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Eisen defending Michigan. Cringe-worthy

Yeah, he probably did to some degree. I'd say that's almost a sure thing.

And there is absolutely no way anyone can refute the story either, which is exactly the point.

It's lazy tabloid journalism.


Why on earth would someone do that when the upside is just about nothing and the down side is lose his job and render himself basically unemployable?
 
Why on earth would someone do that when the upside is just about nothing and the down side is lose his job and render himself basically unemployable
Nah. Unfortunately, this technique isn't really that uncommon. The writer is basically writing an opinion column based on popular opinion and logic, while using fake anonymously sourced quotes to phrase his opinion. This is like Athlon's yearly 'Coaches Talk Anonymously About Conference Foes' articles. It's click bait for an interesting read. Depending on the publication, some editors might not even view this type of thing as unethical. I'm sure it's fine, even applauded at The Athletic.


Did they bother to contact Ryan Walters? He wasn't afraid to go on record.
 
I don't really understand people who have such a beloved affiliation with something that can see through things like this. Is it the love of the school, or more specifically the perception in your mind, or is winning just that important? I'll never understand it.


I think anyone can look at this situation with intellectual honesty and understand that under the circumstances, it would be difficult for a HC to not realize that having the perfect response to everything your opponent is doing is a bit more than just being a good coordinator or assistant. Heck, you could even rule out luck at this point. The lack of a strong statement from Harbaugh is, by itself, pretty damming. You'd think that someone who was clueless about what was likely happening would be mortified that his accomplishments are tainted and tarnished by even the perception of cheating.
Your seeing it all over the country with the Palenstein protests. We the ones under attack, not the group who had their children beheaded and burned. Denial can be an ignorant path!
 
Jayson Blair, Gabriela Miranda, Jeffrey Goldberg, Philip Bump...

Not all media are bad. Doesn't take many bad actors to severely damage public trust though.
No I get it, his quotes weren't even remotely believable. Not a single one of them apparently called him sir, appeared to be in tears, or started the conversation by praising his performance.
 
Nah. Unfortunately, this technique isn't really that uncommon. The writer is basically writing an opinion column based on popular opinion and logic, while using fake anonymously sourced quotes to phrase his opinion. This is like Athlon's yearly 'Coaches Talk Anonymously About Conference Foes' articles. It's click bait for an interesting read. Depending on the publication, some editors might not even view this type of thing as unethical. I'm sure it's fine, even applauded at The Athletic.


Did they bother to contact Ryan Walters? He wasn't afraid to go on record.


Well the Athletic is owned by the New York Times, so....

But in any event, you still don't make any sense. The idea that a well known guy from a national publication can't get a bunch of coaches to comment on what is the biggest topic in the sport at the moment so he just makes shit up is really dumb.

I mean it's theoretically possible, but like I said, the upside is almost nothing, and the down side is complete disaster. You'd have to be an idiot to do what you just assume that he did.
 
Well the Athletic is owned by the New York Times, so....

But in any event, you still don't make any sense. The idea that a well known guy from a national publication can't get a bunch of coaches to comment on what is the biggest topic in the sport at the moment so he just makes shit up is really dumb.

I mean it's theoretically possible, but like I said, the upside is almost nothing, and the down side is complete disaster. You'd have to be an idiot to do what you just assume that he did.
It's the same thing Athlon's does every year. I don't think there is much risk to a downside here. Zero chance anyone could prove the quotes are fake, and zero chance anyone will ever try to prove they're fake.

And the premise the writer is going with isn't controversial. We all know what was going on and think the head coach had to know.

Perhaps, but for a profession where head coaches are contractually obligated to answer a softball question leaving the field at HT, I find it hard to believe anyone on a P5 staff would jump return a call from The Athletic.

In college towns they will chirp like crazy to trusted radio hosts and print media, but this type of thing I find suspect, mainly because of the number cited. I don't doubt that a few would talk. 50? I don't buy it.
 
TCU got a tip that Michigan stole all their signals so they tricked them with fake signals.

https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/tcu-knew-of-michigans-alleged-sign-stealing-prior-to-cfp-meeting-used-dummy-signals-in-game-per-reports/#:~:text=Watch Now:,Playoff semifinal, Yahoo Sports reports.

There are some funny clips on social media of the sign stealer dude looking all befuddled in that game.
That's awesome. Like when Mike Leach left the fake play script on the field during warm-ups when he was an assistant at OU.
 
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Won't somebody think of the players. Harbaugh didn't know. B1G Commissioner acted without any real information.

What a clown. This is the same guy that said that the Astros players and coaches should get "the hammer" and their entire careers should carry a stain for cheating and stealing signs.

 
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By the way, Michigan dropped their court case against the Big Ten, agreed to the suspension, and fired their linebacker coach today. Why? Because the NCAA has evidence that a booster paid Stallions to go to the games, and the linebacker coach was apparently telling people to not cooperate with the NCAA's investigation and was attempting to destroy evidence.

"Lack of Institutional Control" seems to be very much on the table at this point.
 
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Linebacker coach is the fall guy. Harbaugh instructs his lieutenant to take the point on this. Insulates himself. Plausible deniability. Now wants to shut down the investigation before it goes up the chain of command. Smart.
 
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