Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany dialed up Colin Cowherd’s radio show on ESPN this morning to talk about expansion, the Big Ten Network, conference revenues and a bit on Notre Dame.  He knocked the recent reports about Texas and Pittsburgh joining the conference, and said the strategy would be carved out over the next few months. Not sure if it was off the table, but sadly Cowherd didn’t ask him about the NCAA allegations.  Audio: [display_podcast] .

So as I mentioned earlier the crux of the trouble with the NCAA comes down to how they decide to treat the ‘quality control’ personnel who allegedly oversaw certain drills during the offseason.  This is mentioned in the first paragraph on the Notice of Allegations (NOA) and lists these folks as: Adam Braithwaite, Dan Hott, Josh Ison, Bob McClain, Eric Smith and Bryan Wright. In that same paragraph, the NOA refers to these guys as “quality control staff members (noncoaching sport-specific staff members who were not counted as countable coaches)..”  But later the report refers to Herron as a “graduate assistant football coach”. Beyond the oversight concerns, it goes further to alleged that Alex Herron essentially lied to the NCAA investigators.  From page 7 of the NOA: It is alleged that Alex Herron, graduate assistant football coach, failed to deport himself in accordance with the generally recognized high standards of honesty and sportsmanship normally associated with the conduct and administration of intercollegiate athletics for providing false and misleading information… It goes on to state that Herron denied his presence at certain summer workouts/7-on-7 drills but the NCAA states “in fact” he was indeed “sometimes” present at these activities. The NCAA also asked for for U-M to provide a bunch of materials and responses to the allegations starting with sections of…

President Mary Sue Coleman looking on while Rodriguez answers a question.  I know it looks like she’s giving him the ol’ stink eye but I don’t think that was the intent.  I don’t think. (MVictors photo) Audio from today’s press conference discuss the Notice of Allegations delivered yesterday morning to the University.   Includes statements from Mary Sue Coleman, incoming AD Dave Brandon, RichRod and the Q&A session that followed.   More stuff later, here’s the audio* : [display_podcast] Initial reaction is that some of the stuff is silly (Over on some Sundays by less than an hour, over in one instance by 20 minutes), but there’s some concern on the NCAA validating the Freep finding that Quality Control staff monitored some activities.   The NCAA findings used the word “coached” although found it was related to “skill-development” and “activities to improve technique and develop fundamental football-related skills.”  That’s a concern, and it was the first item found mentioned in the report. A couple more photos for you, first MSC leading off: And then here’s Dave Brandon, who basically ran the entire show (despite not technically being employed yet by U-M).   He handled the thing like the absolute media pro that he is.  Heck, the dude could have slipped in a pitch for the luxury suites and I don’t think…

There’s certainly many ties to U-M at the Olympics once again this year.  Jack Johnson is on the ice, cameras are constantly cutting to Michael Phelps in the stands, and the male portion of the U-M student ice dancing teams even were shown flashing an ‘All In’ towel in a photo shown on NBC last night.  While I’m not sure if Fielding Yost ever made it to an Olympic winter games, I had to repost this photo of the West Virginian working on his curling skills in 1940: Michigan’s Grand Old Man looks a bit like he misses the gridiron. As an aside, I’ve noticed a few folks on the Twitter note they are getting sucked into the curling.  I was on a plane this weekend with a choice of many shows/movies/tv channels and went with the USA vs. Great Britain curling match.  I couldn’t look away.  I also dig watching the short track and I give mucho props to Ohno, but I have one concern: What’s really the difference between the 1000 and 1500 meter short track events?  To me, they just cut to the chase a tad quicker in the 1000 meter, right?   Are they really separate disciplines worthy of separate medals?

Wallpaper via jackjohnson3.com – JJ official site Heard locally on WDFN 1130AM in Detroit, Jim Rome had a solid visitor today.  In the wake of the epic win for USA hockey over Canada, former U-M defenseman Jack Johnson rapped with Rome this afternoon for a few words on the win and much more.   He did a nice job.  No Michigan mentions but he did note that he knew a lot of the USA players from the Ann Arbor development program.  Audio (I missed the first 30 seconds or so): [display_podcast] .

Via AnnArbor.com, Rich Rodriguez:

Folks, don’t forget about the 1st Annual Victors Rally to be held Sunday at the Michigan Theater.  Word on the street is that they are efforting Lloyd Carr which would be cool.  Need details?  Details: When: Sunday, February 21, 2010, 1:00 – 3:30 p.m. Where: Michigan Theater 603 East Liberty St. Ann Arbor, MI What: Football Film Highlights, Throughout the Years Guest Speakers Autographs & Pictures with Players Pep Band Souvenirs Maybe a Surprise (or two)? Who: Master of Ceremonies: Rick Leach Other Speakers to include Coach Rich Rodriguez, Former Players, Former & Current Coaches … and Interested Parties …and Greg from MVictors [ok, I added that] Why: A chance to show appreciation for the Wolverines, AND the fans. Why II: Like our great country, the greatest college football program is going through some uncharacteristically tough times. Both will come back … and come back strong as ever! Why III: It is about what truly matters. It is about the kids who love to play the game, work hard and try their best to win … for themselves, and for all of the fans. It is not about politics! How to Attend: Tickets for the event are available through www.ticketweb.com or at the door. Very affordable ticket pricing has been set so that all can enjoy a nice maize &…

Photos of Fielding H. Yost through the years, from 1901 to 1940.