Two-and-a-half months after the NCAA heard Michigan’s appeal on five major infractions allegedly committed by the football program, it appears as though the NCAA will release their findings to the public as early as Thursday.
And, apparently, it will be a result that’s very favorable to the university in general and one of their employees specifically.
According to the Associated Press, Michigan has been notified of the NCAA’s findings and, a source with knowledge of the situation said, are reportedly “very happy” with the final outcome. A major portion of that happiness appears to be related to still-embattled head coach Rich Rodriguez.
ESPN.com‘s Joe Schad reports that the NCAA has concluded that the Michigan coach did not fail to promote an atmosphere of compliance, a potentially serious accusation that, if it had been upheld under the scrutiny of appeal, could’ve had a profound effect contractually on Rodriguez’s future in Ann Arbor.
That, though, was the only one amongst the five major violations the university had vigorously fought as part of the appeals process. The school had agreed to the assertions stated in the other four violations -- which involved exceeding the allowable time limits players could spend practicing/working out as well as members of the football program being present for the practices/workouts -- and self-imposed penalties that included two years probation and cutting 130 hours of practice time.
For now and based on the initial reports, it appears as those RichRod has dodged a major off-field bullet. Whether he can continue to dodge the on-field bullets that are whizzing past his head with increasing frequency as losses mount, however, remains to be seen.