The Big Ten Conference has suspended Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh from being on the sideline for games through the conclusion of the regular season, despite the conference having no evidence that indicated that Harbaugh had knowledge of the conduct from a staff member. Prominent Michigan alumni in the media — namely ESPN’s Desmond Howard and FOX Sports’ Charles Woodson — have defended the program’s actions, which Chris Russo decried.
Mad Dog Russo addressed the issue this week on his SiriusXM program, Mad Dog Unleashed, and also brought up the story during his weekly “What Are You Mad About?” segment on ESPN’s First Take. Within his remarks, he expressed a problem with how those within the University of Michigan football team have responded to the situation, including former alumni who played on the team.
“I cannot believe that Michigan is acting like they somehow got a raw deal, and by the way, no more Michigan announcers on television shows defending Michigan’s program,” Russo said. “You’ve got no credibility – guys earn Heisman trophies; ‘Oh boy, how could they do that?’ Nonsense – they cheated! Take your punishment, take the two extra games, and move on!”
After Russo completed his statement, ESPN NFL analyst Marcus Spears said that College GameDay analyst Desmond Howard would be calling into the show within five minutes. Howard, who won a Heisman Trophy with the Michigan Wolverines as a wide receiver in his senior year, was never directly mentioned by Russo; rather, Spears assumed that he was referring to him as he conveyed his disdain towards the entire situation.
When Russo spoke about Charles Woodson, who appears on Big Noon Kickoff each Saturday prior to the marquee matchup broadcast by FOX Sports, reporter Kimberley A. Martin stated that he was starting network wars. Within his dialogue about the incident, the former NFL defensive back described the situation using an expletive. In addition to his role before the weekly college football matchup, Woodson is also a member of the cast for FOX NFL Kickoff on Sunday mornings and provides his analysis and expertise on the games of the day around the NFL.
“He’s got no credibility for crying out loud,” Russo said of Charles Woodson. “He’s a Michigan Hall of Famer [and] a Heisman Trophy winner. What is he going to say? ‘Yeah, you know, right. Michigan did cheat; let’s suspend them.’ He ain’t going to say that!”
