RE: Jim Harbaugh on James Hudson
Article from Enquirer:
Jim Harbaugh alleges Luke Fickell 'tried to coach' him into helping James Hudson's waiver
Fletcher Page, Cincinnati Enquirer Published 10:36 p.m. ET Aug. 13, 2019 | Updated 11:47 p.m. ET Aug. 13, 2019
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh offered his side of the James Hudson transfer story on Tuesday in response to Cincinnati coach Luke Fickell's stance that Michigan wasn't helpful during Hudson's eligibility waiver process.
“Michigan did not block the waiver," Harbaugh told reporters. "We wish James Hudson well. But that is not in the coach’s hands. That is not in the university’s hands. It’s not in his hands. The way the process works right now, those waivers are decided by the NCAA.”
Three UC transfers – wide receiver Blue Smith (previously at Ohio State), linebacker Darrian Beavers (UConn) and safety Kyriq McDonald (Alabama) – received the waiver earlier this month and can play this season. At least one of those cases (Smith's), Fickell confirmed, cited mental health. Hudson's did, too.
“The University of Cincinnati filed a waiver for me to be immediately eligible," said Hudson, a 6-foot-5, 300-pound former four-star recruit from Toledo Central Catholic, in the spring via Twitter. "The NCAA has denied my waiver specifically because I never spoke up about my mental struggles to the administration at the University of Michigan.
“Like many football players I was afraid to speak up about my depression not wanting to look weak. Now the NCAA is telling me that my courage to step forward and speak about my issues was done too late and subjectively my 'Circumstances do not warrant relief.'"
The NCAA denied a waiver for Hudson to play this season in May. Hudson practiced with the Bearcats in December leading up to the Military Bowl. He played three games for Michigan in 2018.
Fickell told The Athletic this week that "all the power is in the hands of the school a player is leaving," just days after crediting Ohio State for the way it handled Smith's transfer and waiver process.
“I read Luke Fickell’s comments. Unless I’m reading them wrong or mistaken, I believe he’s under the impression that these waivers are decided, coach to coach, in some kind of deal fashion," Harbaugh said. "That is not the understanding that I’m under. I’m under the understanding that the NCAA decides these waivers. Unless (Fickell) has something that he can bring forth and share and enlighten us and the entire football world, I would really like to know what that is because he called me in March and he wanted to know about the position switch that James was switched from defensive line to offensive line.
"I said, 'Yeah, after two weeks of practice of watching James at defensive line, I personally, not other coaches, went up to him and said, 'James I think you’ve got the body type to be a really good offensive tackle.' We don’t mandate what positions players play at the University of Michigan.
"You can compete at whatever position that you want, if you want to try it out. He did. It turned out he was really good. He was really good at that offensive line position. That’s what I told Coach Fickell. Exactly the way it happened when I talked to James on the field that day."
Harbaugh alleged Fickell, "tried to coach" him into helping Hudson's waiver get approved during a phone call in March.
“As I said, he tried to coach me into saying it differently, not saying it that way, and I told him, I’m not going to lie," Harbaugh said. "That I can tell you. I’m going to tell the truth. Didn’t like the version that I was given.
"I read the article, he asked a question in the article. 'What’s most important? Your personal beliefs, or what’s in the best interests of the kid?' I can answer that. What’s most important is the truth. And if his questioning what my personal beliefs are, then that’s what I believe. I believe in being forthright, honest, telling the truth.
"I’m astounded that he’s gotten to where he's at by not knowing the answer to that question. He keeps trying to make it about that it’s Michigan that blocked the transfer waiver or Michigan has somehow decided not to grant this waiver. And that’s, again, not how this process works in my understanding. As it related to the waiver, I didn’t write the waiver, our compliance asked me one question. They asked me the question of how did the process happen with James switching from defensive line to offensive line. The same thing I told you just now, I told James on the field that day, and I told Coach Fickell. That’s the only part that I’ve been asked to talk about by our compliance department."
Harbaugh has said in the past he believes transfers should be allowed to leave a school with instant eligibility once, no matter the circumstances. He repeated that on Tuesday. But he expressed doubt last month when asked during a radio interview with ESPNU whether college athletes should be allowed to gain immediate eligibility under the current rules in place due to mental-health or depression-related conditions.
"And the other piece that bothers me about it is the youngster that says, 'This is a mental health issue. I'm suffering from depression,'" Harbaugh said. "Or that's a reason to get eligible. And once that's known: 'Hey, say this or say that' to get eligible. The problem I see in that is you're going to have guys that are, 'Okay, yeah, I'm depressed.'
"Say what they've got to say. But down the road, I don't see that helping them if it's not a legitimate thing. But nobody would know. But what are you going to say? Ten years down the road – 'I just had to say what I had to say?' And I think you're putting them in a position that's unfair, not right. And, as you said, you're saying it just to say it. And that's not truthful. That's not necessarily truthful. It's not something we should be promoting at the college level. Telling the truth matters. Especially at a college. You can't have experiments that aren't truthful. You can't lie about equations – shouldn't be lying in football. That's a message that we should be teaching."
Hudson's final appeal to play this season was denied last month. Fickell said he's met with Hudson individually on multiple occasions to help keep Hudson's mindset in a positive frame.
"We are extremely disappointed in the NCAA’s decision and remain steadfast in our unequivocal support of James Hudson," said UC director of athletics Mike Bohn in a statement. "The mental health of all (student-athletes) should be paramount in our decision-making."
Fickell, entering his third year with the Bearcats, said the NCAA's waiver process isn't good for the players, the football programs or the NCAA.
"It's really difficult, and it puts a lot of people in some really tough situations," he said. "Ultimately (the player) is the one that takes, not the blame, but all the pressure and all the stress. Once (the NCAA) makes a decision they walk away. It's an 18- to 21-year-old kid that has to live and deal with all the things that they decide and then they walk away. So I think it's a really difficult situation, but it can be done the right way and when you work together and do what's best for the kid as you see with Blue's situation, things work out."
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Jim Harbaugh on James Hudson
