Warde Manuel has been under some heat lately, from a new lawsuit brought against him and other Michigan administrators, rumors swirling that he won't have a job come Thursday, and continuing fallout from Dusty May's exit. Now, he may have some angry Michigan fans on his hands after a recent interview with The Michigan Insider's Sam Webb.
The timing of the interview really seems convenient, especially with Warde being the center of all Michigan news right now, but as Webb said, it has been on the books for weeks. The reason for the interview was actually to speak on the May exit, but when timing works, it works.
Manuel might not have gained any favor with this latest conversation, not being shy about calling out the Michigan fanbase. When anything goes wrong in the athletic department, for example, a scandal or a head coach not performing up to standards, typically the finger is pointed straight at the athletic director, and fans are the ones leading the charge. If Manuel doesn't like it, he might want to find a new profession.
"So, I mean, those kind of things to me, Sam, are the ridiculous nature of how our fans at times react to things, give them the credit for making the choices that they want to make for their lives," Manuel said.
What Manuel is speaking about above is how fans react to the news of a coach leaving on their own accord. Sure, coaches ultimately make their own decisions on when to leave, and Manuel probably did everything he could to keep both Jim Harbaugh and May in the building, but fans are going to point the finger at him because he is the head honcho of the athletic department.
Warde Manuel is on a slippery slope taking shots at the Michigan fanbase
Manuel is already not the most popular guy among the Michigan fanbase. That is well known, but he isn't going to help his case with this latest interview. Understandably, it can be frustrating when fans continually call for his job after a scandal or a poor season at Michigan. Manuel even stated earlier in the interview that he has practically been fired like three times by the fanbase, but that doesn't mean calling them out is going to help matters.
This is the job of an athletic director. Manuel was valued highly when Michigan won the National Championship in basketball in just the second season under May. It was a phenomenal hire by Manuel, but then May left, and sure, it was for a dream of coaching in the NBA, but he also stated that where college basketball is heading is not something he wanted to be a part of.
May said he had a lot of jobs he didn't want to be dealing with when at Michigan, and in the NBA, he can focus more on simply coaching. As an athletic director, Manuel is there to make life easier for his coaches, and if he wasn't succeeding in that, then May's departure is partially on him. As is not signing him to the extension that was announced after the season, which would have made it more difficult for him to depart.
The fans have a right to be upset when things go wrong, and Manuel has to be able to take it on and not point the finger back at the fans.
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