Many duties come with being an athletic director, especially at a major university that houses numerous college sports. An athletic director does their best to catch everything they can, oversee as much as they can, and ultimately be the leader of the department.
With that job come the highs and lows of the position. Apparently, Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel could use a refresher course on that part of the job. In an interview with The Michigan Insider's Sam Webb, Manuel spoke on many different aspects of his tenure with the Wolverines to this point, from hiring coaches, dealing with the fallout of those coaches leaving, and, of course, the scandals that have rocked Michigan in the last few years.
It is not easy being an anthletic director and someone should remind Warde Manuel of that
It's definitely a lot, and as the head man, some would even say, the face of Michigan Athletics, it comes with the glory of a job well done when it's deserved, but also the blame when things go wrong. For Manuel, he seems to want all the glory but none of the blame.
"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.
Manuel is speaking in terms of keeping May away from other colleges after winning the National Championship this last season. Sure, he gave May a contract extension that kept him from going to Indiana or UNC, so pat on the back for him. However, that extension never got signed, and May ended up leaving anyway for the NBA, so the fingers are pointed at him 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."
Absolutely, it should be celebrated that May and Jim Harbaugh, who is the other coach he is talking about above, even spent time at Michigan. They both did great things, bringing championships in their respective sports to Ann Arbor, but they won and left, so the blame has to fall somewhere.
Michigan's string of scandals isn't something Warde Manuel can talk his way out of
Michigan has been hit with at least three scandals in the last three years, all coming from the football program. It started with Connor Stallions and the sign-stealing, then it was Matt Weiss and multiple accounts of aggravated identity theft, and finally former head coach Sherrone Moore having an inappropriate relationship with his executive assistant. Manuel has been the AD at Michigan for all of them.
Naming the scandals like that isn't to say that Manuel is at fault. Every person hired by the university is vetted and goes through a background check. Sometimes, people are stand-up citizens who end up making poor choices when they are at school. However, that doesn't mean no accountability can be taken when things happen after the fact.
"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."
Manuel is right; there is no system out there that can catch things 100%. Lots of athletic programs have been subject to scandals, and Manuel can only do so much, say so much to his staff, to try and prevent them. However, as the head guy, the blame falls on him, and no, he isn't expected to be a mind-reader, but this is what comes with the job.
No one ever wants to take the blame for scandals, especially the ones Michigan has dealt with, but as the AD, Manuel has to show some sort of accountability. With rumors of Manuel's job being in jeopardy, some of his statements in his interview with Webb probably won't help matters.
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