18 -The Michigan Daily - Monday, May 12, 2003
Canham: Fisher either incompetent or stupid 4
By GOM o ice
Daily Sports Editor
Whose fault is it? After the NCAA
Committee on Infractions delivered its
punishment for the Michigan basketball
progras Thursday, this question that has
lingered around Ann Arbor for years sur-
faced once more. Many fingers pointed
to now-deceased Eddie L. Martin, the
booster who shelled out more than
$616,000 to four student-athletes. Large-
scale blame was thrust upon the four
Wolverines - Chris Webber, Robert
Traylor, Maurice Taylor and Louis Bul-
lock - who were on the take. But in the
eyes of former Michigan Athletic Direc-
tor Don Canham, Michigan's woeful
scandal can be attributed to one source.
"It was strictly a coaching failure,"
Canham said.
Canham, who served as Michigan 's
athletic director for 20 years (1968-88),
expressed to The Daily that former
Michigan (and current San Diego State)
head coach Steve Fisher deserves the
majority of the blame for the illegal
activity that occurred in the Michigan
program throughout the '90s.
"Here's a guy (Fisher) being paid a
half-a-million dollars a year and he
can't supervise 12 kids," Canham said.
"Everybody at the time knew some-
thing was going on - these guys were
wearing more gold jewelry and driving
the big cars - everybody except Fisher.
And for him to deny that he knew any-
thing about it is just beyond belief. The
guy's either incompetent or stupid."
Fisher held Michigan's head coach-
ing position from 1989 until he was
fired in 1998 after an NCAA investiga-
tion. Although many believe that Fisher
had to know something of Martin's
tainted generosity, the NCAA did not
find any evidence to support this theory.
Canham expected that the NCAA
would add to Michigan's self-imposed
sanctions instituted last November, but
he didn't foresee a postseason ban.
"The infractions were so severe that
the NCAA just couldn't walk away
from (them), they had to do something,"
Canham said. "I was surprised that they
gave us sanctions for the next (postsea-
son); I didn't think they would do that."
Canham feels that it is unfair that
current Michigan players who were
uninvolved with the sanctions are
banned from the postseason, while
Fisher remains uncharged.
"The guy that was involved heavily
(Fisher) is making ($300,000 at San
Diego State), and these kids get barred
from competition."
The NCAA did not officially find
Fisher at fault of any major violations,
but did say there were many "red flags"
that he should have picked up on.
Michigan President Mary Sue Cole-
man has expressed that the University
will appeal the postseason ban.
"I do think that there's a possibility
(though) that by petitioning they can get
that lifted," Canham said. "They've done
that at other times. They've let the penal-
ties sink in and the publicity is good, and
then the Infractions Committee says,
'Well, let's let the kids play.' I know
many of those infractions people and
they're terrific people, and they're fair."
Even if the NCAA lifts the postsea-
son ban, the former athletic director
thinks that irreparable damage has been
done to the University's image.
"This is a worldwide story, and most
of us who went through it in (an) hon-
est time are crushed about it," Canham
said. "In my case, and for the people in
my era, what is done has really hurt us
because you see this is documented
history. This can never be wiped out,
and it's the worst kind of infractions.
So von inst feel terrible ahout it and
the worst part about the whole thing is
you can't change it."
But Canham is confident that Michi-
gan basketball, behind the current per-
sonnel, can weather the storm.
"You have to go on and start a new
tradition," Canham said. "I do think
they've certainly done the right thing by
hiring (Tommy) Amaker. (He's) exactly 4
the guy they need. I think he has a won-
derful personality, he always says the
right thing, he always does the right
thing, and I'm very high on him.
"I've been very impressed with the
kids he has recruited, to tell the truth,"
Canham said. "He seems to be recruit-
ing some very good young people."
In Canham's mind, a key to overcom-
ing the stigma that this situation has
brought to Michigan is never forgetting.
"You have to analyze it, dwell on it, so
it doesn't happen again," Canham said. 4
Canham feels the ugly state of affairs
will hurt, but not annihilate the program.
"People have a short memory," Can-
ham said. "I just think that in time it
will wear off - never be forgotten -
ht it will wear off"
PLAYERS "What would disappoint me would be not having a
chance to win the Big Ten," Dill said. "The fact that
Continued from Page 14 there was a postseason ban handed down to us isn't
going to get us down because we still have a chance to win our conference."
Robinson declined to comment on the ruling, but Horton noted that Robinson
is adamant about donning the maize and blue next season.
"(Robinson) was the first one to speak out," Horton said. "He said he was not
going anywhere and that there was no sense in whining and crying about it
because we have been here before."
Brown agreed, noting that "last year's season should help us out a little bit. We
will be going through much of the same things we dealt with last year. Even
though we didn't start well we had a very prosperous year and hopefully this year
we can build on that and do even better."
Brown also noted that while he is one of the unfortunate players that has to pay
for the actions of those involved in the scandal, he hasn't necessarily lost his
respect for them.
"You can look back on that period time with a little bitterness, but those guys
had a big part of what Michigan is today," Brown said.
"Those guys have moved on with their lives, and we should do the same," Hor-
ton said.
Horton also noted that amidst the negative publicity that the Wolverines have
received from the scandal, and the penalties imposed by the NCAA, playing for
Michigan is still an honor.
"They can take away the postseason and they can take away a lot of
things, but they cannot take away the pride of playing for this university,"
Horton said.
P EAL because of case and the Committee cannot sup-
A things they port any more strongly the action that
Continued from Page 14 had no was taken by President Coleman. The
knowledge of or no part in," Michigan University should be commended for
coach Tommy Amaker said. "But life getting halfway there."
isn't fair and we certainly recognize Since the scandal came to light in
that we are part of a much bigger pic- February of 1996, the University has
ture here as an institution. We're going launched a series of independent
to support and be on board with every investigations into possible rules vio-
decision our institution makes." lations and applied self-imposed sanc-
While the question of next year's tions last November.
postseason ban still remains unan- "We did the right thing and we're
swered, Infractions Committee chair- proud of how we handled this investi-
man Thomas Yeager praised Coleman, gation," Coleman said. "We pursued it
Martin and other administration offi- relentlessly even at a time when it was
cials for their cooperation. very difficult to get information."
"Universities are all about integrity, The NCAA accepted Michigan's
pursuit of the truth and accepting- self-imposed sanctions that, among
responsibility," Yeager said in a tele- other penalties, included last season's
conference. "That was done in this ban on postseason play. It then tacked
Freshman Daniel Horton speaks with media on the floor of Crisler Arena Thursday.
Horton said all of the players are adamant about staying with the program.
on an extra one-year ban on postseason
play, revoked one of its 13 scholarships
for four years, declared a four-year
probation and asked the University to
disassociate itself with all players
implicated in receiving improper loans,
namely Chris. Webber, Robert Traylor,
Maurice Taylor and Louis Bullock.
The University took a major step
forward in preventing future violations
from occurring in 2001 when it hired
Compliance Director Judy Van Horn,
whom Martin later elevated to the
position of Associate Athletic Director.
"She is relentless in going out and
talking to coaches and players," Cole-
man said. "She's exactly the kind of
person we want in this role."
Van Horn is only part of the educa-
tion campaign to alert the public of the
fine line between booster and rules
violator. An entire page of the basket-
ball team's game programs is dedicated
to NCAA rules and compliance. Mar-
tin also meets with the heads of vari-
ous booster clubs.
Despite the list of precautions
taken, dangers still exist for coach-
es. There will be a constant stream
of blame aimed at former head
coach Steve Fisher - now head
coach at San Diego State University
- who supposedly let boosters like
Ed Martin get too close to the play-
ers in his program.
"Certainly as a head basketball
coach at this level, I'm held account-
able for those types of decisions,"
Amaker said. "That comes with the
territory and I recognize that."