The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1040273
NOVEMBER 2018 THE WOLVERINE 69 BY CHRIS BALAS I n early October, Yahoo Sports' Dan Wetzel suggested Michigan could be held responsible because former U‑M receiver Tai Streets — now the head of an AAU program out of Chi‑ cago called MeanStreets — gave one of his players $5,000. It had nothing to do with potential Michigan involvement. In fact, U‑M didn't even make Saginaw four‑star Brian Bowen Jr.'s list of 12, let alone the final two (Louisville received his pledge, while Michigan State was reportedly his second choice). That didn't stop Wetzel from sug‑ gesting that Streets was still a Michi‑ gan representative per NCAA rules, so the U‑M program could be in trou‑ ble because he did something wrong. Beilein had only heard about it in passing before he met with reporters Oct. 11 during the Big Ten's media day in Chicago, but he didn't need to hear much more. He quickly in‑ terrupted someone who suggested Streets could be doing things to nega‑ tively impact Beilein's program. "Not our program. They could impact other programs, but not our program," Beilein said adamantly. "I know who we are. I have no issues worrying about any of those things at Michigan or ever being involved with that. "I can't give you a lot of certain‑ ties today … I can give you that certainty." Others asked if he felt helpless knowing there were things people could do to affect his program that he might not be able to prevent. "I don't feel helpless at all," he con‑ tinued. "I feel 100 percent in control, because we have done the right thing every single time. "I know Michigan is clean, so I'm not going to worry about any of those other things." As for those that aren't … "We need to get them out of the game, so we can proceed and run all the programs the right way," Beilein said. "But I'm not going to accuse anybody. People have got to be proven guilty, first of all. But then if they are proven guilty, they can't show up on any coaching staff ever. Pretty simple. "If they know they're doing things they should not be doing, then the tone has to be set at the top at the university. I think the presidents and AD's have to enforce it themselves. You can't be hiring a guy if he broke rules at another place, just because he's a good recruiter or a good coach. That can't happen." Beilein called himself surprised, but someone who was also naïve to the process. "I'm not dumbfounded," he said. "Something's been going on some‑ where, somehow. "But I can't be worrying about the other programs. It's like if you're the police chief in New York, and you're worried about what's happening in Los Angeles. I've got my own job to do." But he did help try to shape the fu‑ ture of fair and honest play when he was head of the NCAA Ethics Com‑ mittee in 2009. "I think there were great changes made, and still are being made by the NCAA Ethics coalition," he said. "We wrote manuals, did everything. Our whole thing was not to find the bad guys, but to educate the young guys so they wouldn't become bad guys." OHIOAN ZEB JACKSON PICKS UP MICHIGAN'S FIRST 2020 OFFER Beilein took his time in offering his first 2020 prospect, and he's a good one. Toledo (Ohio) Maumee Valley Country Day point guard Zeb Jack‑ son (6‑3, 165, Rivals.com's No. 72 junior nationally) showed off his game in Ann Arbor this year during BASKETBALL RECRUITING John Beilein Says Michigan Fans Will Never Have To Worry About NCAA Violations Regarding his program and any potential recruiting violations, Beilein said, "I have no issues worrying about any of those things at Michigan or ever being involved with that." PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM