Rich Rodriguez Denies NCAA Allegations
Michigan Players Say They Practice Too Much
On Saturday, ESPN.com reported that former and current Michigan players claim they practiced more than 20 hours per week, which is the maximum time the NCAA has set for college athletes.
Rodriguez denied any disregard for his athletes saying “the truth is that this coaching staff cares very deeply about the young men in our program.” The school launched an investigation on Sunday.
One former player, who asked to remain anonymous, said in-season Sundays at the football facility lasted from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. with a one-hour lunch break. Not only is that more than half of the allotted time in one day, but the daily limit of practice and training time set by the NCAA is four hours.
It’s clear that Michigan is going over the 20 hours by a wide margin, but one former Michigan player who did not play under Rodriguez said 20 hours is not enough time to prepare for the week.
Chad Henne Said 20 Hours is Not Enough
According to AnnArbor.com, Chad Henne, former Michigan quarterback said, “Twenty hours isn’t enough for you. You have to be in there by yourself, studying film, no coaches around, and doing it on your own.”
Any time players spend on their own practicing or training does not count toward the 20 hours the NCAA has set. Henne suggested the players who are making these allegations might have hidden motives.
“If they’re saying that then they’re not really worried about the team, they’re not worried about what they’re going to do during their season and they’re kind of just giving themselves up,” he said.
So if 20 hours is not enough time, then why is Michigan the only school that is being investigated? Surely, any other high-profile school in the country is exceeding this limit as well. Should every school in the country be investigated? Absolutely not.
The only reason Michigan is being investigated is because former and current athletes spoke out about the matter. Do these athletes have a right to complain? That question is a bit more complicated. There’s no doubt that it takes a lot of extra practice to be an extraordinary college athlete. However, maybe these athletes that spoke out do not want to be professional athletes.
Football at Michigan is a Full-Time Job
There is a very small percent of college athletes that will actually become professional athletes in their sport. If they have no desire to purse the sport after college, then why should they have to train as much as the kids that are serious about turning pro? Maybe they would like to spend more time studying in their chosen major, or simply having a social life.
However, the problem with this line of thinking is if the athlete is not serious about playing a college sport, then that hurts the kids who are serious about playing. Football is a team sport, and if one player does not put in the required work, then the whole team fails as a result.
It’s impossible to go to a school like Michigan and not be a full-time athlete in a sport like football. The expectations are so high for Michigan every year that they will do whatever it takes to get a win every week. This is why many kids decide to go to Division II schools. They can play their favorite sport competitively, but they are students first and athletes second.
By attending Michigan and signing up to play football, you have chosen to become an athlete first, and a student second. As asinine as that sounds, it is the truth and will always be the truth.
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