Wolverines Wednesday: Coach B Leaves and Mel Should Run from EL

Coach Beilein finally agrees with Cavs management to step away.  It's still unknown what the financial agreement was, but Coach will say good-bye to the players today and start his next chapter.  He will have options next season in college basketball but I hope he ends up in Michigan's athletics department, as he is great ambassador for Michigan Basketball and all of athletics.

Good luck coach and please don't end up in the Big Ten! :)
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Mel, congratulations on the new big contract at Michigan State.  Are you starting to see what has been going around here for the last few years?

If your wondering that is Curtis Blackwell on the far left.  With Daelin Hayes a 5 star recruit from Ann Arbor ironically.  The photo is from Hayes mother La Keshia Neal during a recruiting visit and breakfast.   Hayes is now at Notre Dame, if you remember U of M didn't recruit Hayes very hard and it seemed the sentiment was mutual.  Hayes had transferred high schools and ended up in Ann Arbor during his senior season at Skyline.  Mike Tressel is also in the photo, as he was just retained by Mel at MSU.

The issue with that photo is that Mark Dantonio said this during a deposition: (DetNews)

The photo and affidavit call into question the credibility of Dantonio, who in a January deposition denied under oath that Blackwell ever recruited off campus, as well as that of athletic director Bill Beekman, who called the assertion "patently false" in comments to the press this month. More significantly, the allegations could prompt an investigation and sanctions from the NCAA days after MSU's hiring of a new football coach.  

During his deposition, Dantonio was asked if Blackwell ever went with him to visit recruits in their homes. Dantonio responded, "No."Dantonio also was asked if that would've been a violation of NCAA rules, and Dantonio responded, "Yes."

Dantonio acknowledged in his deposition that Blackwell may have accompanied him or driven him to recruiting visits, but waited in the car.

So did Mark commit perjury?  Did he commit NCAA violations and then lie about it? 

This clearly was the reason Mark stepped down so quickly a few weeks ago.   Another case where the cover up is greater then the crime.  Having a recruiting coordinator attend a recruiting visit, is probably a slap on the wrist from the NCAA, its when you lie about it, more trouble seems to find you. 

That is just from the NCAA, what about the legal aspects of lieing under oath? This can't be good for Dantonio in this case as he has alreadyproven to not be truthful.    If he and his lawyers had just settled the case with Blackwell:

• Mark is still the head coach at MSU
• There wouldn't have been the dumpster fire coaching search 
• MSU wouldn't be looking at NCAA Probation

Blackwell's lawyers are also asserting that Dantonio also got jobs for recruits family with a prominent booster.  

How MSU let Dantonio do that deposition is beyond me.  Its just another example of the lack of leadership at that institution.

Run Mel! Run Fast! 

from The BIG HOUSE Blog http://mbighouse.blogspot.com/2020/02/wolverines-wednesday-coach-b-leaves-and.html