This whole thing is the inevitable outcome of the amount of pressure on these coaches and programs to win. My wife and I were talking about this at dinner, including how we think Clem was running a clean program here up to some date when he got so frustrated losing out to dishonest programs that he sold his soul.
Us fans have to accept our role in this as well. It keeps reminding me of Col. Jessup in A Few Good Men. He talks about the dirty things he has to do in order to secure the safety of the American public and how we expect him to do that for us, but we the public don't want to know what it entails. We expect our basketball coaches to out-compete these dirty programs but to do it without stooping to the same dishonest measures. OR we do expect them to cheat, too, in which case we're just as culpable morally as they are.
This reminds me of a post I saw on Gopherhole maybe 10 years ago in which Col. Jessup's speech was edited for Michigan's scandal:
Ed Martin: You want answers?
U of Michigan Internal Investigator: I think I'm entitled to them.
Ed Martin: You want answers?
U of Michigan Internal Investigator: I want the truth!
Ed Martin: You can't handle the truth! Son, we have a program that needs top flight recruits. And those recruits have to be procured by men with money. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Steve Fisher? I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for Bo Shembechler and you curse Don Canham. You have that luxury. You have that luxury of not knowing what I know. That the money I paid Chris Webber and others, while tragic, probably was the reason they were at Michigan. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, brought the majority of players to Michigan...You don't want the truth. Because deep down, in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me handing out that cash. You need me handing out that cash!
You use words like National Champions, Victors Valiant, Champions of the West, Leaders and Best... you use these words as the backbone to your arogant, delusional existence. I use them as a means to launder cash. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the winning basketball I provide, then questions the manner in which I provide it! I'd rather you just said thank you and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a checkbook and a blank National Letter of Intent. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think you're entitled to!
U of Michigan Internal Investigator: Did you pay Chris Webber?
Ed Martin: (quietly) I did my job, I’d do it again.
U of Michigan Internal Investigator: Did you pay Chris Webber?
Ed Martin: You're goddamn right I did!
