And the saga continues.
To be completely candid, when Rich Rodriguez was fired from Michigan, I was secretly hoping that the embattled coach would just take Tate Forcier with him as a package deal.
So when it was reported yesterday that Forcier was “no longer apart of the team”, naturally I was as bubbly as David Spade in a 7-UP commercial. More than anything, the on-again, off-again rumors of Forcier’s future in Ann Arbor were wearing thin.
But there’s one thing that I clearly overlooked: Tate’s father, Mike Forcier, stalking in the wings like a psychotic pageant mom ready to smite down any notion that his prized son would be going anywhere.
For one, Forcier’s father, while on a trip to Ann Arbor, insisted his son was good standing academically, even though Forcier was ruled ineligible for the Gator Bowl.
“I can tell you this — he didn’t fail his classes,” the elder Forcier said. “I’m really not sure what’s going on. I just flew into Ann Arbor to figure everything out and see how we can get this whole thing resolved.”
“Tate wants to stay (at U-M),” Forcier told TheWolverine. “I didn’t come with a moving van. Our intent is to do whatever is necessary for him to rejoin the team and become a student-athlete again. We haven’t talked to any other schools and we won’t until we’ve exhausted every resource here. But Tate wants to stay and we want him to stay.”
We’re guessing that latter part is closer to the truth. We’re also guessing Forcier’s dad is a control freak.
If Forcier wants to stay at Michigan -- as a football player or not -- that’s fine. If he wants to transfer, go for it (he probably should have done it awhile ago). Hell, he may not know what he wants and that’s okay, too.
But every time Forcier’s dad swoops in and takes control, he’s doing a huge disservice to his son and dragging out a messy situation that should have ended by now.