The Michigan men’s basketball team’s national championship validates countless decisions and uplifts the numerous individuals who made them.
After the Wolverines players themselves and coach Dusty May, the athletic department and its director, Warde Manuel, deserve kudos for a job well done. The investment in the program to adapt to the era and build a roster was masterful. Manuel also made a brilliant but extremely tough decision to fire Juwan Howard and recruit May two years ago.
“I’ll let you guys write how much credit I should get,” Manuel said April 6 amid the celebration. “It’s written. It is what it is. Y’all saw it. Y’all know who hired him. You can say, who gets the credit? I’m gonna give the credit to Dusty and the staff and the team and everybody around.”
The national championship was, in part, the splendor of the athletic department’s forward thinking and strategic planning. It is not, however, absolution for any of the department’s recent failures.
The wait continues for the results of law firm Jenner & Block’s investigation into the athletic department — which the University has reportedly paid more than $10 million for since it started following former Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore’s inappropriate relationship with a staff member. The investigation was subsequently expanded to evaluate the practices and cultures of the athletic department as a whole.
If systematic failures within Manuel’s athletic department are found to be in any way causal of the malpractices that have transpired over the past few years, the University must act. Their actions can not be softened by any amount of goodwill resulting from on-court, on-ice or on-field success.
Certainly, Manuel and his staff have done a tremendous job in building both the men’s and women’s basketball programs and the hockey program. This winter and spring have featured the most collective success between the three teams ever — notably, the University’s three highest profile teams after football.
Men’s basketball is the most obvious success story, with Manuel firing a beloved former player in Howard, then wisely including former coach John Beilein in the hiring process for May. Manuel doubled down with financial backing that allowed May to construct a competitive team in year one, and then one of the best in college basketball history in year two. Top to bottom, they constructed the necessary alignment for Michigan to win the NCAA Tournament.
Wolverines women’s basketball coach Kim Barnes Arico has seen resources also increase toward her program. Bringing in now-sophomores Mila Holloway, Syla Swords and Olivia Olson was the biggest recruiting win of her tenure, and the program’s second-ever Elite Eight has been the early return.
And even if the Michigan hockey team had the makings of a title winner and fell short, a Frozen Four is nothing to scoff at. The construction of the Wolverines on the ice — especially embracing the rule change regarding CHL players — is evidence of the athletic department adapting to the times more than anything.
“We have a lot of anchors in a lot of different programs, and what happened in football this fall is not defining of the 99.9% of the people in that department who are doing the right things,” Manuel said. “And I’m proud of my staff, I’m proud of my coaches, I’m proud of the student athletes and the way they comport themselves and do things. So this is just remarkable for everybody associated with the athletic department and the University of Michigan, especially this basketball team.”
The success of those three teams corroborates Manuel’s assessment of most people in the department. But it only takes a few, especially when their actions are damaging to the well-being of others, to overshadow it all.
And though Manuel only references Moore’s misconduct, there are several incidents that have created controversy around the athletic department. The sign-stealing scandal is least important. Cheating is deplorable, but it didn’t damage lives in the way others’ misconduct did.
Manuel not-so-subtly patted himself on the back for hiring May. Well, Manuel also hired former hockey coach Mel Pearson — who bullied female staffers — and doubled down by retaining him for three months after receiving the report. Moore didn’t exactly pan out as Manuel’s choice to replace Harbaugh, either.
Then there’s former football assistant Matt Weiss and staffer LaTroy Lewis. Their actions are egregious and disgusting. And in Weiss’ case, the access afforded to him by his position enabled his alleged crimes. Even if they didn’t report directly to Manuel like Moore and Pearson, all of the actions of the athletic department reflect upon his leadership.
There is no balancing act between uplifting student athletes with national and Big Ten titles and employing and enabling individuals whose actions damage others’ lives. The Wolverines could win a national championship in every sport and it wouldn’t matter. If the results of the investigation found that Manuel’s leadership and the practices and culture of the athletic department enabled the misdeeds of Moore, Pearson, Weiss and Lewis, that supersedes everything else.
The outcome of the investigation will ultimately fall in the hands of incoming University president Kent Syverud. If evidence for necessary change comes across his desk, one men’s basketball title shouldn’t hold him up from making a decision. Winning titles shouldn’t even cross his mind.
