By Kyle Golik
“It’s embarrassing,” Michigan alum and host of “The Rich Eisen Show” Rich Eisen began in his rant about the program he loves and is passionate about. Eisen, who once was in the corner that Michigan should fight and defend itself, has come to the realization the Big Ten and NCAA have evidence a member of Harbaugh’s staff knew about the events of Stalions.
Eisen read in mid-rant a report from Yahoo’s Ross Dellinger and Dan Wetzel that a Michigan booster named “Uncle T” allegedly funded Stalions operation and that an assistant coach destroyed evidence of the espionage operation.
“It’s a sad day for me, man. I am not going to lie….Michigan deserves the scorn, we deserve it.”
Yesterday, seemingly out of the blue, linebackers coach Chris Partridge was relieved of his duties.
In a second statement released yesterday by the University of Michigan Associate Athletic Director for Football Communications David Ablauf, he stated:
More Sports News
“From the outset, our focus has been on seeking due process and allowing the NCAA to conduct a fair and deliberate investigation. Although the Big Ten has closed its investigation, we are continuing to cooperate with the NCAA as it moves forward with its ongoing investigation. Consistent with our commitment to integrity, we will continue to take the appropriate actions, including disciplinary measures, based on information we obtain. Earlier today, Michigan Athletics relieved Chris Partridge of his duties as a member of the Michigan Football staff. Due to employee privacy laws, we are unable to comment further.”
The NCAA presented Michigan with evidence that:
A booster named “Uncle T” allegedly funded part of Connor Stalions scouting operation.
An assistant coach attempted to destroy evidence after the scandal broke.
Story w @RossDellenger https://t.co/bKat4uQE39
— Dan Wetzel (@DanWetzel) November 17, 2023
The timing couldn’t have been worse for the Partridge news, it can be at the end of the day performance-based, but when you have a defense that is No.1 in the nation in scoring defense, pass defense, and total defense you rarely see coaches getting fired for “performance based” causes.
It also could be a litany of things outside the Stalions espionage scandal that could have cost Partridge his job.
Considering in the last year:
- Matt Weiss was accessing files he was not given access to, prompting the FBI to join the investigation with University Police
- Shemy Schembechler’s “flippant behavior” on social media
- Michigan staffer soliciting an underage minor in a very disturbing video
- Assuming Partridge was not terminated for this reason, you have another coach who destroyed evidence in an ongoing NCAA investigation in regards to the Stalions espionage scandal
At what point do we start asking what responsibility head coach Jim Harbaugh bears in the total chaos that has been his football coaching staff that operates his program?
One of the popular quotes that has surfaced in recent weeks on social media platforms has come from former Michigan head coach Bo Schembecher and his book, “Bo’s Lasting Lessons: The Legendary Coach Teaches the Timeless Fundamentals of Leadership.”
In the book, Schembechler discusses scandals between the gridiron and the football boardroom.
“Every coach, every executive, every leader: They all know right from wrong. Even those Enron guys. When someone uncovers a scandal in their company, I don’t think they can say, “I didn’t know that was going on.” They’re just saying they’re too dumb to do their job! And if they really are too dumb, then why are they getting paid millions of dollars to do it? They know what’s going on.”
The answer is simple – everyone on Harbaugh’s staff is an extension of Jim Harbaugh.
Harbaugh never led with proper integrity when you begin to look at the actions of his staff in his program. These extensions of Harbaugh weren’t able to do the right thing when given the opportunity to choose from right and wrong.
It’s one thing if it is an isolated incident with a staffer and you can prove without a shadow of a doubt it was isolated.
I don’t want to fully condemn Harbaugh’s staff, there are many men and women who do the job right and represent Michigan the right way, but with this chaotic outbreak of gross negligence, Harbaugh has to answer for the failures of his program.
At one time, Schembechler was the Michigan athletic director, and if he was alive and in current athletic director Warde Manuel’s shoes, he would terminate Harbaugh.
If Harbaugh knows, it goes without saying.
If Harbaugh doesn’t know, Schembechler’s quote is how I feel. Harbaugh is negligent in his on-the-job duties.
I am stealing Dan Wetzel’s point he made on The Dan Patrick Show, Harbaugh at some point should have walked into the room of staffers and made it known none of them are good enough to survive if they break a single NCAA rule.
With Harbaugh now serving his second suspension of the season, he shouldn’t be able to survive this collection of stains he and his staff have made on the Michigan football program.
Now only if we can figure out the identity of “Uncle T?”
