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Maize and blue mess University of Michigan, not its current athletes, should payPosted: Friday November 08, 2002 3:36 PM
Start with a memory: The year is 1992, the place is Minneapolis. At the NCAA Final Four, the Duke mini-dynasty led by Christian Laettner, Bobby Hurley and Grant Hill is attempting to become the first team since John Wooden's 1972-'73 UCLA teams to win back-to-back national championships. The Blue Devils survive a furious and unlikely rally by Indiana in the semifinals and then face Michigan in the final. Not just any Michigan team -- the Fab Five. It was a matchup of not just youth against experience, but of basketball's present against its future. The Michigan guys wore long, baggy shorts and acted as if being freshmen was no big deal. And it wasn't. The game was tied at halftime. I remember 6-foot-9 forward Chris Webber snapping off a running, behind-the-back bounce pass on a fast break. Great stuff. Duke pulled away in the second half, but the entire night was electric. One year later, Webber called one timeout too many in the New Orleans Superdome, and shortly afterward departed for the NBA. End of the Fab Five. Back to the present: On Thursday, the University of Michigan promised to pull down the banners from the '92 and '93 Final Fours as part of self-imposed penalties brought about by booster Ed Martin's testimony that he gave Webber and his family $280,000, part of more than $600,000 Martin said he paid to a total of four Michigan players between 1992 and '99. It is a terribly sad thing, because anybody who saw the Fab Five remembers youth and cockiness and enthusiasm, and now the whole era is irrevocably tainted. And it goes beyond Michigan. Thursday was a lousy day for college sports in general, because the unfolding of the Martin scandal is a painful reminder that the NCAA's efforts of the past decade to cleanse big-time sports still fall terribly short of being effective. The story is far from over. Michigan paddled itself good on Thursday. Taking down the banners is symbolic and also painful. The school also put itself on probation for two seasons, removed itself from postseason competition for the current season, and agreed to repay the NCAA roughly $450,000 in postseason tournament revenue. The NCAA enforcement staff will now assess Michigan's self-imposed penalties and decide if more are needed. I'll bet it decides in the affirmative. Last winter Alabama's football program got two years probation and lost 21 scholarships when three boosters paid far less than $600,000 to try to acquire the services of three high school players. In the infamous SMU death-penalty case of 1987, less than $600,000 was proved to have been spent on buying athletes. SMU and Alabama were both repeat offenders; Michigan is not. That will help. Still, I will be surprised if the NCAA does not take away some scholarships from the Wolverines. That has proven to be the most effective punishment on the books, and the one that the NCAA has used most pointedly in recent years. But every time one of these cases comes along, the inequities of the penalties is highlighted. Whom is Michigan punishing by skipping postseason play? Mostly, the current players. Taking down the banners stings the fans, but leaving them up might do the same thing. And while the symbolism is weighty, it's only symbolism. Plus, Michigan won those games. I was there. The Wolverines were good. And if Ed Martin didn't buy Chris Webber, I'll bet somebody else would have tried. The others played and, in theory, were not paid. Sanctions could come against former Michigan coach Steve Fisher, who is now at San Diego State, but only if it is satisfactorily proved that Fisher was complicit. In truth, the NCAA can do little to levy a proper punishment. College programs turn over every four years, if not more often. Ed Martin is already tied up in the criminal-justice system. Webber and his family will soon be there, too. Beyond that, the 2003 team should be allowed to play in the postseason, but neither Michigan nor the Big Ten should get any money from the school's participation. Let the current players play, but at no financial benefit to the university. After that, let them transfer with immediate eligibility. Let coach Tommy Amaker out of his contract, if he chooses. Michigan should lose several scholarships a year for two or three seasons, a punishment that will make it hard to win and harder to rebuild quickly (see: Miami football). The pain will linger, but the institution will pay, not the players. Of course, it's too late to repair the memories. Sports Illustrated senior writer Tim Layden is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com. Click here to send him a question or comment.
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