Michigan Wolverines given another year of probation
The Michigan Wolverines were handed a third year of probation by the NCAA, after the college governing body finished up their investigation into the school’s football program on Thursday, 4 November.
Michigan was said to have been practicing and working out over the NCAA limit. The school admitted to four charges of exceeding work out times, but denied that head coach Rich Rodriguez was not promoting an atmosphere of compliance.
The NCAA ruled that Rodriguez was, in fact, promoting an atmosphere of compliance, but the school would have to go through another year of probation for violating the four other league rules.
The university is treating the NCAA ruling as a victory, as the team has not been ruled out of any bowl games, which many thought would be the case.
The Wolverines basketball program was already involved in a serious NCAA investigation, which was called the biggest financial scandal in college sport in the last ten years. For that reason, the school was very worried their punishment would be much more
severe.
"This case may not be as sensational as other major-infraction cases, but to the University of Michigan, it could not be more serious," university president Sue Coleman told the
Associated Press. "We offer no excuses for the violations."
The punishment for the university may not have been very severe, but coupled with a poor season on the field, the findings of the NCAA could mean the end of head coach Rodriguez. The head coach has struggled to get a once proud program back on its feet,
after leading the team to its first losing season in 40 years.
The assumption is that Michigan will have to defeat the Ohio State Buckeyes at the end of the season and get into a bowl game for Rodriguez to keep his job.
The Wolverines next game is against the Illinois Illini on Saturday, 6 November.
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