Chris Webber claims he holds the University of Michigan close to his heart.
"My heart bleeds maize and blue," Webber told the Associated Press Tuesday in Detroit. "They were the happiest days of my life."
He ought to do more than talk.
The basketball star has done enough damage to his supposedly beloved university with his part in the embarrassing Ed Martin scandal.
No one will know the full extent of what happened at Michigan with ex-booster Martin because Martin died last winter after pleading guilty to conspiracy to launder money.
Martin told federal prosecutors he put money from gambling proceeds with other funds and lent $616,000 to Webber and three other Michigan players.
None of the players have been forthcoming. Webber eventually admitted lying to a grand jury about his dealings with Martin and pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of criminal contempt.
U.S. District Judge Nancy Edmunds graciously deferred Webber's sentencing for two years. She ordered Webber to volunteer at a summer literacy program in Detroit.
It's a slap on the wrist.
The University of Michigan, meanwhile, has been punished much more harshly.
The school forfeited 112 regular-season and post-season wins, including the 1992 NCAA semifinal. It also forfeited the right to compete in the NCAA tournament last year.
The NCAA infractions committee added to the penalty last May, putting the program on probation while adding another year to the postseason ban and reducing the number of the scholarships.
There's no question the University of Michigan deserved to be punished. The school failed to keep Martin away from its basketball players and left them vulnerable to temptation of taking money.
Yet that doesn't exonerate Webber. He knew better.
Webber was not a hard-luck kid off the streets who never had money in his life.
He had a comfortable upbringing. He attended Birmingham Country Day School, a boarding school which recruits top-flight chemistry students as much as student-athletes.
Yet Webber still "borrowed" money from Martin and embarrassed the University of Michigan in the process.
He told a grand jury he did not recall giving money to Martin then acknowledged that he paid Martin about $38,000 in cash as partial repayment for expenditures Martin made on his behalf, the AP reported.
He lied, following a pattern of behavior that dates back to his playing days.
That is no way to support a place near and dear to your heart. It's selfish.
Webber has put himself above the University of Michigan from the beginning. Look at all the innocent players and coaches he's harmed. He's robbed them of opportunities.
Actions speak louder than words.
What Webber should do now is help inner-city kids read.
Get involved with other charitable causes without the prodding of a judge. Donate the amount of money -- if not more -- Martin lent him. We don't need to know the exact figure. We don't even need to know who is the beneficiary.
Just do good instead of bad.
http://www.thehollandsentinel.net/stories/091703/loc_091703061.shtml
"My heart bleeds maize and blue," Webber told the Associated Press Tuesday in Detroit. "They were the happiest days of my life."
He ought to do more than talk.
The basketball star has done enough damage to his supposedly beloved university with his part in the embarrassing Ed Martin scandal.
No one will know the full extent of what happened at Michigan with ex-booster Martin because Martin died last winter after pleading guilty to conspiracy to launder money.
Martin told federal prosecutors he put money from gambling proceeds with other funds and lent $616,000 to Webber and three other Michigan players.
None of the players have been forthcoming. Webber eventually admitted lying to a grand jury about his dealings with Martin and pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of criminal contempt.
U.S. District Judge Nancy Edmunds graciously deferred Webber's sentencing for two years. She ordered Webber to volunteer at a summer literacy program in Detroit.
It's a slap on the wrist.
The University of Michigan, meanwhile, has been punished much more harshly.
The school forfeited 112 regular-season and post-season wins, including the 1992 NCAA semifinal. It also forfeited the right to compete in the NCAA tournament last year.
The NCAA infractions committee added to the penalty last May, putting the program on probation while adding another year to the postseason ban and reducing the number of the scholarships.
There's no question the University of Michigan deserved to be punished. The school failed to keep Martin away from its basketball players and left them vulnerable to temptation of taking money.
Yet that doesn't exonerate Webber. He knew better.
Webber was not a hard-luck kid off the streets who never had money in his life.
He had a comfortable upbringing. He attended Birmingham Country Day School, a boarding school which recruits top-flight chemistry students as much as student-athletes.
Yet Webber still "borrowed" money from Martin and embarrassed the University of Michigan in the process.
He told a grand jury he did not recall giving money to Martin then acknowledged that he paid Martin about $38,000 in cash as partial repayment for expenditures Martin made on his behalf, the AP reported.
He lied, following a pattern of behavior that dates back to his playing days.
That is no way to support a place near and dear to your heart. It's selfish.
Webber has put himself above the University of Michigan from the beginning. Look at all the innocent players and coaches he's harmed. He's robbed them of opportunities.
Actions speak louder than words.
What Webber should do now is help inner-city kids read.
Get involved with other charitable causes without the prodding of a judge. Donate the amount of money -- if not more -- Martin lent him. We don't need to know the exact figure. We don't even need to know who is the beneficiary.
Just do good instead of bad.
http://www.thehollandsentinel.net/stories/091703/loc_091703061.shtml
