per twitter, Fitz & Clark will NOT play tomorrow or travel with team

Twitter account @umichfooball stated Fitz & Clark suspended for 1 game and will not make trip to Dallas. Thats the only link I have as of now.

Story:

http://www.freep.com/article/20120831/SPORTS06/120831054/fitz-toussaint-michigan-football-frank-clark?odyssey=nav|head

Fishgoblue, thank you for link. I'm glad they are suspended, don't want to become like some other programs that put winning ahead of team discipline, or you suspend them for cupcake U.

You know, I kept saying I hoped Fitz played, but reading Hoke's statement, you can almost feel the pain he wrestled with to make the right call.

We really do need to thank our AD for hiring Coach Hoak. I honestly think you could count on one hand the number of coaches who would have made the same decision. We all know it had to be eating him up inside, but, as he said--
"The decision was not easy, but I feel it is in the best interest of this program and for these kids, and those always will be my priorities,” “We have choices every day, and you have to be accountable to this program, your teammates, your family and the University of Michigan.

Well spoken and well done Coach!

TiM Go Blue!!!

had to be done.

I for one (actually it looks as if most here agree) am glad the Coach Hoke suspended them. I'm not saying that we don't need them, but both Fitz & Clark let the team down. They deserve to be "punished".

Now after we beat 'bama we have even more reason to gloat.

Coach Hoke is the right man for the job. I'm very glad that I was wrong on the choice that AD Brandon made. Good thing that I don't make these calls....

Sigh....Don't know what to think. The moral high road is great for some things but in athletics it's all wins and losses. No one wants to hear excuses. I bet 90% of Ohio fans would take the years they had with vest vs. losing seasons during the same period. Sure we can say Ohio fans are the lowest scum of the earth but in the end we were the ones that endured all of those losses to Ohio during the Tressel years. How many of you celebrated when they vacated one of them for us? Not quite the same.

Let's face it we are proud to take the moral high ground. We will be even prouder if we win. That said, what will the feelings be if we lose, especially if we lose and it is close.

I know Hoke is doing the right thing and as WH put it (paraphrasing)-Damn Fitz and Clark for putting Hoke in this position. That said I will have a hard time sticking my chest out on Monday claiming a moral victory after a loss. Hopefully it will not come to that.

I always thought that Fitz would be held out so I am not too shocked at the decision. This will bring a lot of respect to the program from around the country.

"The decision was not easy, but I feel it is in the best interest of this program and for these kids, and those always will be my priorities,” said Hoke. “We have choices every day, and you have to be accountable to this program, your teammates, your family and the University of Michigan.

"These are our sons. These are real lives, and I think, too often, many people forget that. It's not always just about football, or a football decision. It's about teaching life lessons, and if this helps these kids or someone else make a right decision later, then we've won. That is, ultimately, what we are here for, to help them grow and mature to become better sons, fathers, husbands and members of society.

"They are good young men who made poor choices, and we will continue to support them as members of our team and family."

MichiganFootball13 wrote:

I always thought that Fitz would be held out so I am not too shocked at the decision. This will bring a lot of respect to the program from around the country.

How so? How does this work? I have become very cynical over the past couple of years while watching the Vest cheat his way to victory. I think Ohio is still very respected as a football school. Some still say they are still the elite in the B1G. No ones mentions that they were cheating. USC just got off of probation they are ranked #1 right now. Are they lacking respect as a program now for cheating? Conversely is it the Harvard's and Yale's that are being talked about ad nauseum by ESPN because they are so well respected for being great students in the classroom?


I am sorry but in athletics it's all about winning-PERIOD. If you bring up academics you look pathetic. Why do we watch sports? It's not so we can brag about our player's GPA's.

IF we lose tomorrow night; how many articles will there be on Sunday saying Michigan still won for doing the right thing? Far less than what you will read about the SEC being head and shoulders better than everyone else. GUARANTEED. Yet the SEC is notorious for cutting corners-over recruiting, lower admission standards, dad's negotiating deals for their sons, etc. Who has the respect in CFB?? The SEC.

I ride the fence on this one. I have for the last couple weeks it's been discussed.

I DO want to have a well-respected program that does it the right way.

At the same time, I WANT TO WIN, DAMMIT.

If we played either of those guys tomorrow, it wouldn't be cheating. It would certainly be questionable, but it wouldn't be cheating.

See, this is the same convo I have in my head over and over, and have yet to come to a definitive stance.

But, alas, it has been decided.

What other conversations happen in your head?

WillieMfan wrote:

What other conversations happen in your head?

Everything, my man. I have a lot of conversations with myself. For instance:

"Should I make burgers tonight? No...you have that spaghetti still sitting there that needs to be made."

"Do I want to go to this company party in 7 minutes? Fuck no. But if I don't, I'm stuck in this office until 5pm. Let's go!!!"

"Willie, you bastard, why ask me such things? Oh, the hell with it. Typing a reply will waste at least another 30 seconds before I get to leave this office."


haha

LOL...Awesome.

My two cents (though probably worth only one):

As all of you are concurring, it definitely is a feather in coach Hoke's cap, which IMHO already resembles Sitting Bull's war bonnet in that column---guarding the integrity of the program, the team, the University, and yes, the offenders by sending out a strong signal. I have to believe it will reduce the chances of recidivism on Fitz's or Frank's part.

As for the game itself, of course it cannot help to lose your leading ground-gainer (not named Denard) from 2011. But Rawls has earned rave reviews all camp. And the O-Line, and backfield, could be motivated to step up and do it without FT, but at the same time do it for him, being as he is one of the family. Ditto the defense.

And was there a game on the schedule anyone honestly thought would be harder to win than this one? (And show me where I just typed "We'll lose now"). If we come up short, it will be after all the first game...and in the world of polls, BCS ratings, yoda yoda, isn't it always best, if you're not undefeated, to lose early?

Conversely, think of what a victory tomorrow night does for us: football-wise and image-wise.

In the end, college athletics are about the , as Coach Hoke would say, those hundred or so kids. It isn't about sports, it isn't about the University, it isn't about reputation. It's about developing those "kids" (read student-athletes) into mature, intelligent, respectable human beings. Coach Hoke made the correct decision, he made the only decision that he could make and still keep everything that he believes about The University of Michigan in tact.

I just came up with an interesting question. Now bear with me here but replace Fitz with Denard. I'm fairly confident that he would come to the same decision but not absolutely certain.