Michigan AD Warde Manuel talks Jim Harbaugh, sign stealing allegations and his future
Warde Manuel and Jim Harbaugh. Credit: University of Michigan
Manuel said that Jim Harbaugh left because he couldn’t win an NFL’s Lombardi trophy in Ann Arbor.
Langton: “You wanted him to stay?”
“I did, absolutely, no doubt about it,” Manuel said. “And he knows that, I talked to him about it, so there’s no doubt.”
Langton: “Is there a misconception around that maybe you should pay more money, or not suspended him, or I know you didn’t suspend him the last three games, but he was suspended for the last three games, and that he may have said, ‘Ah, I don’t want to stay, I want to go.'”
“We offered him more money. We offered him to make him the highest paid coach in college football,” Manuel said.
Langton: “Did Jim Harbaugh understand he had he needed to be suspended?”
“I think he understood,” Manuel said. “I don’t think he liked it.”
The self-imposed suspension for recruiting violations was Harbaugh’s first suspension.
“Ultimately, we had agreed to four games. He had agreed to it. We had agreed to it,” Manuel said. “And then the NCAA didn’t accept it for some reason. But we still had, we still had an issue that we admitted had happened.”
He was suspended for the last three games of the season by the Big 10 because of allegations of an elaborate sign stealing operation by a low level staffer, Connor Stallions.
Langton: “Did sign stealing happen with many teams?”
“Sign stealing happens all the time across the way,” he said. “You know, the coaches are looking, people are looking at what other people are doing, and looking at us. They’re seeing what signs and what’s what you’re holding up in the air, they’re trying to coordinate with, what does that mean.”
Langton: “This was more than that.”
“This was more, this was being in the stands, and necessarily, not necessarily just him, but others on on behalf of him, that he was encouraging or getting to do this, is the allegation.
Connor Stallions that former football staffer, never admitted responsibility to his alleged rogue, sign-stealing actions and later resigned from the program.
Connor Stallions Image from Untold: Sign stealer courtesy of Netflix
The investigation remains ongoing by the NCAA.
Langton: ” You didn’t know?”
“No, absolutely not,” Manuel said. “Jim said he never knew anything about it. I believe it. We just have to figure out and let the NCAA run that process.”
Langton: “Does that hurt recruiting, does that hurt the university?”
“No, I don’t think so. No, it. I’m sure others out there are trying to use it against us, but it doesn’t,” Manuel said. “It talks about the people who tried to execute that. If it, if it comes out that they were involved and deeply involved, it doesn’t get to the core of who we are in athletics.
“And I believe Jim when he says he didn’t know. I believe our other coaches when they said they didn’t.”
With so many tough decisions this past year, Manuel has been overwhelmingly criticized by many in the Wolverine community.
Manuel says he doesn’t let the noise get to him.
“I am not going to deal with people who hide behind fake pictures and fake names,” he said. “If you want to step up, and you want to tell me who you are and show me who you are, and you have something constructive that you want to talk to me about, I’m willing to talk to any of our fans, any of our donors, any people about it.
“But don’t hide. I can’t hide. I’m 6-5, 300 pounds. I can’t hide.”
Warde Manuel in his playing days for the Wolverines
Manuel’s five year contract is up in 2025, but there’s some talk about giving him an extension before then.
Langton: “Right now, would you renegotiate to get a couple more years now?”
“I would if they offered it, yeah, absolutely I want it,” he said.”I mean, where else am I going to go? This is the best job in the country, and this place means so much to me. I just put everything I can into it and help to drive the success, and watch it and observe it and cheer and do what’s necessary for us to continue our success.”
Stallions is the focus of a new Netflix sports documentary as part of the Untold series. Manuel says he is not going to watch it.
Manuel said among the hardest things he’s had to do was fire mens basketball coach Juwan Howard – who was a friend – after an 8-24 record last season.
New Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore with Warde Manuel
Source link : http://www.bing.com/news/apiclick.aspx?ref=FexRss&aid=&tid=66d18bc599964aaeb5f271df50d1cb6e&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.aol.com%2Fnews%2Fmichigan-ad-warde-manuel-talks-015331682.html&c=5639535241032690704&mkt=en-us
Author :
Publish date : 2024-08-29 21:53:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.