“Shameless Days for Michigan Athletics” Return the opposite to zero.
Saturday night, Michigan confirmed the resignation of Glenn “Shemmy” Schembechler, a few days ago he was hired as an assistant director of recruiting after years as an NFL scout. The reason was that there were many racist and offensive likes on his Twitter account, which were shared publicly by other Twitter users when he was hired.
From a sexual assault scandal to the hockey program to the actions of various players and coaches to bullying, it’s another controversy in Ann Arbor, one of many in the past year. But this was the easiest to avoid and makes a question of what people were thinking in a question. Getting someone’s Twitter likes is not difficult.
between “Like” Tweets Schembechler’s tweet, which included a claim that slavery and Jim Crow laws were good for black people, compared the congressman to an African tribe, included many comments and several political plots related to the Black Lives Matter movement and elections.
After the screenshots were first revealed, someone logged into the account to remove some likes. It wasn’t enough to save his job. The account was disabled on Saturday.
Whether or not Schembechler had a player-facing recruiting role or an analytical role, having someone relate to the idea that slavery was good is unlikely to happen on a team full of black players. Will Harbaugh be interested in addressing that with the team? (That question comes from the Las Vegas Raiders, who hired Schembechler for four years before firing him in February).
Schembechler He issued a long statement. On Sunday night, he said he had liked the posts “in an irresponsible and irresponsible manner”. It was a well-written apology circulated through the PR team. He did nothing about his Twitter activity from months ago. The fact that Jim Crow laws were bad says it all.
There are only a few possible explanations for how this happened, and all are inexcusable for Michigan:
- The school did a background check and didn’t get the likes, which makes for a terrible background check.
- The school did a background check, got likes and hired anyway.
- The school didn’t do background checks and let Jim Harbaugh hire whoever he wanted.
Whatever the answer, it’s another embarrassing moment for Michigan. Especially since Schembechler’s radical and fiery political beliefs are no secret to many who follow Michigan football closely.
“We are aware of some of the comments and likes on social media,” Harbaugh and Athletic Director Warde Manuel said in a joint statement. He is fully committed.”
This is not an apology or admission of wrongdoing on Michigan’s part, and Schembechler has been graced with a “resignation.”
Separate from the horrific social media activity, the hiring of Bo Schembechler’s son was an insult to hundreds of former Michigan athletes who were sexually assaulted by former team doctor Robert Anderson in recent years. Many of those players said Bo and athletic director Don Canham were aware of Anderson’s behavior and did not stop.
One of the survivors charged with Anderson and Bo’s knowledge is Matt Schembechler, Bo’s adopted son and Shemi’s half-brother. Shemi was among those who defended his father.
The Anderson scandal resulted in a $490 million settlement last September between the school and more than 1,000 survivors.
Other than the settlement money, there was no previous attempt at further reform. The Michigan football building is still called Schembechler Hall. Bo’s statue still stands. Both are signs of protest, that Michigan’s winning history is paramount, that Bo’s ultimate legacy cannot be tarnished, and former Bo players who now lead the football team and athletic department don’t believe that should change.
Harbaugh and Manuel continued to praise Boone amid the Andersen scandal. Manuel spoke of Bo’s “integrity” and “belief in doing things the right way” in 2022. While adding, “We are all crooked. Harbaugh said in 2021 that his former coach would not have looked at it any other way following the allegations against Bo.
That comment prompted Harbaugh to say that one of his teammates, Gilvany Johnson, told Bo about Anderson’s abuse. Johnson played with Harbaugh at Michigan from 1983 to 1986 and referred to Anderson as “Dr. Anus. Johnson said He worried If he brings it to Bo a second time, he will lose his scholarship.
Michigan’s leadership hoped that everyone upset by Bo’s continued glory would simply move on and forget about it. Many did. Until Harbaugh’s arrogance drives another Schembechler into the building. If the social media likes aren’t there, Michigan football will continue to move forward, hoping to remember Boone for its Big Ten championships and slogans.
And again, this is just the latest in a string of scandals and scandals surrounding Michigan athletics over the past year.
The Sammy Schembechler case comes less than a year after Michigan split with hockey coach Mel Pearson, accusing him of a toxic culture including abuse of women, bullying and retaliation against players and violations of Covid-19 safety protocols.
After the school hired a new coach, Pearson was allowed to attend Michigan hockey games He can look at those. It bothered the same players. He was interviewed from the stands by the Big Ten Network during the game; The athletic department said it had no idea this would happen and would respond to the announcement.
In October, running back Donovan Edwards retweeted an anti-Semitic tweet that included a Kanye West clip. Edwards later apologized and said it was “a problem”. University Administrator Jordan Acker said Edwards and his team will visit the Holocaust Museum.
In December, it was revealed that Mazie Smith had been charged with speeding in October with a firearm. Michigan defended its decision not to suspend Smith, although Harbaugh called for criminal charges against Michigan State players following the stadium tunnel fight. The shooting of several Virginia football players in November underscored the seriousness of the issue. Smith’s charge was reduced to a misdemeanor through a plea bargain.
And in January, Michigan received a draft notice of charges against Harbaugh for NCAA recruiting violations, including a Level I violation. That same month, the infamous mastermind Matt Weiss was fired for “computer access crimes,” which included improperly accessing computer accounts belonging to other people.
These conditions are not all equal in severity, but they continue the pattern of controversy.
The last few years have been a return to glory for Michigan football, with back-to-back College Football Playoff appearances, Big Ten championships and a win over Ohio State. As Harbaugh has flirted with the NFL twice in two years — the second time specifically led the president to make public statements, while Manuel did not — Harbaugh remains and the Wolverines could be national championship favorites this fall.
But leadership around the program and the department continues to decline in certain areas, leading to these troubling times. Either Harbaugh or Manuel Shemi will be publicly questioned at some point about his decision to hire Schembechler. There is no good answer as to how and why it happened.
Social media’s lack of awareness of Schembechler, whether it’s accidental or willful ignorance, is a terrible look either way, and continues to paint a picture that perpetuating Bo Schembechler’s legacy is worth any pain and shame that comes with it.
(Top photo of Jim Harbaugh (right) and Michigan AD Warde Manuel: Adam Ruff/ICON Sportswire via Getty Images)