"He Runs a Clean Program"

He needs to start glaring at his players like that.

Why do Michigan football players keep finding ways to spend time in the company of law enforcement? Look at this ridiculous end of the story:

The charges against the pair lengthen a string of recent legal incidents involving Michigan football players.

Wide receiver LaTerryal Savoy pleaded not guilty last week to a charge of indecent exposure, and is facing trial next month. Also facing trial in September is linebacker Obi Ezeh, who has been charged with driving while intoxicated.

In March, defensive back Chris Richards and tight end Carson Butler were charged with an assault on another Michigan student. Richards was found guilty of one count of aggravated assault and one count of assault and battery, while Butler was cleared of all charges.

Although both Butler and Richards were dismissed from the team in March, Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said prior to training camp that he was considering reinstating Butler.

Another player dismissed by Carr in March was defensive end Eugene Germany, who was ticketed for marijuana possession in February. Germany had pleaded guilty to two counts of resisting arrest in 2006.

And that doesn't even account for Adrian Arrington's legal woes.

I am as maize-and-blue as a person can be, and maybe I'm overreacting a smidge since this is SOP at a place like Tennessee, but can you please explain to me how Michigan and its fans can credibly maintain that it operates with a higher moral standard--something that I've taken pride in over the years--if the players are starting to get in this kind of trouble on a regular basis? Every program has its share of problems and no coach can ever prevent all of his college students from being, well, college students, but an uncomfortable trend is emerging here.

As for the title of this post, if Lloyd Carr, who already isn't beating Jim Tressel, isn't winning bowl games, and isn't winning national titles, also isn't going to keep his players out of trouble, then what, exactly, are he and Mike DeBord doing as they lie in each others' arms each night? They're certainly not innovating.

I find all of this disappointing. The occasional drinking ticket or bar fight is a part of life, but all of these "fluke" incidents? It's times like these when I am forced to throw up my hands and turn to Brian for the solace offered by his pwning of insufferable Notre Dame internets flamers.