lets talk about the elephant in the room

[LoftonPack80]

So like many Michigan fans, when it comes to the Fab Five there are many mix emotions and reactions. I respect everybodies opinion on them, but would like to share mine. The following link is a letter I wrote to Yago Colas, a professor at the University who has a sports blog and works closely with Jimmy King ans Ray Jackson in their relations with the school and their efforts in having the Fab Five recognized by the University. This letter ended up going viral and being picked up by the USA Today.

As I stated earlier, I welcome and respect all opinions. I just ask that an open mind is used when reading. Enjoy


How the Fab Five Saved John?s Life: A Reader?s Letter | Between the Lines

 

[MAIZEandBLUE09]

No matter what justification you try and come up with, I don't think they should be recognized. If the NCAA does not recognize them, then they do not exist. They exist exactly where they should exist - in the fans' minds who witnessed them back in the day. For whatever good they did, they also prevented 20 years of Michigan basketball fans from experiencing the same thing, so let's put that in perspective.

I think the story was cool, but I just can't accept acknowledging cheaters. I think I'd be fine with them reuniting or something like that, after all they did go to Michigan, but I don't want the banner to be hung.

 

[LoftonPack80]

Thanks for taking the time to read and as I said...I respect opinions. While I do agree that the banners themselves should not be hung in Chrisler, a banner of some sort should be. Heres why:

1. Not everybody took money from Ed Martin. In fact only two, Jalen Rose and Chris Webber did. Webber, from as far as we know took the major chunk of that money after declaring pro and before being drafted. Rules infraction? Yes but did it effect the team? No. As stated by many sources close to the program and the kids, if they had hundereds of thousands of dollars during their playing days they must have buried it in their backyards because they showed no signs of having money and neither did the families of the players.
2. Michigan while demanding apologies sure is not complaining about the fact that the merchandising revenue went from 3 million in 1991 to over 11 million a year in 1994. The school is not innocent in all this either.
3. Like them or not, they changed the way college basketball is played today and changed the culture of black athletes in this country.

Look what they did was wrong and against the rules, but their existence cannot be denied and they deserve something from the university. Whether its banners or a halftime ceremony...something.

Also, I have to disagree with your statement that they set the program back 20 years. The classes after them "The Fab Five 2" and then the later class with Tractor Traylor, Louis Bullock, and Albert White ran roughshod around taking insane amounts of money from Ed Martin which ultimately led to everything being uncovered. You can throw them in there and you can add the coaching staff and athletic dept. who had to have known and turned a blind eye. And lets not forget the two morons after Steve Fisher...Brian Ellerbe and Tommy Amaker. Lets be honest, they had no business running a division 1 program and couldn't recruit or coach to save their lives.

Anyways, I am glad that we have a program now we can proud of again, and it looks like Coach Bielien will continue to keep them relevant with the recruiting hes doing. Should be another exciting season coming this November.

 

[MAIZEandBLUE09]

1. Would Michigan have won anything without Rose and Webber? I don't think so.

2. Michigan certainly made money on these kids, but they do with all star athletes. I'm not sure what that has to do with the banners?

3. They were influential to the CBB culture, and I think we can celebrate them for that. I just don't think we can celebrate their NCAA accomplishments because they very clearly broke the rules and cheated.

The reason Michigan had to hire some of those coaches you mentioned, was because either. 1 - we had impending NCAA doom or 2. It was after the NCAA doom. Being banned from post season play for what - 4 years - kills a program. Especially when you're only seeing kids come in and play for 1 to 2 years. Despite the excuses, that scandal killed the program from the late 90's all the way until a few years ago. Maybe not 20 years, but certainly enough so that an entire generation of Michigan fans never knew what it was like to have a winning program until now.

 

[LoftonPack80]

Thanks for rational, non hateful responses concerning the Fab Five my man