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SEATTLE - The University of Michigan's hearing with the NCAA Committee on Infractions regarding five major violations is under way at the downtown Westin in Seattle.
The meeting opened at 8:30 a.m., with all of the Michigan’s contingent in the room well beforehand. Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon, who greeted the media with a brief “Good morning, gang,” wearing a dark suit and a gold Michigan pin, entering the room at 8:04 a.m. along with Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman, who wore a pale green suit.
Three minutes later, Michigan football coach Rich Rodriguez came up the escalator. Earlier in the morning, around 7 a.m., Rodriguez and Coleman spoke outside a room set up for breakfast before taking food from a buffet of eggs, bacon, potatoes, fruit and juices.
In the room, Michigan will face these charges:
• Quality-control staff members regularly monitored voluntary off-season workouts and regularly assisted with on- and off-field coaching duties.
• Players were required to participate in more than the maximum allowed practice hours.
• Graduate assistant coach Alex Herron provided “false and misleading information” to NCAA enforcement staff.
• The athletic department “failed to adequately monitor its football program to assure” NCAA compliance.
• Rodriguez “failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance within the football program and failed to adequately monitor the duties and activities” of his quality-control staff.
The school admitted to all but the final charge.
Among the Michigan contingent spotted entering the room were Brandon, Coleman, Rodriguez, faculty representative Percy Bates, Michigan strength and conditioning coach Mike Barwis, aide Scott Draper and Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany.
Also in attendance was Alex Herron, the former graduate assistant accused of lying to NCAA investigators.
The NCAA Committee on Infractions meeting room, in the Grand I ballroom on the fourth floor of the Westin, was adjacent to a meeting about diabetes. The breakfast room on the third floor, in the Whidbey room, was next to an oncology conference.
Inside the room, four sides were set up, each with white tablecloths, black microphones and small placards with each person’s name written in large, black lettering.
At least 12 boxes, including some marked ‘UM exhibits’ and one with a Lowe’s logo, were brought into the room.
Members of the NCAA Committee on Infractions will not speak after the meeting. It is up to Michigan whether or not representatives from the school will speak.
Michael Rothstein covers University of Michigan basketball for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at (734) 623-2558, by e-mail at michaelrothstein@annarbor.com or follow along on Twitter @mikerothstein
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