During the press conference officially introducing Brady Hoke as Michigan’s head coach, athletic director David Brandon confirmed that Tate Forcier was not a member of the football team “at this time”.
Forcier’s father, however, continued to hold out hope for a return, saying that it was their “intent is to do whatever is necessary for him to rejoin the team and become a student-athlete again.” Based on the quarterback’s late-night excursion on a social media website, that hope has been extinguished.
In a series of tweets posted to the family’s Twitter account beginning shortly before midnight last night, Forcier announced that he’s transferring from the Wolverines.
“I really wanted to stay. I was not giving up on Michigan, but in the end, it was made clear they had given up on me,” Forcier wrote. “With that being said, its time for me to go.”
Forcier had been ruled ineligible for the Wolverines’ Gator Bowl loss, and intimated on Twitter that academics were a factor in his decision to leave the program. “The last few weeks I worked extremely hard to catch back up,” the sophomore tweeted.
At the beginning of his extensive Twitter missive, Forcier seemed to be wallowing in self-pity -- “I’ve been kicked, pushed, knocked down, publicly berated, belittled, emasculated and more.” -- before, to his credit, manning up, looking in the mirror and taking responsibility for what led him to this point in his life.
Forcier went on to add that he hopes his “young fans forgive me and benefit from my lessons that I have learned” before ending what was tantamount to a press release with the following:
“Tate Forcier #5 - A Michigan Man Forever - Go Blue”
Thus closes the book on Forcier’s roller coaster two years in Ann Arbor. After starting every game as a true freshman in 2009, Forcier was roundly criticized this past offseason by his coaches and teammates alike for his work ethic -- or lack thereof. He was ultimately passed on the depth chart by Denard Robinson, and, with the exception of the times Robinson was injured/dinged, played sparingly in 2010.
As to where the next chapter will be written, the heaviest speculation, which has been ongoing for months, has him headed to Montana and attempting to restart his career at the Div. 1-AA level. Forcier also attended high school at Scripps Ranch in San Diego, so San Diego State has been mentioned as a possibility as well.