’re hoping that everyone opts in. Coaches are required to shake hands before and after each game. NCAA basketball teams shake hands before games, but due to the high number of players on each football team, shaking hands before a game isn’t really convenient.

I’m hoping that the NCAA won’t go as far as the NFL has when it comes to implementing sportsmanship rules, but there are some changes we may see in the near future when it comes to showboating and taunting – and that’s a good thing. It isn’t about celebrating – it’s about not being a jerk about it.

We’ve also seen a number of safety rules changes in the past few years, many of which just make sense because they were related to poor sportsmanship. It can be dangerous, not just annoying.

I hope that all teams decide to take part in the Week One handshake ceremony. It will be good for the sport.

Post from: EveryJoe

College Teams to Shake Hands

The defensive end says that he had been taking a supplement for 15 days while recovering from an injury, and immediately stopped taking the supplement when trainers told him that the substance was against rules. He says that the supplement was to help him lose weight during the offseason, and he purchased it after it was recommended by one of the workers at the nutrition store where he purchased the pills.

Jeremy Jarmon, Image: Newscom

Jarmon isn’t just a run-of-the-mill member of the Kentucky defense. He has the third most sacks in Kentucky’s history and was an honorable menton for the 2008 AP All-SEC Team – not something easy to do since the SEC is so competitive.

Says coach Rich Brooks,

“My first concern is with Jeremy and his family and what a devastating blow this is for them. There was no intent by Jeremy to do anything improper, it was an error in judgment in not checking with our staff [before taking the supplement]. Jeremy has been an outstanding individual on and off the football field, and I hope that people understand the class act he has has been.”

The NCAA won’t bend the rules in Jarmon’s case, and while athletic director Mtch Barnharn says that they honor the rules of the NCAA, he had hoped they’d consider the “extenuating circumstances” in this case.

So is the NCAA too harsh with drug rules? Should Jarmon get to play for his senior season?

My thoughts on the subject are that although it may open a can of worms, it was clear in this case that Jarmon made a mistake and the supplements had not given him an unfair advantage, since he used them durnig the offseason and only for a very short time. I do think that there should be exceptions to almost all NCAA rules.

Post from: EveryJoe

Are NCAA Drug Rules Too Harsh?

Division I and II coaches are allowed to contact recruits one-on-one using direct messaging services on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and other social networking websites. These types of messages are considered emails, which are permissable according to NCAA rules. Coaches can’t instant message or chat with recruits, but social networking opens new doors.

While public messages (such as posting on a Facebook wall) isn’t allowed, direct messages are often programmed to be sent directly to cell phones. The students have control over it, but if they set up their profile to have messages sent to their phones, it is almost like getting a text message from the coach.

Twitter has also been extremely helpful for coaches, who can update with general announcements frequently. By following recruits on Twitter, they can also get a sense of the student, learning how to better appeal to them.

Many coaches aren’t yet using Twitter, but on the other hand, some have embraced it. Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin uses Twitter because, essentially, other schools are using it. Illinois coach Ron Zook is pleased with the NCAA’s decision that Twittering is allowed. Of course, Pete Carroll is all over it, and has been from the start.

I think we’ll see more and more coaches joining the Twitter train, but the real question is this: will the NCAA further restrict using this technology?

Image via Twitter.com.

Post from: EveryJoe

Coaches Get around Text Rules with Twitter