Most major figures in the Michigan football NCAA investigation are no longer with the university
Six-plus months after the University of Michigan finished dealing with an NCAA investigation into its football program, six of the seven employees who received letters of reprimand are no longer with the university.
When Michigan senior associate athletic director Joe Parker left last month for a job at Texas Tech, that left Ann Vollano, the assistant athletic director for compliance, as the lone remaining reprimanded employee.
All of the others were either fired or left Michigan for another job.
Dave Brandon on the aftermath of the NCAA investigation: "I don’t believe it was the kind of thing that is going to have a long-lasting negative impact on the Michigan brand. But it certainly didn’t help."
Michigan admitted to four major NCAA violations when the letters of reprimand were handed down in May 2010, including wrongdoing for extra practice hours and staffing mistakes. It also said it failed to “properly monitor” its football program and that former aide Alex Herron lied to investigators.
The Wolverines docked themselves 130 hours of practice time, two-thirds of which has been completed, according to Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon.
The Michigan athletic director, who took over in March 2010 as the investigation was under way, said last week he felt the Michigan brand was “tainted” by the investigation.
“I don’t believe it was damaged. I believe it was tainted by our association with wrongdoing,” Brandon said during a sit-down interview with AnnArbor.com. “When you go through a period of time where words like violations and allegations and investigations are being connected with your brand and your institution, it definitely has a negative impact on your brand image. It just does.
“By the time we got to the end of that and all the facts came out and there was clarity around what we did and what we didn’t do, I don’t believe it was the kind of thing that is going to have a long-lasting negative impact on the Michigan brand. But it certainly didn’t help.”
Now the university has mostly moved on from the investigation, but those intimately involved — where did they go?
Rich Rodriguez: The former Michigan football coach was fired on Jan. 5 after going 7-6 in his third season as the Wolverines’ coach. In his three years at Michigan, he was 15-22 overall and 6-18 in the Big Ten. He was replaced by Brady Hoke and is doing television work for CBS College Sports.
Mike Barwis: The Michigan strength and conditioning coach was let go soon after the school hired Hoke. Barwis stayed in the area and opened BarwisMethods, a sports training consulting business.
Judy Van Horn: The former Michigan compliance director left her job in Ann Arbor in November 2010, for a similar job in the South Carolina athletic department. At South Carolina, she is the senior associate director of athletics/senior woman administrator in its department of athletics. She spent nine years at Michigan before the move and, coincidentally, was given the Frank Kara Leadership Award in 2010 for leadership and efforts to promote compliance programs. It is the highest honor given by the National Association for Athletics Compliance.
Scott Draper: One of the key parties named in the investigation for failing to do his job correctly, Draper left his job as Michigan’s assistant athletic director of football operations in January after almost 20 years with the athletic department. Draper is with Albion College as the director of development for the school.
Brad Labadie: Along with Draper, most of the blame in the investigation fell on Labadie, Michigan’s director of football operations. He resigned in July after 10 years working with Michigan football. Brandon, when discussing the move in July, cited “family reasons” as the cause of Labadie’s departure. According to Labadie’s LinkedIn page, he works at Kapnick Insurance as a client executive.
Joe Parker: Michigan’s senior associate athletic director for development and corporate relations took a job in April as the deputy athletics director at Texas Tech after eight years at Michigan, his alma mater. Parker was a big asset in the fundraising for the Michigan Stadium renovation.
Ann Vollano: Vollano remains at Michigan. She was the one who continually tried to receive information from Draper and Labadie during the investigation. Vollano is an assistant athletic director for compliance in the athletic department.
Alex Herron: Herron, who did not receive a letter of reprimand, was accused of lying to NCAA investigators during the initial investigation and was fired by Michigan. He appeared at the NCAA Committee on Infractions hearing in Seattle in August 2010. His current whereabouts are unknown.
Michael Rothstein covers University of Michigan basketball for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at (734) 623-2558, by email at michaelrothstein@annarbor.com or follow along on Twitter @mikerothstein
Comments
1st Down
Fri, Jun 3, 2011 : 3:39 a.m.
Ann Vollano was//is the only one in that group above...who tried to do her job with honor, accuracy and integrity....and she was ignored by the rest. However, justice prevails....and she is still there while the rest have been broomed out. And good riddance to the rest of that group....they represent the biggest stain on the Michigan football program in over 130 seasons, on a multitude of levels...the NCAA violations just being one of those stained levels. However...we move on and are stronger now than ever with Coach Hoke & Co. leading us back. This is Michigan... Go Blue.
JoeNash
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 5:10 p.m.
What did Barwis and Parker do that earned a letter of reprimand. I don't remember even hearing Parker's name.
Jim Knight
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 5:50 p.m.
JoeNash: The university said at the time it issued the letters of reprimand that the individuals "shared in the responsibility for these violations occurring over an extended period." The NCAA investigation found that the senior associate athletic director (Parker) and others did not follow up to ensure job description forms were completed. The job descriptions were a key part of the investigation, because the limitations on "countable football coaches" were not monitored well by Michigan, according to the NCAA.
treetowncartel
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 5:05 p.m.
One figure is still with the Freep.
Lorain Steelmen
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 2:58 p.m.
In the 'for what it's worth category'...The Toldeo Blade reported this morning that Pres. Gee supports his AD, Gene Smith, and doubted that Smith would be fired or would resign. When asked about his own job secuirty, he responded that it was up to the board of trustees. Time will tell, but I think, there will be MORE infractions surfacing, particularly, in the 'recruiting perks' offfered at THE osu. Pretty seemy stuff. My take is, that this will go, as deep as the NCAA wants to pursue, and will go back, as far as the NCAA cares to look. Meanwhile, is there anyone who doubts that the balance of Tressel's staff (including new interim HC, Luke Fickell ( 9 yerars on staff), did NOT know what was going on?! C.mon! sO What happens to these guys? And what did Mark Dantonio (Former Buckeye DC) know? ....In another article this moring, the Blade reported that T. Pryor was caught driving with an expired license. He obviously isn't too concerned. Pryor's HS coach was quoted on C/bus AM radio 610, as saying that the osu fans were 'taking it out' on Pryor.....and that they were just fickel. Also reported on AM610, that the editors of the student paper, (The Lantern), were receiving death threats from students, after printing the comments by Ray Small that blew the lid off the tatoo gate scandal.
mojo
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 1:38 p.m.
The NCAA is out of it's mind. What it did to Michigan was outrageous. It does this 'investigation scam' only to 'save face'. It did the same to a guilty USC, but the big question is did the NCAA give back all that TV money it made off of all these scandals? No. Reggie Bush gives back his Heisman - fine. But his on field efforts (violations or not) earned the NCAA 100 of Millions in ad dollars and license fees and shirt sales etc. - and what did the NCAA do with all that ill earned cash - - Nothing. The just sit back and pat themselves on the back and check the bank balance. If the NCAA really cared about controlling $5k or $15k or a free car ride or some coaches oversight ability of every single players actions during every single minute of a players NCAA career - They would use the $100's of Millions Of Dollars earned via TV contracts to police the players - and let the coaches actually 'coach football' instead of being babysitters.
a2roots
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 1:09 p.m.
The hell the NCAA put UM through ought to be multiplied 10 fold on o-liar st.
Forever27
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 12:46 p.m.
All of these violations seem so quaint now that OSU has shown its dirty underbelly.
Blu n Tpa
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 12:43 p.m.
"A new broom sweeps best."
ViSHa
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 3:51 p.m.
winner winner chicken dinner ;)
Craig Lounsbury
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 12:34 p.m.
what is the job description for the "assistant athletic director for compliance"? I ask because on the surface the job title might lead one (like me) to wonder where that job titles culpability might be when the program is punished for noncompliance.
Steve Hendel
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 12:07 p.m.
So what IS the current status of the NCAA investigation? Are there possible penalties on the horizon? Are we waiting for the proverbial shoe to drop?
Michael Rothstein
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 12:19 p.m.
The Michigan investigation is over. The school is currently on probation and has served 2/3rds (approximately) of their docked NCAA hours. But no further penalties will be assessed on that investigation.