Even though some rival fans and pundits criticized the NCAA for being too lenient on its punishments of Michigan football in the Connor Stalions investigation, Warde Manuel, the U-M athletic director, doesn't see it that way.
In an interview on Wednesday with Sam Webb of The Michigan Insider, the Michigan athletic director said that the NCAA's punishments of Michigan football went "way too far."
"The disappointment to me is that they tried to tie it to the postseason, in terms of what the penalty structure was," Manuel told Webb. "To put fines at the level that they did, to me, was too far. Way too far for what these violations were."
"That being said, we are looking at it. We are having internal discussions about the next steps and what we're doing to do. But that piece to me, particularly after what these kids accomplished on the field, to try and tie this to that, and to try and tie fines to it should have been a postseason ban, I mean where we are now that we are still talking about postseason bans in college athletics? It's why my reaction to it was very strong around that particular concept."
Michigan football ready to fight back against NCAA punishments with appeal
The NCAA said it could have imposed a postseason ban on Michigan football, and in an earlier era, that would have been the penalty, which the University of Michigan would have fought, just like it will be fighting the $20 million (plus) fine handed down by the NCAA.
Michigan football is also on probation. Jim Harbaugh and Connor Stalions were given show-cause orders, along with Sherrone Moore, who was given a three-game suspension. That will lead Moore to miss the Central Michigan and Nebraska games this season.