Warde Manuel knows the rewards that come with running Michigan athletics. What he seems less interested in is the other side of the job: the criticism that lands when the wheels come off.
In his interview with The Michigan Insider’s Sam Webb, Manuel touched on everything from coaching hires to the fallout after those coaches left, along with the scandals that have hit Michigan over the last few years. The conversation gave him a chance to defend his track record, but it also showed how much of the spotlight now comes with blame attached.
Manuel made it clear he feels he’s not getting enough credit for keeping people in Ann Arbor.
"I laugh because I don't get the credit for what I did when Indiana came. I don't get the credit for what I did when North Carolina came, but I get the blame when they make a decision that they [May and Harbaugh] want to make," Manuel said.
He was talking about keeping May from other schools after Michigan’s National Championship season. Manuel did hand May a contract extension that was supposed to keep him from going to Indiana or UNC, but that extension never got signed, and May eventually left for the NBA anyway. That’s where the blame is coming from now.
"For them to have been here and to have done what they have done, to me, it should be celebrated. If people want to blame me for [May and Harbaugh] leaving, be my guest," Manuel said."
I mean, it's ridiculous, but I'd rather have had those gentlemen here producing the success they have. Than to have not had them here at all."
Harbaugh is the other coach Manuel was referring to there, and the point is simple enough: both men brought championships to Ann Arbor before moving on. That success is real. So is the fact that they’re gone.
The bigger issue for Manuel is that Michigan’s recent run of scandals has all happened on his watch. Over the last three years, the football program has been tied to Connor Stallions and sign-stealing, Matt Weiss and multiple counts of aggravated identity theft, and former head coach Sherrone Moore’s inappropriate relationship with his executive assistant.
That doesn’t automatically make Manuel responsible for every bad decision made inside the program. Every hire goes through vetting and background checks, and people can still make terrible choices after they’re on the job. But being the athletic director means the fallout still reaches your desk.
"My responsibility is to deal with the people who make choices that are not acceptable at Michigan, at Michigan Athletics, and move through the process and deal with the situation," Manuel said. "So I don't, if somebody out there knows of something that's 100%, then let me know, but they expect me to be a mind reader. Of what people are doing, and I don't know, I don't know anyone who possesses that superpower, but if they do, then bring them out."
He’s right that no athletic director can catch everything. Plenty of programs get blindsided by scandals, and Manuel can only do so much to set expectations and police the culture. Still, that’s part of the burden when you’re the one in charge.
And that’s the tension here. Manuel wants the credit for the wins and the praise for keeping top people around.
Fair enough. But when Michigan gets hit with scandal after scandal, accountability comes with the territory.
With rumors swirling about his job security, remarks like these probably won’t quiet anything down.
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