Michigan wrong to deny Demar Dorsey's admittance
Argue all you want about whether Michigan should have recruited Demar Dorsey in the first place.
With a couple criminal complaints in his past and at least two admitted home invasions, Dorsey hardly fits most fans' ideal of a Michigan football player - except that he’s blazing fast and supremely talented and would have helped the Wolverines’ thin secondary this fall.
But once Michigan signed Dorsey to a binding letter of intent in February, once coach Rich Rodriguez put his reputation on the line to bring Dorsey to Ann Arbor, the Wolverines were wrong to walk away from him the way they did.
Cowardly denying his admission, without, according to his father, offering even a decent explanation why.
If something changed with Dorsey in the past four months, if he did something that jeopardized his scholarship, I could understand Michigan running the other direction. Fast.
But turning its back on one of the nation’s most scrutinized recruits now reeks of hypocrisy and bad business. It sends a questionable message to future recruits, and it reinforces the perception that Rodriguez is in trouble as coach.
Dorsey was academically qualified by NCAA standards. He still could have been red-flagged by the Clearinghouse this summer - boosting your grades through the alternative education program, Life Skills, naturally deserves a closer look.
Even if that was the case, Michigan could have followed the well-accepted NCAA practice of placing Dorsey in a prep school with the intent of re-signing him next year. (A junior college, in this instance, wouldn’t have worked. Michigan rarely accepts juco transfers.)
Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon said Wednesday the practice of denying admission to an NCAA qualifier after that person signs a letter of intent is more common than people think.
“This is not a unique situation,” he said. “As much as some people may want to believe it is, it isn’t.”
But Susan Peal, who manages the national letter of intent program, said less than 2 percent of the 36,110 recruits who signed an NCAA Division I or II scholarship last year filled out a release request before setting foot on campus.
Of the 631 releases granted - another 37 were contested by schools - most were done for personal reasons (163), a desire to attend a different school (115) or because of a coaching change (70). No numbers were available on how many releases were, essentially, at the school’s request.
Peal said the LOI program is intended to be “an agreement on both parties that if you sign there’s a guarantee of the athletics aid for one academic year.”
Brandon said a university’s obligation from the time a letter of intent is signed until enrollment “is to communicate directly with the perspective student-athlete to make sure they know exactly what is expected and where they stand, and (when) the final resolution is made to let them know what that is.”
“I have not been informed of anything that is irregular about the way this case was handled,” he said.
Maybe not irregular, but improper.
While it’s true the ultimate decision to deny Dorsey’s acceptance was made by the Michigan’s admissions department, there also are enough powerful people at the university who could have seen to it that Dorsey get in if they wanted.
Instead, Rodriguez and his staff, who were roundly praised by Dorsey’s father for the way they handled the situation, were the only ones with enough principle to stand by their word.
Dave Birkett covers University of Michigan football for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached by phone at 734-623-2552 or by e-mail at davidbirkett@annarbor.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.
Comments
John
Tue, Sep 21, 2010 : 9:54 p.m.
Looks like even Louisville couldn't get Dorsey in academically. Is Michigan still wrong Birkett? Hypocrite.
Robbie Webb
Sun, Jun 13, 2010 : 9:43 a.m.
While I agree with alot of what you just said, I have to disagree in saying I don't think he's put the blame on everyone else. I think he knows he has to take some of it, I just don't think it's right, fair, or accurate to to put the soul blame on him. For the most part, whether it's on or off the field, when faced with troubles, I've always heard him say, ''We''. As for Dorsey, I don't think it was right, nor do I think it was wrong, there may be more to the story we don't know. But this is not the first time recruits have been in trouble post and pre enrollment.
Sean T.
Sun, Jun 13, 2010 : 3:56 a.m.
Robbie, If a Coach takes a chance on a kid with character issues, he should take a special consideration for his stay at the University. If RR sticks his neck out there and says "this kid is UofM material" and offers him a scholarship despite having a checkered past then the kid must surely be of the Leaders and the best. The head of our football program is RR and everyone he hires he must take accountability for and that goes for recruits also. In every organized unit there is a chain of command and the higher you are the more responsibilty you hold. RR has taken no blame for any of the violations nor his legal issues, he always passes the buck. These are simply the facts since he has arrived. We all jumped on Sparty for the Glenn Winston Experiment and said Dumbtonio was cultivating a criminal culture. RR has no room for thugs and must focus on making the program move forward......that starts with taking responsibility!
Robbie Webb
Sat, Jun 12, 2010 : 5:34 p.m.
Sean T, for you to say he couldn't watch his own staff is making it seem like it's all his fault. While the blame always goes to the head coach if something goes wrong, his staff members are not children and shouldn't have to be babysitted and should know how things are run and obviously something went wrong with communication, it wasn't a failure in understanding the rules. Which is why they are challenging the failure to promote an atmosphere of compliance. As I sit here and type this I am reading my subscribt to ''The Wolverine'' and reading others thoughts the vast majority are actually behind our coach and alot of the negative people need to lay off of him. As Lucretius once said, ''Watch a man in times of adversity to discover what kind of man he is.''
FL_Blue
Sat, Jun 12, 2010 : 5:26 p.m.
I hate to say it, but this makes UM athletic department seem as dysfunctional as the federal government with one arm not knowing what the other is doing. Is it too much to ask the various interested parties to get together and approve or disapprove of any candidate that appears to be on the bubble with respect to admissions --- before the LOI is accepted.
Sean T.
Sat, Jun 12, 2010 : 4:51 p.m.
If we accepted this kid would we be the leaders and the best? Why should we fall to lower standards of other programs such as USC and Florida? And if they did admit him would we want RR on the watch for a reputed trouble-maker? Hell, he couldn't watch his own staff and their wrong-doings! I wouldn't want another excuse or passing the buck because that would be another disasterous bump in the road for the program. This is about education too, you know.
Pam Wilson
Sat, Jun 12, 2010 : 7:51 a.m.
UM's freshman profile for 2009-10 incoming class: Mid 50th percentile GPA 3.6-4.0, ACT 27-31 (25% below and 25% above these scores). Demar Dorsey's grades may have met NCAA standards, but were borderline for UM admission (at best). All universities, including the University of Michigan "wait list" hundreds of prospective students every year to see the 2nd semester of senior year grades. Not only are grades taken into account, but the classes taken to earn those grades are weighed in the decision. Wait listed students find out the final decision in June when the grades have come in, NOT in February. It appears that after reviewing his 2nd semester coursework and grades, the decision was made to not admit him. Although unfortunate and sad for he and his family, the right decision was made for his future. Don't we want this young man to succeed in the classroom as well as on the football field? Although you may not agree with this decision, I believe is was the right one.
gatling64
Fri, Jun 11, 2010 : 12:57 p.m.
Dude I agree totally.This kid got higher scores on his NCAA clearinghouse score than many players that are on the field now.he has no criminal record.That was expunged.If htey were going to fail to admit him he should have been told back in febuary.However the UM admissions dept frankly didn't expect him to pass the ACT (17 min), so they didn't worry about it.Then he passed the claringhuse score and now they are stuck in a situaton that they were not prepared for.They should have admitted him right there.He would have been under a microscope anyway.UM will find that recruiting the FLorida area will becomme much different because of this case.
Mick52
Fri, Jun 11, 2010 : 12:26 p.m.
Silly article. The admissions office has every right to make a determination of a student's ability to succeed academically. It's too bad and good luck to Demar. I hope the reason was not his prior legal issues. Keep in mind that academic information is protected by FERPA and we likely will never know why he was not admitted.
Stephen Landes
Fri, Jun 11, 2010 : 11:31 a.m.
I am glad that Coach Rod and U of M were willing to give Demar Dorsey a chance and I am glad they had the courage to make what we all believe is a decision to deny admission. I don't want to know the circumstances -- there are some things that should remain privileged information and this is one of them. It is unfortunate that so much of this story - enough in my opinion to cloud the issue without clarifying it - is public already. I can see a scenario where this makes sense at least to me: give the recruit a chance to demonstrate he can make the grade (literally) and to demonstrate the likelihood that he can succeed at U of M. Dorsey may have done the former, but that does not guarantee the latter. One can meet the NCAA minimum requirements, but still be considered unlikely to survive in the U of M environment. Coming to a place like U of M is a challenge for many students and it is is possible that the way Dorsey made the GPA demonstrated that there is not enough support here for him to be successful. Dorsey would not be the first student, athlete or otherwise, who started out at a junior college to get his academic legs under him and then transferred to a major college or university with a greater chance of success. We must all think what would be said about U of M if he were admitted, played a season, and then flunked out. I can predict Birkett's column: U of M takes advantage of Dorsey to shore up the defense and throes him aside when it doesn't all "work out". We don't need that kind of attack and Demar Dorsey doesn't deserve that kind of "kindness".
Seasoned Cit
Fri, Jun 11, 2010 : 10:45 a.m.
Wasn't it earlier this week that the story was ex-UM player in jail? Sure Dorsey is fast, but it looks like he couldn't run fast enough on the home invasions. How about recruiting players who understand social responsibility and have a desire to get an education? or.. I guess we could bring him in and see if the NCAA will approve replacing a quality control staff member with a parole officer.
kulse012
Fri, Jun 11, 2010 : 7:52 a.m.
Life Skills, problems with the law. This has headache written all over it. I'm glad someone at the University finally took a stand on an issue before Michigan turns a Lane Kiffin type of school. The school has taken enough hits, we don need a potential felon running around. Yes, the next argument will be he's turning his life around and I know he's very talented. It simply is not worth the risk though, we can find someone else with far lower risk and probably not too much less talent. I also think it is absurd to hear the university wronged this man by choosing to deny him. We all know athletic standards for admissions are ridiculously low, it appeared he couldn't even meet those though (and I don't care that he's NCAA eligible becasue of Life Skills)it just doesn't look kosher. Plenty of talented, non criminals who want to play. Not to mention someone who would like to maybe get an education too...
81wolverine
Fri, Jun 11, 2010 : 7:49 a.m.
Mr. Birkett, You make a lot of accusations and judgements in this article about U-M without having all the facts. You really don't know the REAL reason(s) Dorsey was denied admission do you? The fact is, Michigan could have found out the school he was going to (an alternative high school of some sort from what I understand) may not meet U-M's academic requirements for incoming students. Or, maybe there were some deficiencies in the classes he took. Who knows? You don't, that's for sure. Yes, sometimes, a student-athlete can be enrolled in a prep-school to get their grades up. But, how many times has that worked out for U-M? I've seen players do this over the years, and most of them never make it. Marques Slocum was just one example of a recent player. Maybe Michigan is starting to (God forbid!) raise their standards for admitted athletes as a response to the scrutiny they've been getting from the media. Personally, I don't have a problem with Michigan's decision. I assume that the admissions people, who have been doing their jobs for years and years probably know more about whether a kid is qualified academically or not than you or I. Certainly, without knowing the facts, I'm not going to jump to an unreasonable conclusion like you did.
bluemax79
Fri, Jun 11, 2010 : 7:29 a.m.
one would think that a university that holds itself to a higher standard of student would be applauded when they are choosy in who they admit for the University's athletic teams, but that would not fit the a2.com's agenda would it.
PortageLkBlu
Fri, Jun 11, 2010 : 5:35 a.m.
Zulu you could be right but you could be off base to. The real sacrificial lamb here is going to be RR if he doesn't impress certain people this year. I think Dorsey got caught in a politicking tug of war at the wrong time just look at how the fingers are wagging at USC right now and it's probably going to get much worse Ya know people that protest to much about one issue make me nervous as in what do they have in their past that their concealing that it gives them satisfaction to carry on obsessively about an issue or person like Dorsey. I'm hearing comments here from people that are sounding holier than thou and I see through it to some degree. You know darn well that this kid should have been given a break how many of you finger pointers really know anything about this young mans intentions for his life and how many things did you do that you didn't get caught for? Ah yes the key word is caught or maybe your mama and daddy's bailed you out. I live a nice life but I had my moments as a young man including my military career. Michigan admissions did not give this kid a chance my guess is becuase they had pressure on them to use this kid as an example especially after the violations and the magnifying glass the admissions office felt they were under.
KeepingItReal
Fri, Jun 11, 2010 : 4:57 a.m.
I really appreciate Birk for writing this article. He is right on point. I sincerely hope that black athletes all over the country are paying attention to this situation with Dorsey. Even after the young man has demonstrated effort in trying to turn his life around and has met the academic standards of the NCAA, someone at UM decided that he was not good enough to represent the prestigious M. Black athletes only value to these institutions is their ability to help win games and attract the dollar. Whether they get an education or not is immaterial to the powers that be. Just look at their track record in graduating these young men. At some point, these athletes are going to recognize the power they possess and its going to change professional sports at the college level.
KeepingItReal
Fri, Jun 11, 2010 : 4:56 a.m.
I really appreciate Birk for writing this article. He is right on point. I sincerely hope that black athletes all over the country are paying attention to this situation with Dorsey. Even after the young man has demonstrated effort in trying to turn his life around and has met the academic standards of the NCAA, someone at UM decided that he was not good enough to represent the prestigious M. Black athletes only value to these institutions is their ability to help win games and attract the dollar. Whether they get an education or not is immaterial to the powers that be. Just look at their track record in graduating these young men. At some point, these athletes are going to recognize the power they possess and its going to change professional sports at the college level.
heartbreakM
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 11:51 p.m.
3 and In is right on. I work with admissions (after the students get admitted, not before) and the entire job of the admissions office is to hedge their bets. They do not accept anybody who they think will not succeed at Michigan. Athletes (and dancers, artists, musicians etc) do not have the academic requirements that the general student body has, because they bring "special characteristics" that make up for worse grades than the average student. For example, the school of art has interviews, portfolio review, etc, and they do not accept people without excellent art skills. But the student still must be able to succeed at Michigan, both in terms of academics and in terms of character. The admissions office did and should have final say on these things. You would hope that the coaches would work with the admissions office before offering a scholarship (though with early scholarship offers, that is not possible), but again, admissions will not allow you in if they think you have a decent chance of failure at UM. It's straight forward, and with his poor grades and academic performance, I don't think DD would have succeeded. There just are not enough classes for people of such academic records to be able to make it. I wish him well, but I am not unhappy that he is not going to be a Wolverine. I thought that RR should not have recruited him with his checkered background, and now with the academics, well, good luck to him elsewhere.
Macabre Sunset
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 11:51 p.m.
What Birkett doesn't seem to understand is that the admissions department has a responsibility to everyone - and in this case needs to save the football team from itself. Did he read that Colorado and Syracuse lost scholarships because of failing athletes? That will be Michigan next year if RichRod doesn't start at least paying minor homage to athletics. The football team posted an 897 this past year. One more year even remotely like that, and scholarships are gone.
3 And Out
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 10:47 p.m.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zjm2qe5vFBg&feature=related some good tips here from Jim on what HS kids should do when preparing for college scholie offers....
Robbie Webb
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 7:47 p.m.
Train wreck? Where?
trigg7
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 7:27 p.m.
Robbie It must suck to defend this train wreck every day. Ignorance is no defence of the law,so spew whatever you would like Case closed..
Marcus
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 7:26 p.m.
hey dave birkett, how did you even land this job? you clearly don't know anything about how prestigious the Big Ten's image is. why on earth would Mich. ever want one of Michael Vick's pitbulls (only bred for fighting/crime) to play for them? The school made the right decision, otherwise they couldve had a Maurice Clarret on their hands. Good for you Michigan. I wouldn't let that kid ride the same bus as me let alone go to my school. the only team he is going to end up playing for is with the convicts in The Longest Yard.
brettdegroff
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 6:58 p.m.
"While its true the ultimate decision to deny Dorseys acceptance was made by the Michigans admissions department, there also are enough powerful people at the university who could have seen to it that Dorsey get in if they wanted." Your whole piece starts with the premise that the whole admissions process is a sham for athletes. Maybe that's not true.
Robbie Webb
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 6:53 p.m.
3 and In, it's funny how you are accusing us for pointing the finger when you amongst others are pointing the finger at one person and one person only (Rodriguez) for EVERYTHING and putting the soul blame on him and him only, which is far from accurate. The media only knows so much, and that's what we know. There may be something we don't know, but as far as I know, he met academic standards for playing football at the college level and for whatever reason, they denied him. I don't think it was right, but at the same time I don't think it was wrong. Like I said, there may be something going on that we don't know. But seeing as how Rodriguez would not accept someone who has been convicted of a felony I don't see why they didn't let him in. I think they should have let him in to give the kid a second chance. He did after all pick Michigan to ESCAPE his past and wanted to start fresh and make a new image for himself.
psaume23
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 6:36 p.m.
If the athlete did not meet UM admissions' standards, then UM did the right thing. We wish the young man well in his college years at another school. As far as the awkwardness of timing, etc., UM should be looking at kids who satisfy our admissions before the LOI is signed. We do not need to change what we proudly have been, just because we are trying out a new football system, except to tighten up our player admissions. Hopefully, with the arrival of Dave Brandon as AD, UM will follow the "Bo-Mo-Lloyd" way of doing things, with Coach Rod or whoever is going to be our coach, especially regarding recruiting and upholding the image of Michigan football.
3 And Out
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 6:30 p.m.
Robbie and the rest of you: The point that I make is: UM Admissions did the proper thing. Since I needed to reiterate it for you to understand... go over to www.mgoblog.com to see that he has basically confirmed the info in the other blog as well. Questioning blogs? Well these days "cough" most of the inside information comes out of reputable blogs rather than online papers, at least in the beginning. Since this has been confirmed by multiple respected blogs, you can pretty much take it to the bank. However, if you'd prefer to keep your tin foil hats on while waiving your Rich Rod pom poms hoping for the best while pointing fingers at everyone else to blame for the problems... have at it.
Wolveinsocal
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 6:16 p.m.
This was one case where alumni pressure overturned the original decision and led to the kid being denied admission. If you read comments in recent weeks in the Detroit media, you will find a lot of outrage expressed about perpetuating the "thug" mentality; the kid also did himself no favors with the gold fronts and unremorseful attitude regarding his criminal record.
chosen1
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 5:58 p.m.
Mitch, you mentioned nothing about his grades being a reason for his non admittance...you mentioned the checkered past. Go to MGOBLOG and Brian has a great piece tonight about how he should have never received an offer due to grades and that admissions did the right thing in denying him into the university to avoid a Derrick Rose fiasco.
Robbie Webb
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 5:57 p.m.
3 and In, why can't you just cheer on the team and hope they do well like the ones who know what they're talking about know they will? You've done nothing but trash our coach and still have not made a valid point or provided any facts to support any of your arguments. I've explained why the team has struggled the past two years and you didn't have anything to say about that and now you're resorting to blogs which are of very little if any credibility. And on top of that, you are acting as if this is the very first time Michigan has had trouble with a recruit post and pre enrollment. Personally, while Dorsey is a blow to the recruiting class, this class was still top 25 without him and even then only one or two at most of the new recruits this year on defense would play anyways. Marvin Robinson and Cullen Christian are most certainly not recruits to sneeze at and they were highly praised recruits in the secondary.
PortageLkBlu
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 5:27 p.m.
Right on Michigan7011 I thought there for a minute that this guy 3And Out was just trying to impress us with all that there knowledge, heck his blog almost scared me into confessing all my past BS. I didn't know anyone with all that inside information was reading our stories. I'll surely be more careful with my fact finding now that there is competition geez 3 And Out give me a heads up when your going to shoot us all down with all that fact finding.
michigan7011
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 4:57 p.m.
Even better, a blog with the infamous "unnamed" sources. By the way who the heck is Ace Benbacker or whatever.
michigan7011
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 4:51 p.m.
Hey 3 and out, great source you are using there....a blog. Heck I could blog anything I want. o could you or the fellow who wrote it. I give little or no credence to any blog.
Robbie Webb
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 4:27 p.m.
3 and out, what's your point? Again, this is not the first time Michigan has had trouble with a recruit post and pre enrollment.
Robbie Webb
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 4:23 p.m.
Haha! Trigg, that's MSU's job. And it's spelt school* there's no ''E'' in school. Thank you for proving my point.
3 And Out
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 4:18 p.m.
According to this blog: http://www.thewolverineblog.com/2010/06/10/we-may-all-be-somewhat-wrong-about-the-dorsey-situation/ Stumbled on a little tidbit of inside info When Rodriguez offered Dorsey a scholarship, he had a 1.9 GPA and a 12 on his ACT. Florida withdrew his scholarship because of his grades. Nobody in admissions ever cleared Dorsey before Rodriguez offered a scholarship. He eventually got his grades up by dropping out of school, attending an alternative high school which he did not get credit from [Ed: this would be the LifeSkills school which released the promotional video featuring Dorsey], and taking online classes, all of which he got an A in. His ACT score (according to his coach, Michigan never saw documentation) jumped to 18. Dorsey never even filled out a standard college application, which all athletes are supposed to do to be considered. Long story short, there was no mix-up. Three felonies aside, strictly for academics, the director of admissions, Coleman, and Brandon all agreed that Dorsey had no place at Michigan. Rod never checked with anyone before offering a scholarship and having him sign a letter of intent. He just did it and then expected admissions to let him in. I feel sorry for the kid, but this was Rods fault, not admissions. Had Rod ever checked with anyone, he wouldve gotten a firm no. There wasnt even a debate about whether hed be let in. And apparently, Rods in the habit of doing stuff like this. There you go RR slappys...refute that? UM Admissions did the proper thing.
trigg7
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 4:09 p.m.
UM is starting to just make the BIG ten look like fools. Day in day out crap every day. How can a schoole that runs its mouth about how great it is be so "improper" over everything. Just go away!
Dude
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 4:07 p.m.
Q: Did the Admissions Office examine potential students who had legal troubles differently than other students? A: Like all applicants, potential incoming athletes with legal troubles are required to disclose most types of possible run-ins with the law. This is not only for the purposes of safety on campus, but also to help the university maintain its tradition of selecting students of a particular academic AND moral caliber for admission. That being said, varsity athletes, ESPECIALLY potential scholarship recipients present special cases that are most definitely looked at differently than normal applicants, but in this realm and in regards to academics. Again, the behavioral issues tend to fall to the discretion of the athletic department. If they say the athlete is a good ship, or at least one that can be and will be during his time at UM, the admissions office will defer to that decision regarding said athletic applicant. I do not know, personally, of any decision that was contested by the admissions office when the athletic dept. approved. Q: In you opinion how lenient was the Admissions Office when it came to reviewing football players? A: Despite the motto of having the leaders and best many of the athletes that were admitted at least during my time working in the admissions office were anything but. GPAs that would barely qualify for satellite campuses of many of the regional state colleges, in addition to shockingly low test score and legal or behavioral problems were not uncommon. I do know for a fact that even with these lower bars, UM has higher athlete standards than most other big ten universities as well as schools in other major conferences in around the nation. But that simply is a testament as to how low schools other than U-M will stoop to get varsity athletes, sacrificing not only student character but also the STUDENT part of student-athlete. also difference is that he is not a regular student...they offered him a scholly, so he WOULD need an explanation
Jake C
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 3:57 p.m.
"Cowardly denying his admission, without, according to his father, offering even a decent explanation why." Cowardly? With no explanation? Does the average high-school student who applies to U of M get a lengthy explanation as to why their application was rejected? No, all they get is a generic form letter saying "Sorry, you're not good enough, and we don't need to give you a specific reason why." Does anyone really think Dorsey needs a lengthy explanation of why *his* application was rejected? If you don't know why by now, I don't know what to tell you...
cutty240
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 3:45 p.m.
This is the first statement from Your New AD,that he does not stand behind RR,maybe beside him,but not behind him.You guys wanted Les Miles in the beginning,after he gets fired from LSU you may get your wish.Then your program will fall behind another couple of years.Those who stay will be champions.You just need to get someone to stay first.This what you get,when you hire a pizza salesmen for a AD.Big Times Sports is a little tuffer than selling pizza.
Geek Chick
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 3:31 p.m.
Dave - You don't seem to know much about college admissions! Go to the UM Admissions website and find out what is the typical GPA range and typical ACT/SAT score ranges for UM undergraduate admissions. Or call and get that information from UM or a local high school counselor. What were Demar Dorsey's high school classes? Did he take hard classes or easy ones? Did he get good recommendations from his high school teachers? How do his teacher recommendations compare to those of other students? Did he take all of the required ACT tests? For example, if a student opts out of the ACT writing test, he or she cannot be admitted to UM. Were one of his ACT sub-scores problematic? When did Demar Dorsey apply to Michigan? The later the date, the lower his chances of admission. Did he apply in the fall, winter or this spring? The date he completed his application is key information for this story. Also, your expectation that he be given a reason for for not being admitted is unrealistic. No one is ever given a reason for denial of admission. You get a thin envelope or a thick one. And then you just have to deal with it and move on.
PortageLkBlu
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 3:16 p.m.
Proof vs Obvious which one do you adhere to? In this sad case I will bend towards the obvious becuase when it comes to Michigan's football program the proof is not always in the pudding. I think there are persons trying to damage Michigan's football integrity. I have to believe it comes from the academic bunch which have always resented the attention that the football program received and the athletes that they feel have been given a free ride in a University that is egotistical about its academics. Bo and LLoyd could easily handle this bunch Gary Moeller maybe not. I think that RR was a target from day 1. You have to remember that Bo had both Gary and LLoyd's back for quite a few years I wonder does LLoyd have RR's back I haven't heard anything have any of you? This whole mess makes no sense unless, you look at the obvious.
naturally
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 3:05 p.m.
What side of the fence are you on?
chosen1
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 2:55 p.m.
Mitch, where is your proof that Dorsey was denied due to his past legal troubles? If you are going to throw the blame at reporters and chide them when they are reporting opinions then you better not be hypocritical. C"mon Mitch where is your proof. Admissions won't say why he was denied because it violates Dorsey's privacy, so Mitch who is your source????? Oh you don't have proof therefore you are being hypocritical much like you claim Birkett is being....I see....pot meet kettle
NoBowl4Blue
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 2:53 p.m.
Lets face it Rich Rod would offer osama bin laden if he thought he could help him save his job
wvtroll
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 2:29 p.m.
That should have been: while overlooking off-field accusations against their head coach.
S Campbell
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 2:24 p.m.
The university owes no-one an apology. Unless you place football over academics (which you might), the admissions committee has every right to make an admissions decision separate from any extra-curricular talents the applicant might possess. For those of us who sit on admissions committees, we can only maintain integrity if we can act independently. No football coach should ever be able to dictate admissions. We are a university, not a sports training camp. Your article is misguided and cynical.
Robbie Webb
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 2:19 p.m.
Mr. Sunset, your last famous words are, ''...he can't recruit very well.'' Wrong, Roriguez is a great recruiter. If you want me to start naming people, I will. And this was not a desperate recruit attempt. He was never convicted and he did his work in the classroom, you cannot tell me that Demar Dorsey is the only recruit in Michigan history that had a 2.5 or less gpa and a sketchy past. But the key word is ''Past''. All of that stuff happened before Michigan knew about him. What's wrong with giving someone a second chance? Who are we to say, ''Well, you screwed up in the past, and for that reason you're not good enough to come here.'' What kind of message does that give to others about the university? If he were to do something while he signed his LOI then that's a different story, or while he was on campus (Hello Cissoko). You really need to lay off Rich Rod, because for you to say it's Rodriguez's fault is wrong.
BlueMom
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 2:18 p.m.
Birkett -- UM is an ACADEMIC institution and if a student does not meet the ACADEMIC requirements, the student will have his/her admission revoked. Every prospective UM student is told this when accepted to UM. The message is clear -- if you mess up your senior year of high school (grades, ACT scores & so on) -- you will not be enrolling into UM in the fall. Simple as that.
TitleNine
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 2:11 p.m.
A University should not have to apologize, nor explain, when it does not admit a student it deems unprepared to succeed---no matter how fast s/he runs or throws or punts, passes, or performs.
Yelmonian
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 2:11 p.m.
Quick question? So... no one is allowed to question the University of Michigan? I don't see the hypocrisy in Birk's editorials. When the kid was first signed, Birk questioned why UM would sign this kid. UM knew he had troubles, knew that his academics would be close, and they signed him anyway. Here we are 3 months later, and now they are going to tell this kid he can't get in. In no time in the last three months, could the Administration Department talk with the Athletic Department, and get a good feel for whether the kid would be let in or not? Really... you can't drive across campus and ask the question... gee, what is it going to take to get this kid in, and do we have a shot? If the Athletic Department truly wanted to give this kid his second chance, and let him turn his life around... wouldn't they have asked these questions earlier? I can't believe that UM, with it's 100 plus years of football, wouldn't have an inkling how this would turn out. If you knew there was a good chance of the kid not getting in, tell him, and release him from his letter of intent, so he could go elsewhere. Now the kid is left scrambling to find a school. I think Birk is spot on.
wvtroll
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 2:09 p.m.
It's truly humorous how some can be so judgemental about a player who was accused of certain off-field actions while overlooking off-field accusations by their head coach. Either give both of them a chance or neither of them. Who's setting the example up there for whom?
Dude
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 1:59 p.m.
People really need to get their head out of the sand making these comments. This is taken from an interview with a uofm admissions dept counselor: Leaders and best my arse Q: Did the Admissions Office examine potential students who had legal troubles differently than other students? A: Like all applicants, potential incoming athletes with legal troubles are required to disclose most types of possible run-ins with the law. This is not only for the purposes of safety on campus, but also to help the university maintain its tradition of selecting students of a particular academic AND moral caliber for admission. That being said, varsity athletes, ESPECIALLY potential scholarship recipients present special cases that are most definitely looked at differently than normal applicants, but in this realm and in regards to academics. Again, the behavioral issues tend to fall to the discretion of the athletic department. If they say the athlete is a good ship, or at least one that can be and will be during his time at UM, the admissions office will defer to that decision regarding said athletic applicant. I do not know, personally, of any decision that was contested by the admissions office when the athletic dept. approved. Q: In you opinion how lenient was the Admissions Office when it came to reviewing football players? A: Despite the motto of having the leaders and best many of the athletes that were admitted at least during my time working in the admissions office were anything but. GPAs that would barely qualify for satellite campuses of many of the regional state colleges, in addition to shockingly low test score and legal or behavioral problems were not uncommon. I do know for a fact that even with these lower bars, UM has higher athlete standards than most other big ten universities as well as schools in other major conferences in around the nation. But that simply is a testament as to how low schools other than U-M will stoop to get varsity athletes, sacrificing not only student character but also the STUDENT part of student-athlete.
PortageLkBlu
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 1:59 p.m.
Geez boys and girls cut the crap we're talking about football here which whether you like it or not never was and never will be completely aligned with the academic prowess of any school let alone Michigan. Maybe someday in another life but not now. This is about a brutal gladiatorial art in itself not about scouring the country for geeks that love to beat the living hell out of each other for your entertainment. It's a dark side of academics that we pay high prices to watch and we don't pay those high prices to watch our gladiators lose. Let's all get off our high horses and look at this sport for what it is and what it is is a blood sport. We love it in fact many of us almost worship it and we pay good money to the school to produce a winner and that product has to be upgraded every year. This is not an easy task. All schools make some exceptions within the boundaries of policy and they could have taken Dorsey. They did not becuase someone felt like spanking RR. Read the book, BO copyright 1989 written by Mitch Albom Bo had some real shady characters play for him that got in trouble before, during and after playing for Bo. I believe if the cannibals wern't after RR Dorsey would be playing for Michigan.
2000Blue
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 1:52 p.m.
To the OP, unless you know why (and that will never be made officially available, due to privacy laws), how can you comment on what Michigan should do? Dave Brandon is the AD, not the head of admissions. If a kid doesn't qualify, he doesn't qualify. End of story. Also, why not wait to see where Dorsey enrolls? Apparently, FSU said no thanks, so perhaps his grades are not as high as they seem (all schools adjust GPAs because all GPAs are not created equally. My guess is that when his GPA was adjusted, he fell below the Michigan floor, and perhaps the floor of other schools/ clearinghouse).
Macabre Sunset
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 1:51 p.m.
Why the word "cowardly" in describing Michigan's admissions department? The kid was not remotely qualified for a Michigan education and he seems to be well on his way to becoming a career criminal. Unless RichRod himself is incapable of sentient thought, he would have told Dorsey there was a good chance he wouldn't be admitted. It's his job to know these things and coaching staffs spend considerable time determining whether a player is worth pursuing based on potential admissions. RichRod took a calculated risk - one based on his own knowledge that he can't recruit very well. He is desperate and he went too far. Admitting Dorsey would be mocking everything Michigan supposedly stands for. It looks like Dorsey is left with Louisville right now. Florida State pulled its offer for the same reasons Michigan should have early in the process. The blame for this rests squarely on the head coach - not on some nebulous "powerful people" system that grants special privileges.
Frank99
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 1:36 p.m.
Who wrote this, Dr Jekyll or Mr Hyde?
Dude
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 1:31 p.m.
This is a great article by Birkett...I cant believe how uninformed some uofm fans are. Do the names Kelly Baraka, Marquis Slocum, Markus Curry, ect. ring a bell to anyone? Never has uofm sent a loi to a fully qualified student athlete (yes, even those with criminal backgrounds) and then later denied them admissions. NEVER, until RR. To tell the kid 5 months after signing day is bush league and keystone cop like. Lets all stop pretending uofm has this higher standard and is something it isnt. Anyone who thinks the AD doesnt have pull in these cases is just plain dumb and naive. There have been kids with backgrounds like this to come to uofm before. The only reason Dorseys past was exposed (something our society decided long ago should not happen with minors) was because of the coach he committed too. Shame on you people who have their head burried in the sand on this one. Birkett is 100% right.
Chuck
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 1:06 p.m.
Hypocrite!!
Frank99
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 1:02 p.m.
Was this story written by Dr Jekyll or Mr Hyde?
Freemind42
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 12:59 p.m.
Yet another example of the admissions office sucking. It seems like this was done out of spite considering the fact that they let people in with less of a chance than Dorsey all the time.
lumberg48108
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 12:41 p.m.
I dont know if Michigan made the right decision or not but for this writer to claim Dorsey was "exonerated of all charges" regarding the crimes is making things too simple! exonerated means: "absolved: freed from any question of guilt; "is absolved from all blame"! "he twice was charged with felonies as a juvenile. He was acquitted of a charge of robbery with a deadly weapon in 2008, and an earlier burglary charge was dismissed." but circumstances indicated he was culpable and has even took some responsibility for his past - so to claim exoneration is simply not the case...
3 And Out
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 12:38 p.m.
Dave Birk is short sighted here with his commentary. Perhaps he would consider just deleting it, if he were to look at the facts surrounding the situation with Dorsey. Michigan football has become a program that will soon be sanctioned and on probation by the NCAA. There have been recent football players such as Cissoko and Feagin's coke deal, that have reflected poorly on the university. The current head coach has a ton of both personal and professional baggage and has produced the 2 worst back to back seasons in the schools 130 year history. This is a coach who issued a 90 or so page denial of responsibility to the NCAA in response to their allegations of his misconduct. There is a new CEO/AD who has come in with a straight line policy of cleaning up this program which has started to go seriously off the tracks. The fact that the admissions dept. is also taking their role very seriously in this clean up effort...should be commended! not scorned and criticized as Dave Birk has done here. Short sighted and not well thought out. Perception is reality.
nick
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 12:37 p.m.
I didn't like the recruitment of Dorsey from the get-go. He's the same troubled-past high-skill player that we at Michigan scoff at OSU, Florida, et al for recruiting. When Maurice Clarrett was at OSU, we would say, yea he's good but we at Michigan would never let someone like that in, its OSU and their low standards. And Rich Rod put us on the brink of going there, on the brink of being WVU. Oh yea, let us not forget RR recruit Justin Faegin at UM, and turned out upstanding citizens like Pacman Jones and Chris Henry at WVU.
friend12
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 12:35 p.m.
Obviously Mr. Birkett didn't do any research before writing this. He said "Dorsey was academically qualified by NCAA standards. I am pretty sure UMs admission requirements are much higher than what the NCAA requires. One other thing, check out comments in the freepress. This isnt the first time this has happened in recent years at UM. Drew - to be fair, why don't you apply your brilliant logic to Lloyd Carr as well? Remember Marcus Witherspoon? Marques Slocum was another Carr recruit who couldn't pass admissions. Oh yeah, and how about another Carr recruit named Kurt Wermers flunking out after skirting by admissions? Mr. Birkett seems to paint a picture where this rarely happens. Again, maybe he should do a better job at researching a subject next time.
glacialerratic
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 12:32 p.m.
Ridiculous argument. He wasn't qualified academically under U-M standards. It would have been improper to have admitted him.
mcflies
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 12:25 p.m.
Michigan definitely could have used Dorsey's on-field talents in their secondary, but I don't think they can afford any more bad publicity Dorsey's possible off the field actions would have caused. Just an opinion based on perception and not really quantifiable but I'm not sure Rich Rod is the guy you want babysitting this kid anyway. Dorsey would be better served finding a program where he can be mentored by a coach with a tad more character and integrity, at least if he wants to push himself to be the best person he can be. I don't think Michigan is in the wrong here. It's possible they save face in the long run with this decision.
3 And Out
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 12:13 p.m.
The UM admissions dept. has the ability to deny any potential student from attending the university for a number of reasons. This is their responsibility and they made the right choice here in the case of this potential student athlete.
john
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 12:08 p.m.
Wait!? Now you are on Dorsey's side? We are just supposed to forget about the whole crowbar comment, right Dave? Im glad you aren't spewing negativity for once, but lets not pretend like this was your position all along. I get it you're only in it for the page views, its a business I know, but enough with the hypocrisy.
Mark A Gebert
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 12:06 p.m.
RR record on recruiting kids and turning them into people the U can be proud of stands for itself. Everyone forgets the 2 best examples of this from his West Virgina days, Chris Henry and Adam "Pacman" Jones. Both came into that program with a similar past to Dorsey. Though true that they something could be done to let this kid in but what has RR done to earn the trust of the U for them to take a chance. RR does not have the track record Lloyd did when he brought in trouble footballers in his tenure. The vast majority turned into outstanding men.
truebluefan
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 12:04 p.m.
Birkett - I agree with your viewpoint. Michigan screwed up and looks bad in this case. However, I seriously doubt the athletic department has enough pull to force the admissions office to admit an athlete possessing NCAA minimum academics. The Life Skills stuff is a red flag. My issue is the offer should've never been sent out to DD in the first place if this was going to be a foregone conclusion. Since the offer was sent and DD made the NCAA minimums, I really expected UM to honor their end of the bargain. Instead, they pulled the rug out. Terrible for Michigan's PR and I feel bad for DD and his father and Rich Rod.
GoblueinNE_PA
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 11:56 a.m.
Those are pretty damning statements Birkett for someone who doesn't know, or at least didn't present, the facts behind Dorsey's denial of admission. Right now, all you have is speculation. Admittedly, this is an OP-ED column, so you have that right, but it does reinforce the opinion that you have an axe to grind. Also, getting a release from an LOI and deny admission don't necessarily have to align 100%. As you, yourself, admitted, many times schools take extraordinary steps (prep schools, etc.) to get a marginal kid up to standards. In those cases, they were denied admission, but didn't ask for a release. IOW, using the release statistics isn't completely valid.
JimW
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 11:56 a.m.
Dave, it is pretty easy for you to say that Michigan was wrong without knowing all of the facts. I seem to have seen lots of complaints about a Kentucky freshman basketball player who went to a "special" high school so he could get his GPA up to a point where the NCAA would allow him to be eligible for one year of college basketball before jumping to the NBA. I agree with Michigan's decision to not bend the rules too far and admit Demar Dorsey. The mistake was to have not made this statement back in February when it should have been clear that he was attending something other than a normal (acredited) high school. I hope Damar lands on his feet and succeeds in life, but that would not prove that Michigan was wrong.
dillymay101
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 11:55 a.m.
What are you really arguing? UM was wrong to deny admission? Or they way UM handled the situation was wrong? If the Admissions Department had a valid reason to deny admission, are you arguing they should have admitted him anyway? Just because he was recruited? And RR is in trouble as a coach. Frankly, I don't think he's in enough trouble as a coach.
John-Maize Blueblood
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 11:53 a.m.
As I have pointed out before, it is all about image preservation. All the bad PRs over the last two years involving Rodriguez and the university are definitely contributing factors to the decision not to admit Dorsey. I am willing to bet that the Justin Feagin case was even brought up during one of the brainstorming sessions leading up to that decision.
Theodore
Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 11:47 a.m.
Wow Birkett, you could not be a bigger hypocrite if you tried. You raked RR over the coals for taking this kid's commitment and dragged the kid through the mud and now you run to Dorsey's defense solely because its another chance to knock RR and UM. You have officially joined the lowly ranks of Rosenberg, Sharp, Carty, etc. And like the garbage those other idiots spew, I will no longer be visiting your site or reading your columns. Congrats!