8A — Wednesday, October 10, 2018
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Tai Streets, Michigan and Brian Bowen: What you need to know
On Tuesday, Brian Bowen,
Sr. — the father of former top
men’s basketball recruit Brian
Bowen, Jr. — testified in court
that Amateur Athletic Union
coach and former Michigan
athlete Tai Streets gave the
younger
Bowen
$5,000
to
play for Streets’ AAU team,
Meanstreets.
Bowen, Jr., a focus of this
week’s
college
basketball
corruption trial because of
numerous
NCAA
violations
during his recruitment, was
never reported to have any
monetary
offer
from
the
Wolverines. However, Streets
played
on
the
Michigan
football team from 1995-1999
and the men’s basketball team
in 1997. Because of that, he is
considered a representative of
the University under NCAA
bylaws.
“Following testimony in a
federal court today, a claim
was made that a former U-M
student-athlete offered money
to
a
basketball
player
in
exchange for participation on
a youth team,” the Michigan
athletic department said in
a
statement
to
The
Daily.
“Integrity
in
the
college
basketball
environment
is
an
important
issue
and
we
will
continue
to monitor this
situation.”
But
what
could
the
implications
be
for
the
Wolverines and what would
they mean? The Daily spoke
with business lawyer Richard
Hoeg
about
the
scandal’s
possible
impact
on
the
University
and
its
athletic
department.
Why
is
Tai
Streets
considered a representative
of the University?
The NCAA’s bylaws include
provisions
for
people
deemed
“representatives
of
athletics
interests”
because
people
not
directly
associated with
the
program
— players and
coaches — may
still
have
an
interest
in
helping the athletic program.
Such people can have an impact
on recruiting.
Per bylaw 13.02.9, anyone who
has been involved in promoting
an institution’s (in this case
Michigan’s) athletic program
is considered a representative
of
athletics
interests
—
a
distinction
he
holds
for
life, even if he is no longer
associated with
the program.
“You
might
be able to argue
that
former
players
don’t
fall fully under
that paradigm,”
Hoeg
said.
“ … But (the
NCAA
has)
historically
treated former
players as representatives.”
Tai Streets paid Bowen
to play on a youth team, not
for the Wolverines. So why
would that have implications
for Michigan?
This is where the case gets
a little bit more complicated.
Technically, representatives of
athletics interests must follow
all the same rules with regards
to recruiting as
those
directly
affiliated
with
the
program.
However,
that’s
nearly impossible
in practice due
to
restrictions
on
when
representatives
can and cannot
have
contact
with high school
athletes.
“(A
representative
of
athletics interests) should not
recruit a prospective student-
athlete except as permitted
by NCAA rules (but) it can’t
be applied fully as broadly as
it might look,” Hoeg said. “ …
Because to do that would be to
limit any graduate that had a
scholarship at some point from
working in a high
school, ever.”
The way the
rule is applied,
the
question
becomes whether
Streets
ever
specifically
recruited Bowen
to play for the
Wolverines.
Streets
could
have
violated
that rule even if Bowen was never
offered money by Michigan if
Streets promoted the school to
Bowen, but there has so far been
no evidence that he did so.
If Michigan is implicated
in the case, what would the
punishment be?
Were the Wolverines to be
punished, it would be because
the
athletic
department
is
deemed responsible for all its
representatives. In essence, it’s
the University’s responsibility
to make sure that boosters and
former players don’t commit
recruiting violations.
There is no set punishment
for violations of this type — not
to mention that we don’t know
what the extent of the violations
would be. However, if there was
a punishment, it would likely
be fairly minor, especially since
Michigan coach John Beilein has
a reputation as one of the cleanest
coaches in college basketball.
“(Michigan) could get in front
of it by essentially disavowing Tai
Streets as a representative,” Hoeg
said. “ … I think it unlikely to be
more than a fine. We’re definitely
not talking scholarships. Had the
player in question played here,
we might be talking about loss of
eligibility and vacation of wins
and things like that.”
That’s where there is one
potential snag. Redshirt junior
guard Charles Matthews and
sophomore forward Isaiah Livers
both played on Meanstreets
under Streets. Neither player
has been mentioned by the
investigation
and
there
is
no
evidence
that
Streets
committed
NCAA violations
with
regards
to
their
recruitments.
However,
because
of
Streets’
affiliation
with
Michigan, it is likely something
the NCAA will look into. If an
investigation found violations,
there would be much bigger
implications for the Wolverines.
There is currently no evidence
that was the case.
ARIA GERSON
Daily Sports Writer
AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily
The Michigan basketball team came under question Tuesday after former Michigan athlete Tai Streets was named for paying players to join his AAU team.
Brian Bowen Sr., testified in court that former Michigan athlete Tai Streets gave Brian Bowen Jr., $5,000 to play for his AAU team
“... we will
continue to
monitor the
situation.”
“... it can’t be
applied fully
as broadly as it
might look.”
“I think it
unlikely to be
more than a
fine.”
Bell ahead of schedule at receiver, quieting recruiting doubters
Ronnie Bell grips the straps
on his backback and smiles. He’s
asked about recruiting rankings.
“Stars, I mean,” he says with a
noticeable snarl. “Can’t always pay
attention to stars.”
A year ago, Bell was a two-star
basketball recruit, committed to
play at Missouri State. There was
an itch to play football, the sport
he’s always preferred, but the
interest wasn’t mutual.
“Every week I attacked high
school football with everything I
had because I was trying to earn
a scholarship from somebody,”
Bell said Tuesday evening. “But
nobody wanted anything to do
with me.”
What a difference a year makes.
Saturday
against
Maryland,
Bell caught a pass over the middle
and ran for a 22-yard score — his
second touchdown of this season
in which the freshman receiver
has played in all six games.
After the game, Bell spoke to a
long-time friend via text about just
how far he’s come in such a short
time.
“He was like, ‘Man, a year
ago today I was on the sideline
talking to your
dad
about
you
playing basketball
at
Missouri
State. Now you
just
scored
a
touchdown,’
”
Bell
recalled.
“Just
crazy
to
think how much it
switched.”
He’s far ahead
of where anyone
could have predicted, and in the
process is stomping all over those
who doubted him. Bell saw early
in one-on-one drills in fall camp
he could compete at this level.
Soon after, the rest of the team
took note as well.
Sophomore receivers Donovan
Peoples-Jones, Tarik Black and
Nico Collins were among the first
to see it.
“A lot of people learn, especially
once you get here, stars aren’t
anything once you’re here,” Bell
said. “Once DP, Rik and Nico, all
them realized I
can play, they all
took
me
under
their wing and
were willing to
build me up.”
Black
and
Collins
were
four-star recruits.
Peoples-Jones
was a consensus
five-star.
But Bell says
nobody helped him out more than
senior receiver Grant Perry. Each
day after camp, Perry and Bell
would go back to the hotel and act
out plays in the room.
“We got the freakin’ couch and
pillows all set up and I’m running
around lining up,” Bell said. “He
got me right over fall camp.”
Bell was hungry — maybe
moreso
than
your
average
freshman. This was as much about
proving to himself that he made
the right decision as any external
validation.
It’s still not lost on Bell just how
close he was to a starkly different
path.
Had
Michigan
coach
Jim Harbaugh not
stumbled upon his
tape through his
brother-in-law,
Bell might well be
playing basketball
at Missouri State
or
football
at
a
far
different
level. When he
finally
decided
on football, there were schools in
contact with him — his hometown
Division-II Northwest Missouri
State being one — but certainly no
program the caliber of Michigan.
When
Harbaugh
and
the
Wolverines came calling, though,
the decision became easy.
“It was a dream come true,”
Bell said. “It made me feel a lot
more better about my decision, of
course. I want to play football, I
want to prove to everybody I could
play football. Coming in, it was
like now I’m really going to show
y’all.”
Bell
has
indeed
shown
everyone.
Few
have
taken more pride
in Bell’s success
than Director of
Recruiting
Matt
Dudek.
Dudek
and the coaching
staff
received
some
backlash
shortly after Bell’s
commitment from
fans questioning
the commitment.
Bell was off everyone’s radar. So
when Michigan offered, plenty of
skepticism followed.
After both games in which Bell
has scored, against Nebraska and
Maryland, Dudek has taken to
Twitter to gloat.
After his 56-yard touchdown
against the Cornhuskers, Dudek
tweeted “Zero-star Ronnie Bell
#FromTheSideline
#GoBlue
#Winningest”
After Bell’s score against the
Terrapins, Dudek tweeted “Man,
if only Ronnie Bell had more stars,
ugh #GoBlue #Winningest”
Harbaugh
also
spoke
approvingly of Bell’s performance
against
Maryland,
offering
a
comment unprovoked in his post-
game press conference.
“How about my guy, Ronnie
Bell?”
There’s still plenty of room to
improve for Bell, who has three
catches on the year. His skill at
receiver remains raw, despite the
glimpses of talent. But for Bell,
Dudek, Harbaugh and all involved,
the first six games of Bell’s career
are a recruiting triumph, with the
potential for much more on the
horizon.
“I just came in humbled,” Bell
said. “I was ‘the basketball guy’
to everyone. My goal was to show
everybody I could play football.
For me to start out this way, it’s a
great thing, great feeling.”
MAX MARCOVITCH
Daily Sports Editor
AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily
Freshman wide receiver Ronnie Bell has two touchdowns on three catches this season, as he scored a 22-yarder in Michigan’s win against Maryland on Saturday.
“But nobody
wanted
anything to do
with me.”
“For me to start
out this way, it’s
a great thing,
great feeling.”