Michael Taylor is fed up. The former Wolverines QB, who played under Bo Schembechler in the late '80's, went on the "Ryan and Rico" show on WMGC-FM (105.1) in Detroit and absolutely unloaded on the state of the Michigan football program.
The first target? Michigan's embarrassing ticket promotion with Coke:
"Sad. It's very, very embarrassing. I would never have thought, in my lifetime, that you couldn't give away Michigan tickets because folks wouldn't buy them. That is due to the leadership going on in the athletic department. ... As a former player, we're not treated any better. They try to come in and treat us like glorified fans years ago and now can't get guys to come back. Now there's so many gimmicks that you see and now they want us to come because they're having trouble filling up the stadium. That's a sad state of affairs, in my opinion."
Taylor then sounded off on the way the program treats former players, saying they're treated like "glorified fans":
"That's been the calling card for quite awhile now. It's sad. To give a person one ticket when you've got empty seats in the stadium. Most of us have families, and I don't think that's doing our legacy any justice. Two, they call themselves having a weekend of champions where they try to lump us in with these other sports. Now I have nothing personal against any other sport or anyone who played any other sport at Michigan. But I played on one of only six teams that won the Rose Bowl in 135 years at Michigan in football. So you cannot honor us on our field for all the blood, sweat and tears we have done. The most appalling part of that last year was we had to buy a ticket to come back and get honored. Michigan football is not going in the right direction. The leadership is bad, there are many more issues on and off the field than I care to talk about. It's just sad."
Taylor says conversations aren't very positive when he talks to former teammates:
"[we talk about] How mediocre we are. That's pretty much it. I'm not one for all the talk. Actions speak louder than words. What we've become is a propaganda football team, telling people how great we are when we're mediocre. When, in your last 12 games, you've only got victories over Northwestern, Appy State, Indiana and Miami of Ohio, that is not good. That is not good. We're mediocre right now. Will it stay that way? I don't know. I don't work there. I don't have the say-so. But I do know this: I know a few hundred players who are not happy with what is going on and definitely think changes need to be made."
Taylor wasn't impressed by the coaching search that eventually led to Brady Hoke:
"Brady's a nice guy, I'm sure all you guys agree. I'll agree to that. Really nice guy, very personable guy. However, his pedigree did not deserve to be a $4-million coach here at Michigan."
Hoke's job prospects after the season aren't very good, in Taylor's estimation:
"I'll put it this way. Didn't Dave Brandon come out and say he'd judge Rich Rodriguez on red-letter football games? ... If you judge Brady Hoke on red-letter football games, where do we stand? That's all I'm saying, is that the treatment given to Rich Rodriguez should be given to Brady Hoke. He preached toughness, he preached the downhill running game, the Michigan defense. The proof is in the pudding. And 12 games, 4-8, mediocre completion, it is what it is. I'm not here to say whether the man is going to be fired; I don't make that call. All I do know is Dave Brandon should not be let to make another decision at Michigan. Period."
Taylor commiserates with quarterbacks stuck in this situation:
"The quarterback is not the problem. They can change if they want to. The ship will sink, trust me. … I think I know something about playing quarterback. I know what I see and I know one thing: they can make a switch if they want to and put this all on Devin (Gardner)'s shoulders, these two losses are his fault. But the ship will sink even further. … I hope he can change things around, because I'm tired of being a laughingstock going around with that Michigan jersey on. Even as bad as I've been treated and others have been treated, they still support Michigan because of the bond we had on that football field."
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