There was a bit of news the last few days that hasn't really gotten a lot of play and I am curious what you lot think about it.
JIM DELANY WANTS TO PAY PLAYERS TO PLAY FOOTBALL AT MICHIGAN!!!! OMGZ!
Well, at other schools too. And he is only paying an additional $8.22 a day. In the past Jim negotiated for Kathie Lee Gifford's manufacturing in Honduras.
Gene Wojekrzyzewski reacts here.
Instead of getting a standing ovation for trying to improve the rust-coated system now in place, Delany was accused of grandstanding, of creating a play-for-pay scenario, and of attempting to deflect attention from the stench of Jim Tressel's violations landfill at Ohio State.
Really?
The logic behind some of the criticism makes Homer Simpson look like a Fulbright Scholar. Delany ran a proposal up the flagpole, nothing more. It wasn't an edict, a demand or an ultimatum. It was an idea, a starting point for serious conversation to a serious problem.
Gene is always a great read but I have a hard time seeing an additional $8.22 / day as a serious offer but broaching the subject is pretty serious. And pardon me for not assuming Jim is "all about the kids" on this.
He goes on to admit it gives an advantage to bigger conferences (yawn, I'm fine with that) and he admits that it will have no effect on cheating.
He goes on to say:
"I never used the words, 'play-for-pay,"' says Delany. "I never used the word, 'compensation.' All I said is, 'Can we have a discussion? We'd like to have a discussion about providing a grant-in-aid that corresponds to the cost of education.'
"I never once mentioned that we thought it would undermine cheating. The kinds of comments, and the kinds of headlines, and the kinds of leads are so far removed and so far from what was said, it's pretty hard to understand. … I don't think in any of our discussions internally, or any of the discussions with our staff, or any of the thoughts in my mind was it ever thought about in terms of Ohio State, or agent issues, or any regulatory issues."
The thing about Delany is, he has always moved the Beebes pawns around the chessboard very effectively. Jim is burning a lot of gas telling us what he didn't say and what it won't do. My question is what will it do?
What is Jim up to?