"Life's not fair," Michigan football senior Jimmy Rolder said. "Things happen and you have to figure out how to move on from that."
Three Michigan football seniors – defensive back Zeke Berry, tight end Marlin Klein and linebacker Jimmy Rolder –became the first players to talk with media since their former coach, Sherrone Moore, was fired and jailed on Dec. 10.
Their appearance – on Friday, Dec. 19, at Schembechler Hall – followed one by interim coach Biff Poggi on Monday in Orlando, Florida, in which he said the players feel "betrayed" by the actions of Moore, calling the entire situation "unique and complicated."
Friday's trio of Wolverines reiterated that.
"I guess you could say that, yeah," Berry said. "Just felt let down by the decisions that were made."
U-M fired Moore for having an "inappropriate relationship" with a staffer. After the firing, Moore then allegedly broke into the staffer's home and threatened to harm himself. He was later arrested and charged, last week, with third-degree felony home invasion, misdemeanor stalking and misdemeanor breaking and entering.
Berry, Klein and Rolder all said they had not reached out to Moore since the events of last week.
Despite Moore's actions, Klein has tried to remind himself, the coach was the one who gave him his chance in Ann Arbor, in his role as U-M's top recruiter before his promotion to head coach.
"I mean it's been a difficult time as everybody knows," Klein said. "Coach Moore was the person who gave me a chance to change my life forever ... offering me in 10th grade, then ending up being head coach here.
"A lot of guys got recruited by him who are on this team right now. It's a hard time seeing a guy like that when stuff like that happens. You feel for him, you pray for him and his family ... but I'm not focused on the stuff going on with coach Moore outside this building, I'm just focused on helping my brothers out and making sure they're all good."
Poggi has brought a change in the dynamic among the Wolverines in preparing for the Citrus Bowl matchup against Texas in Orlando on Dec. 31 (3 p.m., ABC). Not just in practice, where there has been more "good on good" – shorthand for matchups between starters – but in his time meeting with players one-on-one and taking phone and video calls with their families.
Klein argued for Poggi to get the full-time job, while Berry said that, of all the messages he has received during what has been a trying nine days, there's one from the interim that sticks out the most.
"Something he said was, 'Don't let someone else's decision affect your emotions,'" Berry said. "That's something that stuck with me and I've been trying to think about every day to keep pressing on."
Athletic director Warde Manuel has also stopped by the facility, Rolder said, and met with several team leaders to keep them in the loop. Rolder said he has been "super transparent about what he's thinking," though he hasn't made a public statement or met with media since the statement announcing Moore's firing last week.
For these players, all of whom have been in the program for four or five years, the spotlight of scandal is nothing new.
Recruiting violations, a refusal to cooperate with NCAA investigations and the Connor Stalions sign-stealing scandal are among the things that landed Michigan on NCAA probation through 2031, resulted in finals of approximately $30 million and earned several coaches (including Moore and former head coach Jim Harbaugh) "show-cause" edicts that would require NCAA approval before they could coach again at the college level.
When asked, Berry said he wouldn't be opposed to a "wholesale change" in the program.
"Yeah," he said. "Something does needs to change."
Klein has been around for all of it, but is choosing to remain optimistic. He mentioned the importance and prestige of the "Block M," saying that no individual or individuals are greater than what he believes it stands for.
"I believe everything happens for a reason," he said. "I don't think two, three, four, five people can take down what the 'Block M' means. It's been tough for a certain amount of time during these four years, but in the long run, people are going to look at the good things and not just the bad things."
Rolder called the news about Moore a "shocking experience," then quickly said the whole program must move on from it.
"When it happened, nobody really knew how to react or what to do," he said. "It's out of our control. Life's not fair, things happen and you have to figure out how to move on from that, get over those hurdles and that's exactly what this is – just another obstacle."
Tony Garcia is the Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan football players talk program turmoil after Sherrone Moore
Category: General Sports
