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Wednesday, January 10, 2024
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VICTORS VALIANT. CONQU’RING HEROES. CHAMPIONS OF THE WEST. VICTORS VALIANT. CONQU’RING HEROES. CHAMPIONS OF THE WEST. VICTORS VALIANT. CONQU’RING HEROES. CHAMPIONS OF THE WEST. VICTORS VALIANT. CONQU’RING HEROES. CHAMPIONS OF THE WEST. VICTORS VALIANT. CONQU’RING HEROES. CHAMPIONS OF THE WEST. VICTORS VALIANT. CONQU’RING HEROES. CHAMPIONS OF THE WEST. VICTORS VALIANT. CONQU’RING HEROES. CHAMPIONS OF THE WEST. VICTORS VALIANT. CONQU’RING HEROES. CHAMPIONS OF THE WEST. VICTORS VALIANT. CONQU’RING HEROES. CHAMPIONS OF THE WEST. VICTORS VALIANT. CONQU’RING HEROES. CHAMPIONS OF THE WEST. VICTORS VALIANT. CONQU’RING HEROES. CHAMPIONS OF THE WEST. VICTORS VALIANT. CONQU’RING HEROES. CHAMPIONS OF THE WEST. VICTORS VALIANT. CONQU’RING HEROES. CHAMPIONS OF THE WEST. VICTORS VALIANT. CONQU’RING HEROES. CHAMPIONS OF THE WEST. VICTORS VALIANT. CONQU’RING HEROES. CHAMPIONS OF THE WEST. VICTORS VALIANT. CONQU’RING HEROES. CHAMPIONS OF THE WEST. VICTORS VALIANT. CONQU’RING HEROES. CHAMPIONS OF THE WEST. VICTORS VALIANT. CONQU’RING HEROES. CHAMPIONS OF THE WEST. VICTORS VALIANT. CONQU’RING HEROES. CHAMPIONS OF THE WEST. VICTORS VALIANT. CONQU’RING HEROES. CHAMPIONS OF THE WEST. VICTORS VALIANT. CONQU’RING HEROES. CHAMPIONS OF THE WEST. VICTORS VALIANT. CONQU’RING HEROES. CHAMPIONS OF THE WEST. VICTORS VALIANT. CONQU’RING HEROES. CHAMPIONS OF THE WEST. VICTORS VALIANT. CONQU’RING HEROES. CHAMPIONS OF THE WEST. VICTORS VALIANT. CONQU’RING HEROES. CHAMPIONS OF THE WEST. VICTORS VALIANT. CONQU’RING HEROES. CHAMPIONS OF THE WEST. VICTORS VALIANT. CONQU’RING HEROES. CHAMPIONS OF THE WEST. VICTORS VALIANT. CONQU’RING HEROES. CHAMPIONS OF THE WEST. VICTORS VALIANT. CONQU’RING HEROES. CHAMPIONS OF THE WEST. VICTORS VALIANT.
MICHIGAN WINS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP, SUMMITING WASHINGTON IN HOUSTON JOHN TONDORA Daily Sports Editor
H
OUSTON — It had almost started to fade. Victors Valiant. Conqu’ring Heroes. Champions of the West. Words that had once invoked so much, slowly dulling to a blunt edge. They certainly hadn’t lost all their shine, but the punch those lauded lyrics packed was perhaps no longer the same. The antiquated Michigan football program had stumbled its way into the new millennium. No Big Ten Championships since 2004, a 3-17 record against Ohio State in the 21st century, a 6-12 bowl game record and a 2-4 finish in a rock bottom 2020 season. But by 2023, everything had changed. Asked by some to step down, Jim Harbaugh doubled down. Jeered for being antiquated and old, the Wolverines went full bore — full Big Ten. Starting in 2020, they built from the lines out, establishing a dominant ground-
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and-pound style that harkened back to football of old. Even as Michigan fell in two difficult CFP semifinal losses, something had changed within the storied walls of Schembechler Hall. If they were going to go all the way, it was only going to happen one way. Running into Houston, the firstranked Wolverines didn’t skip a beat. Thrashing No. 2 Washington’s (14-1 overall) run defense, Michigan (15-0) summited the Huskies 34-13 on the back of none other than a good, old-fashioned 300 yard, four touchdown rushing attack en route to winning a 12th national championship in grand fashion. “Dominance — (offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore) say every day we gon’ smash some,” sophomore quarterback Alex Orji said. “And I think he showed exactly who he is today. We got the best back duo in the nation, we got the best O-line in the nation. I promise that.” For a moment, it looked like the Wolverines would run away with it.
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On their first two offensive drives they found the endzone with ease, courtesy of two 40-yard home runs by junior running back Donovan Edwards. Scoring 17 points on its first three offensive drives, Michigan throttled the gas pedal as the Huskies spiraled. But three stalled offensive
to think that you may not need to block as hard throughout the rest of the game,” graduate center Drake Nugent said. “… But in reality it’s kind of the opposite because the defense is gonna get more stout.” Those same frustrations carried into the second half as the Wolverines struggled to
On a January evening in 2024, they found vibrance. The Champions of the West have become the champions of the rest. drives later, the Wolverines went into the halftime break up just 17-10. A once red-hot rushing attack sputtered, and Michigan allowed Washington to hang tough. The yard differential was large, but the margin for error small. “Sometimes, when you break the runs like that early, you tend
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get anything going offensively. Michigan secured just three points on its first four offensive drives of the second half — with the single field goal coming off an interception by quarterback Michael Penix Jr. that set up the Wolverines with plus field position.
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That slow churning was all in a classic fashion though. The antiquated, hard-nosed, traditionalist style of football may have died years ago amid the airraid offenses of bustling cities out West, or conferences down South. But three years ago, Michigan had decided to double down. Jim Harbaugh had decided to double down. And the Wolverines wouldn’t stop now. “We started fast. They slowed us up a little bit,” senior running back Blake Corum said. “But when we needed to start fast again, we started fast.” Up 20-13 with just over nine minutes left in the fourth quarter, Michigan’s offense found its footing. As a ground and pound playstyle gave birth to an electric play action completion to sophomore tight end Colston Loveland, the Wolverines strung together an offensive drive that punctuated in a fashion befitting only of the latter Jim Harbaugh era. Making a cut in the backfield before surging up the middle,
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senior running back Blake Corum sprinted into the endzone for six points, giving the Wolverines an insurmountable 26-13 lead. And then he did it again. Just eight plays later, after graduate defensive back Mike Sainristil returned an interception to within the Washington 10, Corum needed two carries to gain eight yards, and drive the final stake into the heart of the Huskies. “Now we’re in the history books forever,” Nugent said. “We’re legends.” Victors Valiant. Conqu’ring Heroes. Champions of the West. By 2020, they had faded, crushed under the duress of losing seasons and long-remembered anguish. By 2022, they had found color, attaining glimpses of the exceptionalism that had defined Michigan seasons of years past. But on a January evening in 2024, they found vibrance. The Champions of the West have become the champions of the rest.
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News
2 — Wednesday, January 10, 2024
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
NEWS BRIEFS
State supreme court decides to keep Trump on the primary ballot Trump will appear on Michigan’s primary ballot; other states consider similar appeals
ABIGAIL VANDERMOLEN Daily News Editor
The Michigan Supreme Court ruled Wednesday morning former President Donald Trump could appear on the Republican primary ballot in the state’s 2024 presidential primary. The decision follows a Dec. 19 ruling from the Colorado Supreme Court, which stated Trump was ineligible to appear on presidential ballots in Colorado due to his role in the Jan. 6 insurrection. On Dec. 14, the Michigan Court of Appeals supported a lower court’s decision in LaBrant v. Benson, which kept Trump on primary ballots in the state. This decision was later appealed by the plaintiffs, a diverse group of Michigan voters who filed the initial complaint with the support of non-partisan nonprofit Free Speech for People and law firm Goodman Acker P.C. The state Supreme Court decided not to hear the appeal to the Court of Appeals’ decision on procedural grounds, allowing the lower court’s ruling to stand. The Michigan Court of Claims, where the original claim was filed, argued Michigan state law does not give election officials the authority to decide the eligibility of presidential candidates. It also argued when Trump originally filed to be on
the ballot in the presidential primary in November 2023, he had not violated the state’s election laws. Free Speech For People argued that Trump is ineligible to run for president in 2024 under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. Section 3 bars people who have held national or state office and participated in an insurrection against the U.S. government from holding political office again. The clause was created to prevent former Confederate soldiers from holding office after the Civil War and had not previously been used against a presidential candidate. In the court order, dissenting Associate Justice Elizabeth Welch wrote that the issue of the case rested on whether the secretary of state had the authority to remove candidates from the primary ballot, not whether it is constitutional for Trump to run for the presidency. “The only legal issue properly before the Court is whether the Court of Claims and the Court of Appeals erred by holding that the Michigan Secretary of State lacks legal authority to remove or withhold former President Donald J. Trump’s name from Michigan’s 2024 presidential primary ballot,” Welch wrote. Welch also wrote that the decision differs from the Colorado ruling due to
differences in state law, as Michigan does not require those seeking the presidency to show they meet the qualifications for office. “The appellants have identified no analogous provision in the Michigan Election Law that requires someone seeking the office of President of the United States to attest to their legal qualification to hold the office,” Welch wrote. Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson wrote in a statement Wednesday her authority on this matter is limited to ensuring all legitimate candidates appear on the state’s primary ballot. Benson added that the final decision on whether Trump is a constitutionally legitimate presidential candidate is one that must be made by the U.S. Supreme Court. “Ultimately, as our Constitution establishes, the U.S. Supreme Court must provide the clarity and finality to this matter,” Benson wrote. “I continue to hope they do this sooner rather than later to ensure that we can move forward into 2024’s election season focused on ensuring all voters are fully informed and universally engaged in deciding the issues at stake.” Trump said in a statement on Truth Social, a social media platform owned by Trump
ADMINISTRATION
ACLU writes letter to UMich about supression of student activism
The ACLU of Michigan expresses their concern about University administration’s treatment of student activists on campus
ALUM DOMINICK SOKOTOFF/Daily
Media & Technology Group, he supports the Court’s decision. He also wrote in a post that other states have allowed him to remain on the ballot. Litigation on the issue is currently pending in 13 states and pending appeal in Arizona. “The Michigan Supreme Court has strongly and rightfully denied the Desperate Democrat attempt to take the leading Candidate in the 2024 Presidential Election, me, off the ballot in the Great State of Michigan,” Trump wrote. “This pathetic gambit to rig the
Four Ann Arbor Sweetwater locations vote to unionize
Workers at the Michigan Union, West Washington Street, Westgate Library and Meijer Ann ArborSaline Road locations will be unionizing Daily News Editor
EMILY ALBERTS/Daily
SNEHA DHANDAPANI Daily News Editor
The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan sent a letter to the University of Michigan on Tuesday expressing concern over recent actions taken by the University in response to student activism around the IsraelHamas war. The letter, addressed to University President Santa Ono and Timothy Lynch, the University’s vice president and general counsel, stated that the ACLU believes the University has been suppressing student expression on the conflicts, and offered nine recommendations for how the University can foster open dialogue on the issue. In the letter, the ACLU wrote they believe the University has engaged in a pattern of suppressing student speech, particularly relating to the ongoing violence in Palestine and Israel. “(Universities are) where students develop lifelong critical thinking skills, where they test their ideas, and where they learn from each other—even when it is challenging, uncomfortable, or confrontational to do so,” the letter reads. “We are therefore troubled by what we perceive to be an escalating pattern of suppression in the University’s response to student speech, dissent, and protest that is currently widespread on campus.” The letter cites multiple instances of this suppression including new restrictions on school listservs, canceling voting on two Central Student
on Dec. 5, Ono said the University will not allow any future voting on the canceled resolutions to prevent further division on campus. The ACLU also attached a Freedom of Information Act request submitted to the University to the letter, which asked for all written communications about the canceled CSG resolutions and from the Department of Public Safety and Security regarding the Nov. 17 protest and the Dec 5. Regents meeting. The public records request also asked for communications discussing U-M policy applicable to posting flyers on the Biological Sciences Building and East Hall, specifically communications to or from LSA Dean Anne Curzan. In the letter, the ACLU said U-M students reported that the University sought to remove multiple posters containing proPalestine messages, pro-labor messages and photos of Che Guevara, a leader in the Cuban Revolution. “Graduate students at the Biological Sciences Building inform us that in late November, the University directed custodial staff to remove signs that students had posted in their office windows,” the letter read. “The signs included pro-labor messages and images of Che Guevara as well as statements such as ‘Stop the Genocide, Free Palestine’ and ‘Killing People Is Bad.’ Students have hung signs in these windows since well before the events of October 7 without the University seeking to remove them.” Read more at michigandaily.com
process, their candidates for the general election, they must comply with all constitutional requirements in that process,” Fein wrote. “However, the Michigan Supreme Court did not rule out that the question of Donald Trump’s disqualification for engaging in insurrection against the U.S. Constitution may be resolved at a later stage.” Michigan’s primary elections will be held on Feb. 27. Voters in the state will be able to vote in either the Democratic or Republican primary, regardless of their official party affiliation.
BUSINESS
REBECCA LEWIS
Government resolutions and arresting peaceful protestors. According to the ACLU, in late October, Medical School students reported the Medical School placed moderation policies on the official school listserv after students sent two pro-Palestine statements to all students on the email list. In November, Law School students reported the Law School shut down its school-wide listserv for the remainder of the academic year. On Nov. 17, 40 U-M students were arrested at a pro-Palestine protest at the Alexander G. Ruthven Building, and multiple students reported physical harm. The 40 students were prohibited from entering the Ruthven Building for one year. According to the ACLU, some of these students requested to attend the Dec. 5 Board of Regents meeting inside Ruthven and said the guidelines on whether they were allowed to attend were unclear. The request was denied by the U-M Department of Public Safety and Security, which ACLU defined as a violation of the Open Meetings Act because Board of Regents meetings are open to the public. The administration also canceled voting for two resolutions on Central Student Government’s midterm ballot – AR 13-025 and AR 13-026 – after an email was sent to all undergraduate students asking them to support AR 13-025 and oppose AR 13-026. The email was authorized by an employee in the Office of Registrar, a requirement for all messages sent through the University’s targeted email service. In a press release
Election has failed all across the Country, including in States that have historically leaned heavily toward the Democrats.” Ron Fein, Free Speech For People’s legal director, said in a statement he was disappointed in the ruling. He noted that it only addressed state election procedures as opposed to any Constitutional questions. “The ruling conf licts with longstanding US Supreme Court precedent that makes clear that when political parties use the election machinery of the state to select, via the primary
Workers at four Ann Arbor Sweetwaters Coffee & Tea locations announced that they filed to unionize with the National Labor Relations Board in an Instagram post Thursday evening. The workers at the Michigan Union, West Washington Street, Westgate Library and Meijer Ann Arbor-Saline Road locations will be organizing together as a single bargaining unit, with the goals of increasing pay, improving benefits and creating a clearer process for firing employees. The locations will be represented by Teamsters Local 243, the local chapter of the international union International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Employees’ primary concern is that their current wages are not enough to support the high cost of living in Ann Arbor. According to Levi Pierpont, Westgate Library Sweetwaters barista, base pay for baristas, not including tips, is $12 an hour at the corporate locations and $13 an hour at the University of Michigan Union location. The wages at the Michigan Union location were raised $1 after employees bargained for a pay increase because they were not receiving tips proportional to those at other locations. In an email to The Michigan Daily, Sweetwaters co-founder Lisa Bee said with tips, the baristas make between $16.40 and $21.00 per hour. In an email to The Daily, Megan McKinnon, Michigan Union Sweetwaters senior team leader, wrote that she has never made more than $18.70 per hour, after tips and before taxes. McKinnon wrote that her base pay is $15 per hour, so her co-workers who have a lower base pay make less. Lisa and Wei Bee are the co-founders of Sweetwaters and own the four Ann Arbor locations that are unionizing. Pierpont said he felt frustrated with the co-founders after hearing that Wei told a team member he does not believe student employees need to be paid high wages. “Wei said, ‘It’s so nice because, since there are so many students, we really don’t need to pay that much because they don’t really need a job. They don’t have to worry about rent … ’ ” Pierpont said. “(They were) essentially expressing an idea that student
workers are only working for some cash on the side and when I heard that, I was so frustrated. … All of us that are working are working because we have to. … We know that Sweetwaters can pay us more and they just simply refuse to.” An employee of Sweetwaters who requested anonymity for fear of retribution told The Daily that in addition to increased pay, team members would like clearer policies in regards to firing. The employee, who will be referred to as Alex, said there have been multiple cases of quiet firing, or the practice of giving an employee reduced hours until they no longer work. “Management would find a reason to dislike someone or want them to not be on the team anymore and instead of firing them or telling them outright … they would (quiet) fire that person,” Alex said. “They would reduce their hours either gradually or all at once and just not schedule them at all, instead of just outright saying ‘Hey, find a different job.’ ” The baristas are also unionizing for better benefits and more dependable scheduling, according to the Instagram post. Isabel Hoadley, Michigan Union Sweetwaters team leader, said the unionization efforts first began in the summer, when employees wrote a letter to the founders requesting substantial changes in pay and other company policies. “Over the summer we wrote this letter to the owners and we asked for more pay and more consistent scheduling and a fair discipline system,” Hoadley said. “(The owners) didn’t really care and they kept pushing off times to meet us and so it kind of fizzled out.” Aeil Maurizio, former Michigan Union Sweetwaters barista and co-chair of solidarity with the Ypsilanti chapter of Industrial Workers of the World, a union organization group, said there were multiple meetings scheduled over the summer after the team sent the letter, but they kept getting canceled. Eventually, employees felt the only way to make the changes they wanted was to form a union, according to Maurizio. “(The owners) didn’t seem to make (our meeting) a priority,” Maurizio said. “Then none of the demands that we issued were
met. They didn’t seem like they were trying to make any changes. It made it clear to a lot of us that they’re not going to listen to us unless we organize and form a union.” Sweetwaters baristas’ push to unionize follows other recent labor organizing actions in the Ann Arbor area, including the unionization of four Starbucks locations in June 2022 and the United Auto Workers contract agreements with Detroit’s Big Three automakers. After the unionization announcement, Bee sent a message obtained by The Daily to employees, saying she and the other co-founder felt hurt by the employees’ decision to unionize. “(The other founder) and I want to emphasize how shocking and hurtful this has been to both of us and to all the managers that have worked side by side with you,” Bee wrote. The letter also offered an explanation to what signing a union card means and detailed steps for employees to withdraw their union cards. Alex said they feel the letter was written to persuade employees not to join the union, but do not think it will make much of a difference. According to Alex, most workers have already expressed support for the union, and the letter only further indicated a lack of support from management. “(The letter) made me almost kind of double down,” Alex said. “It had the reverse effect of what they thought it would because I feel it’s so easy (to see), from the wordage and the rhetoric in the message … they’re trying to persuade their workers to vote in (the company’s) best interests.” In an email to The Daily, Bee expressed her surprise at the workers’ decision to unionize. Bee said she felt the business has done its best to support team members and that a union is not necessary. “We don’t know a lot about unions because we never thought we would be faced by this kind of situation,” Bee wrote. “I can’t describe my surprise when I was presented with a petition to unionize. It is something we are taking very seriously. … We have always strived to do our best for our diverse teams within our cafes and the community in which we live. Read more at michigandaily.com
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
Wednesday, January 10, 2024 — 3
GOVERNMENT
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin J. O’Brien talks Supreme Court ruling
O’Brien gives his thoughts on the Michigan Supreme Court’s decision to keep Trump on the primary ballot ABIGAIL VANDERMOLEN Daily News Editor
On Monday, the Michigan Supreme Court upheld a ruling from the Michigan Court of Appeals saying former President Donald Trump can appear on the Republican primary ballot in the state. Free Speech for People, who filed the case on behalf of a diverse group of Michigan voters, argued that Trump’s candidacy violates a clause of the 14th Amendment banning federal and state officers who participate in insurrection from running for federal or state office again. However, judges ruled that state law does not grant election officials the authority to remove candidates from the primary election ballot. The Michigan Daily sat down with former Assistant U.S Attorney Kevin J. O’Brien to discuss the reasons behind the ruling, potential U.S. Supreme Court involvement and what this could mean for the 2024 presidential election. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. The Michigan Daily: What are some misunderstandings about the ruling that the public might have? Kevin J. O’Brien: First of all, it only applies to the primary. It doesn’t say anything about their ability to keep Trump off the general election ballot. Secondly, it’s a procedural ruling. The state Supreme Court held that authorities lacked the authority to remove even an ineligible candidate once his name is forwarded by a registered political party, which the Republican Party is in Michigan. Any challenges to that have to be lodged later in the process and can’t be used to keep his name off the primary ballot. And that’s just a function of the law in Michigan. We have issues
now in California, Colorado, Maine and others. Those laws are all going to be different depending on what state laws say and what the state constitution does. The other thing that’s interesting: this case is under enormous time pressure. The deadline for printing absentee ballots in the Michigan primary is Jan. 18. The deadline for primary ballots to be sent overseas to servicemen and women is Jan. 13. Any challenges that expect to affect those kinds of dates are going to have to be taken up in a hurry. I expect the losers in this most recent case are going to want to appeal it to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Supreme Court is not going to have time to have a full dress analysis of what the 14th Amendment to the Constitution means under these circumstances. So this decision made by the court in Michigan, while it disappoints some people, is probably final as far as Michigan voters are concerned. I think the default position of the Supreme Court is going to be: “Put him on the ballot. We’ll sort this out later.” TMD: Could you talk about the difference between the case in Michigan versus the similar cases filed in Colorado and Maine, where Trump was removed from the 2024 primary ballot? KJO: As far as Colorado is concerned, the court there found that they did have the authority to remove someone who was technically in violation of the 14th Amendment’s insurrection clause. They made a determination that, based on all the evidence, Trump was an insurrectionist. There’s nothing in the 14th Amendment that says you have to go through a trial or have an act of legislation saying that. Courts can make
their own determination. Unlike Michigan, where the argument never got out of the gate because the court just flat out said we don’t have authority to do this, in Colorado, it was different. I assume the same thing in Maine. But you’re going to see this sort of scattershot pattern of results throughout the country because judges differ, and their views impact their rulings. Beyond that, the constitutional scheme in each state differs tremendously. TMD: So it comes down to what authority the secretary of state in that state has to put people on the ballot, versus if they have the authority to not put someone on the ballot because of the 14th Amendment? KJO: Right. I think that was part of the problem with Michigan. I don’t think that the secretary of state had that authority. It’s a function of state law, and state law differs from state to state. That’s called federalism, which we generally welcome, but in this situation it does create a sort of chaotic situation. In the U.S. Supreme Court, between now and the primaries and then the general election, which isn’t that far away, it’s going to be a challenge for them to come up with a solution that can bind every state and create a clear rule going forward. Because like I said, I don’t think they’re going to have time to get into the merits of this with this constitutional history, which goes back several hundred years. TMD: Should people expect the Michigan case to appear before the U.S. Supreme Court? Would it be more likely to be a case from another state or multiple cases appearing before the Supreme Court? KJO: If the Supreme Court tried to take them all it would be
unmanageable because they’re in different stages of development. Some have been decided, some are just pending. There may be other challenges any day or week. So what is the Supreme Court going to do? They might take a test case and decide, “Here are the procedures that we think should apply in this very interim situation, given that there are primaries coming up.” They may lay down some presumptions that have to be followed in all cases. And I would think that one of those presumptions probably is going to be to keep Trump on the ballot, despite the weighty challenges that exist, for the sake of avoiding chaos in our system and having uniformity. There may be time after the primaries to sort this out before the general election. TMD: If Trump is on the primary ballots, do you think there would be another challenge to putting him on the ballot in the general election? KJO: Even under Michigan law, which appears to be restrictive, that option is open. The court was very careful to say this applies only to primaries, not the general election, and they almost seem to be saying the general election is the better field of play for this question because primaries are creatures of the political party system. They’re not in the constitution. So the assumption is to let the parties have their way at the primary level. If they want Trump, even though he’s an insurrectionist, they can do that. In the general election, it’s different, and that may be the approach the Supreme Court takes to just buy itself a little time to weigh in intelligently on the general election.
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NEWS BRIEFS
Robbery at Chase Bank on Plymouth Rd under further investigation
AAPD is investigating suspect, said to be a white male in his 50s Daily News Editor
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NEWS BRIEFS
Whitmer signs final bill of the Reproductive Health Act into law The legislative package makes it through the Michigan legislature after its initial start in March 2023
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed the final piece of the Reproductive Health Act into law Monday morning with the goal of expanding abortion access in Michigan. The RHA has been making its way through the Michigan legislature since the package was introduced last March and passed by the Michigan House and Michigan Senate this fall. The RHA package was signed as a follow-up to the passage of Proposal 3 in November 2022, which amended the state’s constitution to protect the right to abortion, birth control and other aspects of reproductive health care.
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This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available. The Chase Bank at 3500 Plymouth Road was robbed Friday morning, according to a post on X from the Ann Arbor Police Department. AAPD has requested that the public avoid the area while it continues to investigate. According to an AAPD statement, a man gave a teller a note implying he had a weapon while demanding cash at about 9:15 a.m. The man f led the scene after the teller gave him an undisclosed amount of money. No weapon was spotted, and no one was injured. AAPD said the suspect is a white male in his 50s who was wearing a face covering, a black coat, a gray hat and dark gloves at the time of the robbery. He was last seen headed toward Green Road on foot.
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House Bill 4949 is the final installment of the RHA and will repeal Michigan’s ban on insurance coverage for abortion without the purchase of a separate rider, an additional add-on to health insurance policies that must be purchased in order to receive coverage for abortion care. The bill will also prohibit criminalization of abortion providers or patients. In addition to the bill signed today, the RHA will also repeal Michigan’s Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers laws, which placed licensing restrictions on facilities that provide abortion care, and Michigan’s 1931 abortion ban. It also ensures students at public universities in Michigan have access to accurate information about their reproductive health care options.
In a press release Monday morning, Whitmer said her signing the final piece of the RHA package into law marked a decade since she stood in the Michigan Senate to fight for reproductive rights. Ten years ago, Whitmer opposed the passage of legislation requiring women to pay for additional insurance in order to have abortion coverage and, for the first time, publicly shared her story of being raped in college. Whitmer said she was honored to be repealing that same law 10 years later. “Ten years ago today, I was in the Michigan Senate, fighting against an unconscionable antichoice bill that would have forced Michiganders to pay extra for insurance every month just in case they were raped or had an unwanted pregnancy,” Whitmer
wrote. “Exactly ten years later, I am proud to be repealing that same bill as governor.” In the press release, Paula Thornton Greear, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Michigan, praised Whitmer for continuing the fight for reproductive rights in Michigan. “(Whitmer) has been a leader in the fight for reproductive freedom in Michigan since her earliest days in the state legislature and now, thanks to her support and advocacy, patients across Michigan will have greater access to the essential health care they need and deserve,” Greear wrote. “This is an incredible step forward for Michigan and we look forward to working with the Governor and champions in the state legislature as we continue the fight for true reproductive freedom.”
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The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is publishing weekly on Wednesdays for the Winter 2024 semester by students at the University of Michigan. One copy is available free of charge to all readers. Additional copies may be picked up at the Daily’s office for $2. If you would like a current copy of the paper mailed to you, please visit store.pub.umich.edu/michigan-daily-buy-this-edition to place your order.
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THE YEAR
4 — Wednesday, January 10, 2024
A
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
ll of 2023, The Michigan Daily’s photographers and reporters recorded the resilience and spirit of the University and Ann Arbor communities, whether that be locally, across the state or even across the country. We shared the evolving narrative of perseverance and unity both on
JANUARY
FEBRUARY
JULIANNE YOON/Daily
KATE HUA/Daily The Ann Arbor community gathers on the Diag Feb. 16 for a vigil mourning the lives lost in the Feb. 13 shooting at Michigan State University.
January started the year off with the loss of campus go-to, Madras Masala, in the Maynard Street Fire. The beloved restaurant, voted Best Indian Food in the Daily’s 2022 Best of Ann Arbor, burned down along with Vape City. Social media was flooded with eulogies for their butter chicken and samosas.
In many ways, February was a month of collective reflection and mourning as the University of Michigan stood in solidarity with Michigan State University following a mass shooting on MSU’s campus in East Lansing. About 3,000 members of the campus community stood together in silence for a vigil on the Diag to show support for the Spartan community.
MAY
JUNE
A fire breaks out on Maynard Street, burning down Madras Masala and Vape City Jan. 20.
RILEY NIEBOER/Daily Senior outfielder Tito Flores slides into home during Michigan’s Big Ten Tournament victory over Indiana May 26.
The baseball team secured successive victories over Illinois and Indiana in the Big Ten Tournament, before falling to Iowa in the semifinal game of the tournament in Omaha, Neb.
LUCAS CHEN/Daily Jim Duree shows his support for former President Donald J. Trump standing outside Suburban Showcase Collection June 25.
Former President Donald Trump made his first trip to Michigan since announcing his 2024 presidential run in June. Trump visited Novi to speak at Oakland County’s Lincoln Day Dinner, a major event hosted annually by the county Republican party for their members and leaders in Southeast Michigan.
SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER
ANNA FUDER/Daily In his first game back after serving a three-game suspension, Jim Harbaugh high-fives Blake Corum after a touchdown versus Rutgers Sept. 23.
JEREMY WEINE/Daily Hundreds of U-M students, participating in a national walkout demanding divestment from Israel, gather in the Ruthven Building after marching from the Diag Oct. 26.
Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh was not on the field after the University decided to impose a threegame suspension on him amid an NCAA investigation into a series of alleged recruiting violations. Harbaugh returned to the Big House for the Wolverines’ game against Rutgers at the end of the month.
October was a divisive month for students and administration alike following the onset of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7. Student organizations supporting both Israel and Palestine held vigils on campus to mourn the thousands of innocent lives lost in the war. Student activism on both sides of the conflict continued on campus throughout the month. Toward the end of October, hundreds of students supporting Palestine walked out of their classes and occupied the Ruthven Building to demand the University cut all financial ties with Israel.
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IN PHOTOS
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Wednesday, January 10, 2024 — 5
campus and across the city, reflecting on the past year and all that was accomplished. As you look back at 2023, be sure to also check out our Photographers’ Favorites 2023 online, a project which highlights the incredible work of The Daily’s photographers and their growth throughout the year.
MARCH
APRIL
ANNA FUDER/Daily Supporters of GEO protest in front of Hill Auditorium, the location of Santa Ono’s inauguration, as the ceremonial procession enters the venue March 7.
Ono’s inauguration also served as the backdrop for a major GEO protest as union members stood directly in the path of the inauguration procession route. After failing to reach a tentative contract agreement by the previouslyagreed upon March 1 deadline, GEO and the University remained at odds at the bargaining table, leading GEO to file unfair labor practice charges against their employer. By the end of the month, the union went on strike, with graduate student employees walking out of their classrooms and rallying on the picket lines. The 2023 GEO strike went on to last five months and marked the second time the union has gone on strike in the past three years.
JULY
KATE HUA/Daily Students celebrate their graduation at the Big House during Spring Commencement April 29.
For U-M students, April marked the end of another semester as the class of 2023 flipped their tassels during Spring Commencement.
AUGUST
LUCAS CHEN/Daily
White tents line up along State Street, each displaying pieces made by local artists July 21.
RILEY NIEBOER/Daily Ann Arbor residents enjoy festivities at the Ann Arbor Pride Festival on Main Street Aug. 5.
July is synonymous with ‘Art Fair’ in Ann Arbor. This summer the Ann Arbor Art Fair — or, more accurately, ‘Fairs,’ since it’s actually a conglomeration of three separate fairs hosted simultaneously — shut down the streets for miles to host more than 1,000 artists and thousands more guests for one chaotic and colorful weekend. The creators represented at the 2023 Art Fair hailed from all over the country and exhibited works in a variety of mediums — from telescopic photos of the Milky Way to microscopic replications of starfish cells.
NOVEMBER
In August, the city was covered in rainbows for the annual Ann Arbor Pride Festival, a celebration of Queer identities and unconditional love in the community. The festival’s drag show is always a highlight of Ann Arbor’s Pride celebrations — a vibrant display of glitz and glitter in every color imaginable.
DECEMBER
JENNA HICKEY/Daily The Michigan football team poses for a photo celebrating their 1000th all-time win after beating Maryland Nov. 18.
GRACE BEAL/Daily Senior offensive lineman Zak Zinter, injured in the previous Ohio State game, holds up the Big Ten Championship trophy alongside his teammates after they beat Iowa in Indianapolis Dec. 2.
Despite the team’s growing success, Harbaugh faced suspension for the second time in 2023, this time for the rest of the regular season as the Wolverines faced allegations of illegally stealing signs. Even without their head coach, the Wolverines became the first program in the NCAA to reach 1,000 wins with their victory over Maryland serving as the final step to reaching that historic milestone.
The football team got the job done in Indianapolis and brought another Big Ten Championship back to Ann Arbor after shutting out Iowa in the title game. This was the Wolverines’ third Big Ten championship win in a row, and it set the Wolverines up for a highly anticipated playoff matchup against Alabama in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day.
This project was led and organized by Senior Multimedia Photo Editor Julianne Yoon, who can be reached at yoonjul@umich.edu, and by Managing Photo Editors Anna Fuder and Kate Hua, who can be reached at afuder@umich.edu and katehua@umich.edu. Monthly summaries were written by Managing News Editor Roni Kane, who can be reached at ronikane@umich.edu.
Arts
6 — Wednesday, January 10, 2024
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Why fashion is becoming more ironic CECILIA DORE Daily Arts Writer
On the street and online, it’s been difficult to ignore the countless T-shirts embellished with odd phrases, big, red cartoonish boots and other ironic “in” styles of the year. At first glance, clothing like mini skirts with the face of Christian Bale and hoodies adorned with “Rotisserie Chicken $5.99” might not seem to appeal to a sizable audience. The designs can easily be called ugly or lazy, and their prices are certainly not cheap. Yet, brands like OMIGHTY and Praying that specialize in ironic pieces like these have amassed extensive followings on Instagram. Their styles have become staples for fashion influencers and even mainstream celebrities like Addison Rae. So, why have these memelike styles become so soughtafter? This rise in popularity wasn’t as sudden as it seems. While provocative baby tees and sacrilegious swimsuits are relatively new, more subtle ironic fashion has been around. Ironic clothing can be classified as any piece holding a different meaning or message than what appears to the average onlooker. While trends such as gorpcore or “model-off-duty” aren’t as outrageous as other ironic styles, they certainly fit the “ironic” definition. Gorpcore, utilitarian outdoor wear, makes the wearer look like
Design by Hannah Willingham
they just got back from a hike to the unsuspecting eye. However, those more versed in the style may recognize the wearer as a Grailed-frequenting streetwearlover emulating Frank Ocean’s Paris Fashion Week look. Similarly, a “model-off-duty look” could easily be seen as a very plain outfit: only jeans and a simple top. Yet, those familiar with the style would see it as Pinterest-worthy Bella Hadid-esque perfection. “Ugly” fashion has also
become increasingly popular, with supermodels wearing mismatched outfits and tiny glasses. Culture magazine Dazed describes the trend as “frumpy” and “geeky.” Even Miu Miu, the Hypebeast-designated hottest brand in Q3 2023, had models in grandma cardigans and frizzy hairstyles for their fall/winter 2023 runway show. While many would perceive these looks as purely unbecoming, those invested in high fashion would
recognize their stylishness. There are countless aesthetics and micro-trends that fit into the “ironic” category in this same manner; only those familiar with the trend are truly able to appreciate these outfits, as they have an understanding of their context. But where does this context originate from? Oftentimes, a niche online space. Both social media and online reselling platforms build these hyper-specific fashion niches
that birth ironic trends. Apps like Instagram and TikTok have spaces for countless niche interests within fashion. In these communities, users can claim that they wear certain outfits “in an (insert trend here) way.” This is not to be confused with wearing the outfit in a neutral, regular way. Sites such as Depop and Grailed encourage users to tag clothing with descriptors such as “skater” or “whimsygoth” to reach a
wider yet more niche audience of interested buyers. For instance, a soccer jersey may get more attention if it is tagged as being “blokette,” (a style combining feminine elements, such as bows, with “bloke core” football fashion) as this label gives it value aesthetically. Labels ensure that buyers can see the potential of the pieces, rather than viewing them neutrally, making them more appealing. As a result, several styles are more recognizable or understandable to those familiar with internet fashion subcultures. Wearing these styles signals that the wearer is aware of their contexts, marking the wearer’s position and status in such communities. The niche styles can function as social currency, allowing onlookers to feel special or connected to the wearer by recognizing the references within their clothing. This growing number of online fashion communities has likely caused the more flashy, overthe-top ironic fashion to grow in popularity; the pieces are the next step in the progression of ironic styles. Outlandish designs can suggest the wearer is in the know for understanding their references or irony. They can also poke fun at established norms, like religious or political beliefs, and signal your stance on them to others. As internet fashion culture continues to shape trends, ironic fashion will continue to grow and become even more absurd — and without a doubt, a lot more fun.
Chris Stapleton raises the flame of his love ‘Higher’ in new album MELI BIRKMEIER Daily Arts Writer
It’s not often that an artist comes around and, with a single breath, can produce one of a generation’s most distinct voices and seamlessly marry multiple genres within one soundscape. In this regard, singer-songwriter Chris Stapleton is one of a kind. With impeccable prowess on the guitar and robust brownedbutter vocals — at once smooth and smoky — Stapleton settles at a crossroads of bluegrass, rock ‘n’ roll, outlaw country, blues and soul. Since his pivotal 2015 cover of Dean Dillon’s “Tennessee Whiskey,” Stapleton continues to wrap his lush, gravelly sound around listeners like a warm shawl soothing the impact of wistful and emotive lyricism. Stapleton uses masterfully sincere phrasing and cadence to pitch a tune for those times of loss, love and yearning, providing yet another emotional crutch with his newest album, Higher. Sewing listeners’
heartstrings into the 14 tracks of Higher’s rich sonic tapestry, Stapleton enables audiences to experience narratives of love and loss almost as vividly as they would firsthand. Perhaps the most admirable quality of Stapleton’s work, elevating him from the growing corral of uninspired pop-country artists singing about their hollow love for beer, trucks and beautiful women, is his tenderness. “It Takes A Woman,” the fourth track on Higher, chivalrously showcases Stapleton’s simultaneously soft-footed and proclamatory approach to the relationship between man and woman. Beautiful and refreshing, this song is written in prose, allowing the listener to bear witness to an intimate, authentic expression of gratitude toward Stapleton’s wife, Morgane, for all that her presence in his life brings him. In doing so, Stapleton uproots himself from the sordid soils of instant gratification and objectification in chauvinistic relationships. In the chorus of “It Takes A Woman,” the artist repeats:
to grapple with the memory of those he let die and the nebulous, irrepressible attraction he feels for Stevens. At times gripping and tense, “Where the Dead Wait” is a rich character study chock-full of welcome horror tropes. The novel is unfortunately crammed with so many characters that the threads of several subplots are lost, only to be picked up in the novel’s final chapters. But Day, wretched and repressed as he is, is so vividly rendered that the absence of several side characters is easy to forgive. Flashbacks — made vivid through Wilkes’ use of present tense — detail Day’s past, focusing on his first expedition to the Arctic. A low-ranking officer thrust into command by the death of the ship’s captain, Day relies on bunkmate Stevens, an American obsessed with the racist 19th-century practice of phrenology and the mythical Open Polar Sea. Poor hunting and cold temperatures push Day’s crew to resort to cannibalism, a decision Stevens is all too happy to make. Despite the other man’s obvious flaws and the harsh heteronormativity of Victorian England, Day is unable to deny his attraction to Stevens. It’s here that Wilkes’ prose sings, painting Day’s desire and shame with
With this sentimental profession of his indebtedness to Morgane, Stapleton rejects the f lawed notion of a woman’s subservience to a man, instead making a case for a more complementary dynamic. Listeners can also detect this harmony of the feminine and masculine in the chorus’ sonic elements, as
Morgane joins Stapleton, her sweeter, lighter vocals aerating his comparatively gruff tone. Although the song maintains a guitar-strum slow dance, it’s no coincidence that the parts in which the pair sing together are the most powerful, a nod toward their fulfilling love. A further testament to the many ways in which she completes him, Morgane accompanies Stapleton in two earlier songs on Higher, the first track, “What Am I Gonna Do,” and the third, “Trust.” Each of these are about how the burning f lame of two true lovers illuminates life and, on the f lip side, leaves them in darkness when the f lame fades out. While “It Takes A Woman” is arguably the glowing core of this album, the fires of passion lit by this slowly meandering ode to his wife only rage on stronger with subsequent songs like “Think I’m In Love With You,” “White Horse” and “Higher.” Here, Stapleton shows off the vivacity of his vocals, which, like his love, carries the power of 10 men — or perhaps more appropriately, 10 white horses. Sustained
by forcefully resonant guitar riffs — ranging from bluesy suave to rough-edged rock — Higher builds momentum throughout its 14-song catalog, crossing the threshold of affection to grievance multiple times between tracks like “Loving You On My Mind” and
careful strokes. After Stevens’ disappearance, Day is given a second chance at command and an opportunity to salvage his damaged reputation. Joining him on his rescue mission are several unwanted passengers: a journalist determined to uncover Day’s past, Stevens’ spirit-medium wife and the specters that have followed Day since his return. The writing is jagged and sharp as ice. Each decision Day makes is fraught with danger as he draws closer and closer to Stevens, guiding himself and his crew further from safe waters. Soon winter sets in, and it becomes apparent that the spirits of Day’s past do not lie easy. More eerie than the various ghosts and zombies that Day encounters are the extremes to which he goes to find Stevens. While “Where The Dead Wait” is a book of hauntings and cannibalism, it is also about an obsession so total that it becomes hard to put down. At times, the rich atmosphere of the novel gives way to melodrama. Some descriptions are so grotesque as to feel overindulgent. The book revels too much in the blackened, rotting teeth of sailors sick with scurvy and the flesh-eating urges of British officers pushed to the
brink. The themes of the novel, though well-developed, are hinted at with little grace. Take, for example, Day and Stevens’ old ship, the Reckoning, which is a title that would feel ostentatious in even the most ordinary of circumstances. Though Wilkes grapples with the legacy of English imperialism and racism, Native Americans are strangely absent from the narrative. The expedition’s guides are referred to in passing as “good
people,” but get next to nothing in the way of actual dialogue or motivation. Qila, Mrs. Stevens’ chaperone, is afforded more attention; her wry wit and defiant streak are a pleasant breath of fresh air in an otherwise bleak book. However, she has little agency, acting mostly to further Day’s arc. Wilkes’ criticisms of European exploration are undermined by this oversight. In sidelining Native American characters in favor of white
“It takes a woman It takes a woman A woman who sees the best part of me Through all that I am It takes a woman Oh, it takes a woman To be all I can, to feel like a man It takes a woman Oh, to be all I can, to feel like a man It takes a woman”
This image is from the official album cover for ‘Higher.’
“Crosswind.” An enigma in its own right, Higher proves that, within a single album, listeners can go from sobbing about a man’s admiration for his wife to a compulsory grimace when the same man professing his love makes sparks f ly on the guitar with more soul than imaginable.
‘Where the Dead Wait’ reimagines Queer Gothic horror
ALEX HETZLER Daily Arts Writer
Despite the glorification of European settler-colonialism, Arctic exploration was a brutal, poorly intentioned thing. It was marked less by intrepid trailblazing and more by racism, poorly planned expeditions and the last resort of starving explorers: cannibalism. “Where the Dead Wait” re-envisions the disaster and disease of European Arctic exploration with a fresh, supernatural twist. Ally Wilkes, Bram Stoker-nominated author of “All the White Spaces,” melds all the dread and splendor of Gothic horror with modern sensibilities, producing an adept second novel about spirits and repressed Queerness. Thirteen years after a failed expedition cost him his reputation and the lives of most of his crew, Captain William Day is once again thrust into the Arctic by the disappearance of his close companion and fellow explorer Jesse Stevens. So begins a new rescue mission just as doomed as his first journey north, haunted by the memories of the drastic steps Day and Stevens took to survive over a decade ago. As the trail of cryptic messages continues, Day is forced
Cover art owned by Atria/Emily Bestler Books
ones, she reproduces — likely by accident — the very structures she condemns. For all its flaws, “Where the Dead Wait” is a meditative, tense examination of repression and shame that questions the supposed “savagery” of the North. It is a modern Gothic of memory and the restless dead, surely a good read for anyone interested in post-Halloween chills (though certainly not for the squeamish).
Arts
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Wednesday, January 10, 2024 — 7
Design by Emily Schwartz
The stadium anthem dilemma Design by Grace Filbin
NICKOLAS HOLCOMB Daily Arts Writer
Music is a powerful tool. On an individual level, it ref lects our mood, provides relatability and molds who we are as people. In a social setting, however, people interact with music differently. Instead of ref lecting our moods, we follow the mood that the music has set for us, an element that is integral to creating a lively atmosphere. Choosing songs is even harder; the songs have to be well-known but not overplayed, with a wide range of genres present to meet the preferences of a diverse group of people. Balancing this task on a small scale such as a club or party setting is hard enough, but doing it for tens of thousands
of people from different age ranges and cultures creates a gargantuan task for the one in charge of the highly-coveted aux. But despite the endless possibilities, stadium DJs always have a predictable roster of songs to get the stadium rocking. I will be the first to say that I don’t really like any of the typical songs that come with college football and basketball games, but even I have to admit: Sometimes, with the company of friends and fellow fans, stadium anthems can hit. To make an important distinction, I’m sticking strictly to college sports — as this is what I have the most experience with. For college stadium anthems, there are two main categories of songs: songs universities
“claim” and other general hype songs. The former category is the most diverse and the most interesting to me. How does a university “claim” a song? The unsatisfactory answer is it just happens. In the case of The Killer’s “Mr. Brightside,” a DJ simply played it in the stadium, it was well received and naturally became a tradition. For Penn State, Senfter’s “Kernkraft 400” was “claimed” as the intro song in 2005, and it has been a staple of the game day experience ever since. In basketball, Cascada’s “Everytime We Touch” has become an iconic part of the Cameron Indoor Stadium festivities for Duke fans, but now is seen at most stadiums during any game day. There are countless other examples, such as the University of Tennessee
playingthe Osborne Brothers’ “Rocky Top” and Virginia Tech playing Metallica’s “Enter Sandman,” and while these songs are not exclusive to the universities that “claim” them, some schools do their best to make them their own. These songs usually have a fun yet disappointing story behind them, but genre-wise they can be incredibly mixed, with the only commonality being simple lyricism and uptempo beats. The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside” is an incredibly mainstream song about infidelity, “Kernkraft 400” is a remix of a German techno song and “Rocky Top” is a 1968 country song lamenting for simpler times. The general hype song category is a bit more boring. Here lie the songs constantly in arena rotation, regardless
of location. College sports are targeted toward a younger audience, so occasionally newer songs find their way to the aux, but oftentimes these are the safe-but-certain classics. Examples here include Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer,” The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” and Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin.” These high-energy rock standbys are vaguely related to the game at hand, with themes of belief, fighting and hope. Newer examples of stadium anthems include songs such as Sheck Wes’ 2018 anthem, “Mo Bamba,” Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” and Kanye West’s “POWER.” Although less about the competition at hand, these tracks imbue confidence and energy into their listeners which makes them perfect
candidates for the stadium anthem title. Being a stadium anthem isn’t always a privilege. These songs have to be good but are often overplayed, have catchy but uncomplicated lyrics and convey one mood in humans’ vast catalog of emotions — joy. Once a song reaches the stadium anthem distinction, it often spends the rest of its life there. While popular for their time, one is hard-pressed to find songs like Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger” and “Seven Nation Army” anywhere but sports gatherings. If a song is claimed as a stadium anthem, it is guaranteed endless streams for seemingly the rest of time. But it will also almost always fail to become anything else, which can be an artist’s greatest dream or worst nightmare.
Ava Reid’s YA debut ‘A Study in Drowning’ has nothing new to say CAMILLE NAGY Daily Arts Writer
Adult author Ava Reid’s debut into young adult literature, “A Study in Drowning,” has been met with hype that, quite frankly, I don’t understand — and not because I don’t want to understand it. On the surface, this sounds like exactly the kind of book I would love. The fantasy-mystery novel follows a first-year architecture student, Effy Sayre, as she’s contracted to redesign her favorite author’s crumbling seaside mansion and save it from falling to the waves below. At the same time, Effy’s academic rival Preston Héloury attempts to prove the author was a fraud by showing that his most famous work, “Angharad,” was penned by another uncredited writer. Working together, the students follow a loose set of clues to discover the truth — whatever it may be — about the elusive Emrys Myrddin once and for all. However, in an attempt to push an overly simplistic feminist message, the book fails to create any real story to grasp onto. Perhaps even worse, it fails to criticize several problematic ideas that it brings up then subsequently forgets to address, potentially leaving readers not just confused but offended, too. Although she leaves her university in the beginning of the story to travel to Hiraeth Manor, where the majority of the book takes place, Effy’s time at school stays with her. Specifically, the discrimination she faced there as the only female architecture student is a constant point of tension throughout the text; the fact that she was denied acceptance into the university’s more prestigious literature college because it doesn’t accept women (despite having the test scores to qualify) is a driving
force behind the plot. Despite her previous reservations about outing her favorite author as a fake, Effy agrees to help Preston on his thesis with the promise of being added as a co-author and (hopefully) receiving acceptance to the literature college — the school she really wants to be in. This agreement is what ultimately sets the story off after a somewhat slow start. Following this, the novel features prominent discussions on the historical exclusion and erasure of women in academia, misogyny in healthcare and finding one’s own inner strength. I have no problems with the book’s messages. Yet, while the central ideas of the story are powerful, it feels like the book itself is a series of plot points constructed around a message, rather than a story from which meaning is able to naturally emerge. As a result, its themes feel muddled and confused, ultimately leaving readers wanting more. Intellectually, I understand what the author is trying to tell me, especially as a woman myself. But I only see it loosely ref lected on the page — that is, until the moments it decides to leap out, shake my shoulders and scream at me what it is and how it wants me to feel about that. Unintentionally, the book weakens its own message by not letting readers come to their own conclusions and confusing the plot with things that, in an attempt to conceal its own hand, seem to have no real place in the story. For instance, the world of this novel feels like a distraction rather than something that adds anything truly meaningful to the text. Until now, I’ve avoided discussing the elements that make “A Study in Drowning” a fantasy novel because, in all truth, it doesn’t read very much like one. The reason for this, I suspect, is that what that makes this book fall under the fantasy genre — the existence of a fae
Image courtesy of HarperTeen.
race — only ever really exists in the context of readers being made to believe it’s a symptom of Effy’s hallucinations, which she has been ostracized for and taken “pink pills” to prevent since childhood. Because we aren’t supposed to know if what Effy sees is real until the very end, we spend more time trying to understand the rules of the fantasy world and discern what’s real or not than we do paying attention to the things the book actually wants us to care about. The setting feels incidental to the plot until it suddenly isn’t anymore, which is jarring and confusing for the reader; if it were to be taken out of the book completely, the main story would hardly change. This also leads to an unsettling depiction of mental illness that is never really challenged within the text. Instead, the protagonist is redeemed from being “crazy” by having her hallucinations proved to be
real. While I believe this aspect of the novel was intended to be a criticism of the way women have historically been deemed “hysterical” and not treated as capable of understanding their own experiences by healthcare systems, I find the way this book depicted things like the stigmatization of mental health and use of medication to be upsetting and potentially even harmful. By not exploring these themes with any nuance or depth, it reads as if the book is cosigning these ideas rather than critiquing them. One of the most significant ways this comes across is in the romance between Effy and Preston, the latter of whom never actually believes that what Effy claims to see is real. Instead, Effy settles for him choosing to “(believe) her fear, her grief, her desire. That had to be enough.” In essence, he believes that she believes what she sees, which makes it real for
her. And in the end, she accepts this, telling readers that it’s okay for someone to tell you your reality is false, so long as they “love” you despite it. I don’t feel as though I need to explain why someone’s romantic partner insisting that they’re “seeing things” is bad, nor why featuring that as the only “healthy” malefemale relationship in a novel is problematic. For a story that deals so heavily with gendered themes, its depiction of gender is twodimensional at best. Save the love interest, every man is the same sexist, predatory monster, while every woman is the same tempting, innocent (and ultimately tragic) victim. Again, as a woman, I will never deny that there are a lot of really scary men in the world. But these scary, bad men are still people, and the men in Reid’s novel feel more like caricatures than anything else. The women are no better, either
portrayed as lesbians who are made invincible (and invisible) by their sexuality or as hapless prey to the male gaze and violence. The book’s refusal to allow any nuance to bleed into its depictions makes all of the book’s themes on gender fall f lat and leave no impact. In the end, “A Study in Drowning” tries to do so much that it does nothing well. It wants to be a fantasy novel, but doesn’t develop the world or magic system enough for readers to understand; it wants to be a mystery thriller, but is so predictable I guessed the major plot twist in the first conversation it was introduced; it wants to cater to the dark academia trend, but seems to forget Effy is a student of architecture the moment it isn’t convenient for the plot anymore. It wants to say something, desperately, but fails to do so because it has nothing new to say.
MiC
Wednesday, January 10, 2024— 8
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Letters to home GAEL GONZALEZ-DELALUZ MiC Columnist
May 2011 Hola otra vez tía Sonia, I wish that I could visit you but my mom is scared to send me to Morelos, Mexico. She says it’s too dangerous for me to go alone, especially since I would have to land in Mexico City. I’m too “immature” to handle myself over there, which I think is just silly because everyone says I have an old soul. I think I can also speak Spanish way better than my friends and family. Mi prima dice no sabo cuando yo se que la manera correcta es no sé. I think I would really fit in over there tía, and I want to meet all of my cousins. My mom tells me stories about her childhood — swimming in the river, climbing up mango trees and swatting snakes in the head with Papa Bencho. Mami said she would reconsider when I become a teenager, and I can’t wait for that day to come. I really hope that I can see you one day. ¡Saludos a mis primas, tío Ricardo y Abuelita! Con amor desde “el Norte,” Gael *** October 2012 Querido Papa Bencho, Your death was the first time I could ever remember my mom crying. I wish that I would have been able to meet you — Mami speaks very highly of you and says that I should have your commitment to family. Most of her “pueblo sayings” come from you: “Como antes decía tu Papa Bencho.” You were a comedian, the apple of my mother’s eye. I remember the phone call vividly — I think that I always will. We were watching Pequeños Gigantes on Univision as usual when the landline rang. Tía Tencha’s calling was never anything strange; I assumed that she had extra pan de muerto to give us that doña Julia had made. The sound of my mother’s scream still sends shivers down my spine. I knew something
was wrong, but I could never imagine what. I’d never been to a rezo católico (Catholic wake) but seeing the altar set up made it all feel real — your picture in that wooden frame is engraved in my memory. You and Mama Yema reminded me of that painting my art teacher showed us in class of the man with the pitchfork with his wife beside me. I had a tamal de queso upstairs while I heard the litanies being prayed from the distance: “Santa María Madre De Dios, ruega por el San Miguel, ruega por el Todos los Santos Ángeles y Arcángeles, rueguen por el.” I later found out that you died of tuberculosis, and tía Tencha says it was completely preventable. Your death should have never happened. I’ve always wanted to be a doctor, but I want to be able to help people like you, Papá. How could a treatable disease take your life? How can I stop something like this from happening to other
people? I’m determined to find out; you’ve inspired me, Papá. With sorrow, Your great-grandson *** September 2021 Abuelito Federico, My mind occasionally wanders back to that video call; it was too much for Mami and me to see. My heart wanted to say that it wasn’t goodbye, but my mind knew the truth. You laid on that mat on the floor still beaming with joy when you saw me. Your voice was faint but you still said how proud you were of me and how much faith you had that I would be able to accomplish anything. We still had hope that you would be able to beat your cancer after being discharged from the hospital, but the damage was already done. I wish that I could have been there instead of staring in disbelief at the picture that tía Sonia sent of you confined to the stretcher with all of those tubes, tanks and needles projecting out of you. The
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death of tío Cristian is still fresh in our minds; Mami has now lost her father and brother. Like always, she does her best to stay strong for the rest of the family, but I know that behind her facade is true pain that I hope to never understand. You were a true source of light and inspiration for me, Abuelito. A man who built a life for himself with his own two hands, defying the circumstances that coastal Oaxaca provided you with. Mami always said that she saw you in me, both in my physical appearance and how I carry myself in the work that I do. Growing up, Mami would always recite Acts 13:22 to me: After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’ She said that the verse reminded her of you, a man after God’s own heart. She wishes that I follow in your footsteps of being a joyful person who enriches the lives of others around him. En fortaleza, Gael *** August 2022 Yethzy! It’s been a while since we last talked, but my affection for you remains the same. Whenever I hear about your life through my mom or Facebook, I feel more and more like a bystander watching you grow from afar. Your children are adorable and there’s nothing I would want more than to be able to give them a giant hug, so could you please do that for me? I remember when my mom told me “Mijo, eres un tío” when I was still a child myself. I couldn’t believe it but I forgot that our age gap makes that possible, despite being in the same generation of the family. I was reminiscing on some of our old phone conversations the other day after my parents helped me clean my room. My dad tried throwing out a drawing that you sent me of Dora the Explorer and Boots, but I stopped him; I still carry those memories with me. It feels like only yesterday when you and your sister were asking me to sing the alphabet to you in
to meet you. My knowledge of you is limited, but you were the matriarch of the Moreno family, so I feel drawn to learn more about your life. The things Papi has told me about his side of the family back in Mexico are limited. I know that you became his guardian and that he was raised alongside his uncles with you in Oaxaca until you moved to Mexico City. I know that you ran a successful pork business in our hometown and also why my dad has always had an aversion to tacos al pastor and chorizo con huevos, even though they’re some of his favorite foods. You’re also the reason why everyone we meet seems to have some idea of who my dad is. No party passes without this happening: “¡Hola, Miguel! Como que se me hace tu cara conocida. De donde eres?” “A poco, bueno yo soy de Mesones.” “Ya se de donde te conozco! Eres nieto de doña Candelaria?” “Si, ella mera.” “Hijo de doña Chabela?” “Si.” Gael Gonzalez-DeLaLuz/MiC You’re a mystery to me, Mama English since your curiosity about Laia. You died during the my life was so uncontrollable. Our pandemic, but I don’t know of lives have taken such different what — I would assume of natural paths, yet the mutual care that we causes but I think this one will share stretches across the 2,000 be another unanswered question miles that we are apart. You’re for the ages. I wish you could always more than welcome to tell me more about mis tíos and send me a message; I’ve always got what Papi was like growing up, but obviously, that’s not possible your back. anymore. We are family and for Love you primis, that I’m grateful. Gaelito Attentamente, *** Gael González De la Luz May 2023 *** Estimada Mama Ofelia, I come home from volunteering December 2023 at the local middle school’s spring Para mi adorada Mama Yema, concert. I see my mother praising I don’t even know where to God for his goodness: You’re dead. begin. The love, admiration and Papi’s confused as to what kind of respect that I have for you are novel grieving process this is, why immeasurable. My heart aches at my mom isn’t sad about losing the fact that it will still be years her grandmother, but the truth is until I can see you face-to-face. that you were in pain for so long. Your 98th birthday is coming up I joined in with her — it was our in just a few months and your responsibility to be the ones who energy despite your age continues highlight the positive side of to amaze me. Mami always talks about the love that you gave her things amidst the darkness. The funeral is over now. I sat growing up when she needed it with my parents, cousin and the most (and though neither aunts in the living room watching of you has ever said it out loud, the procession over a grainy she’s definitely the favorite WhatsApp video call. None of us granddaughter). There’s nothing have truly processed the fact that that you wouldn’t give for your you, Mama Bella, are no longer family and I wish I was more with us. Even as the rezo goes on like that — instead, Mami still in the backyard of tía Dominga’s intermittently scolds me for not house, I fail to recognize the fact being more dedicated to everyone that someone died. I walked in else. and was immediately greeted You’re the one who brings us all with tamales, conchas and together, the figurehead that we hot chocolate, which were all all rally around. It’s been over characteristic of a Mexican two decades since Mami last saw funeral but weren’t helping me you and we both know each other through only our phone calls realize anything was wrong. It wasn’t until the burial that it and pictures sent from special all finally sank in. As the men occasions. Despite this, I see lowered the coffin to the ground, myself in you. Though I might none of us could contain ourselves look like my father on the outside, anymore. I never got to meet you I am my mother on the inside and and we never were in constant she’s just like you. The beauty contact, but the affection I have and tragedy of family are within for you remains the same. How our shared characteristics: I am my aunts would talk (and worry) strong, kind, stubborn and shortabout you my whole life showed tempered. I embrace it all as a me how loved you were and still way of learning from the mistakes are. I’m 100 percent sure you’re of previous generations; I know in a better place and I hope to see that I will stumble along the way myself, but I was taught to see la you there one day. lección en las experiencias ajenas. Con mucho cariño, Here’s to the most admirable Gael woman in all of Mexico, Guillerma *** Rodriguez Angón! July 2023 Gracias por todo, Mama Laia: It would have been a pleasure Gael
Beating Heart Bleeding SAFA HIJAZI
MiC Contributor
Explore your care options. There are many different ways to take care of your mental health and well-being. At times, you may need more help than others. No matter how you are feeling, U-M has a wide range of services and resources for students, faculty, and staff to help everyone feel their best.
View mental health resources: wellbeing.umich.edu
It’s a heart beating in the palm of the world’s hands— bleeding We’ve watched revolutions through TV screens We’ve tried it on busy streets The world holds a—dying— heart in its palms This bloody organ gushing is of Eastern Barbarism Gushing — wait hold on just a little longer! O! You have known of Eastern heat Jerusalem fuels—cut off— your churches American churchgoing coins roll over like bombs What would your—blueeyed—Jesus say? Brown boys throwing rocks– bombs
CONFLICT IN THE EAST (funded by the west) Do not fear We have safety here in suburbia Can an open-air prison be a suburbia too? Squeeze out the last of life in the Eastern Heart, won’t you? Do that for us will you? Thank You for your contribution! Wash out your eyes with Jerusalem’s holy water; you can drink From the tap that runs freely, why don’t you Wash out the world’s bloody palms too? A people (brown) brought to the brink ___ I was on a walk one day, contemplating what it means
to be Muslim (invisibly) and Arab in America. Charged glances at my covered mother. Guantanamo Bay. Freedom of Speech (some exclusions may apply). Rather barbaric isn’t it? I saw surveillance and silence holding hands while walking towards me. My Arabic necklace. Oh, don’t worry it only says Purity. Maybe I should not. Must be the animal in me. Is there an animal in all of us? What did they say? They are (human) animals! On my walk I see some young boys playing basketball. A man steps forth and stabs one of the boys 26 times. He dies. He looked about six. Oh, wait. It was only an animal. My bad. I wonder what his animal (mother) will think when she plates his food for dinner and her animal (boy) does not come home to eat. That reminds me, 45 animal bloodlines have been demolished. 45 extinct animal species, scientists wake up!
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com FOOTBALL
‘You’re back there because they trust you’: Jake Thaw’s road to receiver and returner
JOHN TONDORA Daily Sports Editor
HOUSTON — It was the biggest game of his career thus far. The top-five matchup meant the stakes were high, and the margin for error slim. Rushing under a high-arching punt, senior wide receiver Jake Thaw signaled for a fair catch. As a swarm of white and red jerseys encircled him, Thaw set his feet and leaned in for the catch. Then things went wrong. Just as the ball began to graze Thaw’s hands, sophomore defensive back Zeke Berry, entangled with a blocking assignment, slammed into Thaw and sent the return man backwards onto the ground. Frantically, Ohio State gunners expected a loose ball. A loose ball, which never materialized. As Buckeyes players scanned for a chance to pounce on the Wolverines’ potential bad luck, Thaw remained unfazed. The ball, despite a heavy collision with Berry, was safe and sound in his hands. It was a potentially gut-wrenching moment, a heart-stopping sequence, but above all else, it was the sort of play that builds trust. It was the sort of play, among countless others, that earned Thaw the right to return a punt at the Rose Bowl. Not just any punt, either. One with 54 seconds left on the clock in a tie game against the lauded Alabama dynasty. “It means everything,” Thaw told The Michigan Daily Saturday. “(Strength and conditioning coach Ben Herbert) said it to me earlier in the year, he said: ‘You’re not back there because you’re faster than DJ Turner. You’re not gonna go run a 4.2 at the combine like DJ Turner,’ which I’m fully aware of. ‘You’re back there because they trust you.’ ” Trust, in any scenario — whether in a boardroom or on a ball field — is hard to come by. Thus, it was no accident that after not fielding a punt for nearly the entire Rose Bowl game, Jim Harbaugh and Michigan turned to Thaw in a moment of critical need. But the Wolverines didn’t turn
to Thaw with a roll of the dice. He wasn’t carried into the moment. Rather, Thaw walked into it on his own two feet. It didn’t matter if it was one of thousands of casual punt returns at practice, a tough fair catch against Ohio State or battling through the hostilities only Happy Valley can provide. Thaw earned his trust every step of the way. “It’s about preparation,” Mitch Thaw, Jake’s father, told The Daily. “If you’re prepared, you don’t have to worry. You can be nervous because it’s a big situation, or whatever, but you don’t have to ever be worried if you’re prepared. Because you know when you step out on the field, you’ve done everything you possibly can to succeed.” That preparation began long before a Monday afternoon in Pasadena. In fact, it came even before Jake stepped foot in Ann Arbor. Maybe it started the moment Jake took his first at-bat in T-ball, though that may be a stretch. Maybe it started when he caught his first varsity touchdown as a sophomore in high school. Regardless of whenever Jake’s preparation started, only one thing is for certain: it never stopped. Excelling at Staples High School in Westport, Conn., Jake became a leader on and off the field. For Jake, preparation doesn’t end in the film room. It wasn’t simply something that played out between the lines. Whether it was doing homework during two-and-a-half-hour car rides to see his receiver coach in New Jersey or attaining all-state
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status in both basketball and football, for Jake, hard work and preparation came naturally. “I always want to challenge myself,” Jake said. “I like challenging myself. Whether that’s football, whether that’s school, whatever it may be, I like a challenge. I wanted to try to put myself in a position to play at the highest level possible.” It’s the kind of mentality that builds reliability, and the same one that led him to Ann Arbor. And after committing to Michigan, suddenly, preparation had to begin once more. Working to gain the trust of coaches and teammates, the location may have changed, but Jake remained the same. In what Jake describes as “doing something a little extra every day,” the work that had taken him to the Wolverines didn’t just remain, it made an impression. So much so that even after tearing his ACL in his second year, by his junior season, not only had Thaw impressed, he earned playing time. It wasn’t just in any odd capacity either. As Jake took the field for the first time at home against Hawaii in 2022, he received the ultimate sign of trust — fielding a punt. “If you have a guy that you don’t trust, you really can’t play him as a punt returner,” Michigan special teams coordinator Jay Harbaugh said Sept. 27. “ … By far the most important thing is the guy’s decision making and his ability to field the ball clean.” Read more at michigandaily.com
FOOTBALL
Not long after specializing in football, Joe Taylor ready for National Championship PAUL NASR
Daily Sports Writer
HOUSTON — Joe Taylor wasn’t even sure if the Twitter message was real. It was from a person he didn’t recognize, asking him about something that he wasn’t really considering doing. Coming in late into his high school career, it had all the makings of a prank message or a message sent to the wrong Joe on Twitter. Taylor, now a junior wide receiver who primarily contributes on special teams for the No. 1 Michigan football team, was the intended recipient of the message after all. It was, in fact, real. Steve Casula, an offensive analyst for the Wolverines at the time who now serves as offensive coordinator at UMass, was reaching out to Taylor to recruit him to walk onto Michigan. While Taylor was already headed to the Wolverines to play baseball, the text was still basically, “out of the blue,” as his dad Adam remembers it. Joe played football for Chelsea High School, but he wasn’t actively looking to be recruited for football, instead getting ready
to focus on college baseball. Aside from a link to his Hudl football highlights posted on his Twitter, Joe didn’t have much out there in the football world. The text from Casula the winter of his senior year of high school changed that — once he verified it was legit. Eventually having Casula call him, it all became real: Joe would have the chance to play football at the next level too. “(It’s) not really predictable,” Joe told The Michigan Daily. “ … Until the winter of my senior year, I was just gonna do baseball. Then they reached out to walk on and I was like, ‘yea, sure, I’ll do that.’ ” It was a simple, “yea sure.” Now, it’s a National Championship appearance. At the time, though, “yea sure” meant playing two sports at Michigan. Now, he’s solely focused on football. While his dad Adam playing baseball up to the minorleague level meant Joe started out baseball-focused, doubling as a college football and baseball player long-term wasn’t a guarantee. Joe didn’t usually pitch, but he was pitching in a summer league game anyway. He couldn’t throw a strike, though — probably because
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he couldn’t feel his hand. “I was just like, ‘alright, something’s not right,’ ” Joe said. “Sure enough, got a few MRIs … I would have needed to get Tommy John, and then I was just like, ‘You know what, I’ll just go with football.’ It ended up working out, and I’m glad that I made this decision to play football.” While the Wolverines’ bag of trick plays makes it seem like anyone may need to throw the ball on a given play, however much Joe might have to throw is still a lot less than baseball. So he decided to end his throwing days, but not his playing days. Currently, Joe’s been making plays on special teams, getting plenty of snaps on that unit while not having to worry about the arm injury that would have required surgery for baseball. If he were called to throw a football, Joe maintains that he can — just don’t ask him to throw a 30 yard bomb or throw it 30 times in a row. He hasn’t been asked to do that yet and probably never will, as he chose the non-throwing life. Tommy John surgery wouldn’t have been easy, but neither was choosing that non-throwing life and bidding baseball goodbye — especially for someone like Joe. He grew up around the sport, his dad serving as Chelsea’s head baseball coach on top of the minor-league career. “It was definitely an adjustment,” Joe said. “… I played baseball like my entire life, I didn’t start playing football until like seventh grade. That might sound like normal, but for most of these guys they started playing when they were really young. So for me, baseball was like my whole life, and then I was just like, ‘I can’t throw anymore. I can throw but it doesn’t feel good.’ Read more at michigandaily.com
Wednesday, January 10, 2024 — 9
Sports
10 — Wednesday, January 10, 2024
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
FOOTBALL
With title on the line, Giles Jackson facing former Michigan football team CONNOR EAREGOOD
Daily Sports Writer
HOUSTON — Giles Jackson didn’t expect the boos. Well, at least not quite. As a former Michigan football wideout and return specialist who transferred to Washington just months earlier, he knew there would be eyes on him when he returned to Ann Arbor and faced his former team on Sept. 11, 2021. Because while Jackson might’ve switched allegiances and jerseys, the fans still knew him well. They weren’t shy about expressing their disapproval. “It was a kick return and they announced my name back to return and I just heard a whole bunch of boos,” Jackson said. “I’m looking at the wall there and I’m like ‘Are they booing me.’ I was like ‘That’s crazy.’ But hey, it is what it is.’ ” And so it will be Monday, when he plays his former team one more time. However, the stakes will never be higher than Monday, when he and No. 2 Washington will take on No. 1 Michigan with the National Championship on the line. Between Jackson who left when the program struggled and the revitalized Wolverines who thrived after he left, only one side can emerge victorious. But that dilemma doesn’t mean Jackson wishes he could’ve changed anything. Compared to most transfer decisions, Jackson’s cuts a little deeper than just position groups and playing time, even though those factored into his decision. Whereas his transfer seemed like a chance at bigger and better oppor-
tunities with the Huskies, in reality it was for a familial reason. His grandpa was ill, and he wanted to move closer to home in California to be closer to him. So after sliding down the depth chart during Michigan’s spring practices, Jackson had plenty of reason to make a move. All five of his top transfer targets were Pac12 schools, including Washington, who hit his line within a half hour in the portal. Though he was officially a Husky two weeks after entering the portal, behind the scenes, it only took him a few days to make his decision. That didn’t make the move easier to stomach back in Ann Arbor. While transfers like Jackson’s seem commonplace now, this move in 2021 was fairly early in the modern iteration of the portal — so early that Jackson had to wait until the NCAA decided that transfers could receive immediate eligibility weeks after he joined the Huskies. He left in the hope that he could play immediately, but he had no guarantee that the situation would play out in a way that he could play right away. Leaving a 2-4 Michigan team that was already thin at receiver, Jackson’s departure left a major hole in the lineup. It also came as a surprise to his teammates. “I talked with him (beforehand), so it was a little bit shocking,” Michigan senior receiver Roman Wilson said. “But you know, he thought that was the best option for him and if he thinks that then I agree with him too.” It was a short separation, though, because Jackson’s Huskies were slated to visit the Wolverines in 2021. It’s a game you probably remember — the first Power
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Five win in the Wolverines’ 39-3 stretch the past three seasons. You might also remember it because of Jackson’s interactions with the crowd, including when he swore at a fan while leaving the field. “A fan just called me a name and I just reacted to it,” Jackson said. “So I definitely could’ve been better just walking off, but that’s what happened.” In other words, no love lost on either side — at least not in the heat of the moment. On the field, his teammates didn’t show much love either. On a field he once called home, Jackson made three receptions and ran three times to boot, including a 33-yard catch and a 12-yard run. But in the end, he couldn’t make a large enough impact to prevent carrying a 31-10 defeat at the hands of his old teammates. But as much as that season kickstarted a redefining comeback for
FOOTBALL
Playing catch and covering routes, how Grant Newsome’s routine gets everyone involved PAUL NASR
Daily Sports Writer
HOUSTON — Grant Newsome isn’t hard to find before the No. 1 Michigan football team’s games. In fact, he might just be looking for you. Before each game, the Wolverines’ tight ends coach plays a game of catch with fans in the stands. Whether in the Big House or on the road, he will find Michigan fans and Michigan fans will find him. Despite being an offensive tackle during his playing days with the Wolverines, Newsome slings the ball into the stands like an experienced quarterback. He keeps his feet active, angles his shoulders right and spirals the ball at his targets. Spreading the wealth to all his receivers in the bleachers, Newsome dots up as many people as he can, keeping things loose and getting as many fans — usually kids — involved in the game before it kicks off as possible. Although lacking formal quarterback experience, Newsome’s throws are more often than not on the money — not just to set a good tone for the upcoming game, but because they have to be. “The best ones are always at Michigan Stadium because the sidelines are so tight, the corners of the endzones are so tight,” Newsome told The Michigan Daily. “(So I’m) trying to like not hit people with the ball as they’re walking through.” So far, he’s kept his pregame throwing pretty accurate, and at this point it’s second nature. Newsome’s done the same throwing routine since he was a student assistant in 2018. It was then before a game when a kid in the crowd asked him for a ball and he threw it up to them, starting a little game of catch. Newsome doesn’t remember
which game it was, but he remembers that Michigan won it. Saying he isn’t superstitious but is, “a little stitious, to quote The Office,” Newsome has been playing catch with fans at the stadium before every game he coaches since then. “It’s a fun little way for me to spend that little bit of downtime there before the game,” Newsome said. “… It just keeps my mind occupied so I’m not just sitting in the locker room waiting to get back out there.” That downtime that he fills with games of catch comes in between when he warms up his tight ends group and full team warmups. When warming up his position group, Newsome’s making sure they’re getting a, “light sweat.” It’s nothing crazy, but it’s getting the group loose by having them run different routes, while maintaining consistent week-toweek progression to get his guys settled in for the game. When he’s out there with them, he might just be getting a light sweat too. Newsome loves to get moving with the group, meaning he’s moving every day at practice to go along with game day. Just like anything the players do on game day starts at practice, the same goes for Newsome. At Saturday’s practice leading up to the National Championship game against Washington, Newsome was front and center covering tight ends on routes. Back peddling, chirping coaching points and traversing plenty of turf in the process, he knows when to trade his pre-game quarterback arm for some cornerback suave to keep his group engaged and prepared. Whether pressing up closer to the line or covering routes deep in the endzone, Newsome’s always giving the tight ends a look, especially when they’d be going up against air in those non-competitive drills otherwise. “(Newsome’s) just a guy that
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wants to be perfect,” sophomore tight end Marlin Klein told The Daily. “If you think you had a good rep, he’s always going to tell you there’s something that you can fix, it makes us better each and every single day. … He goes through warmups before we do the actual warmups, he can sling the rock looking like the actual quarterback out there. Just an awesome guy.” The constant activity, from covering routes at practice to pregame quarterback impressions, gives way to a seat when the game kicks off. Perched up in the press box, Newsome sits beside quarterbacks coach Kirk Campbell and an offensive graduate assistant and tries to be “Sherrone’s eyes upstairs.” Trying to help offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore and the rest of the offensive staff with anything they need, Newsome sees serving as another set of eyes as a big part of his game day role. Be it during drives or after them, Newsome is sharing what he’s been seeing from his perspective up in the box to aid Moore and Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh in making decisions about orchestrating the offense. “I always joke with friends and my wife all the time, I’ll ask her how the weather was because it’s always 75 and sunny up at the box,” Newsome said Nov. 1. “I love being up in the box. … From up in the box sometimes it’s almost like Madden where you see everything and kind of think of these guys as just athletes, or characters in a game so to speak. Then you go down to the field and you really see it and you hear it, how violent this game is and it gives you a different level of appreciation for just how special our guys are.” While Newsome is up in the box during games for now, Harbaugh believes Newsome won’t be up there forever. In a September episode of “Inside Michigan Football” radio show, the Michigan head coach shared that he sees Newsome becoming an offensive line coach, then offensive coordinator, then a head coach. Harbaugh sees a lofty future for Newsome, but his present is big time as well. He’s about to coach in the biggest game of his life, leading a position group that is integral to both run blocking and the Wolverines’ passing game.
Read more at MichiganDaily.com
the Wolverines, they aren’t the only program undergoing a revitalization. The Huskies, too, have reinvented themselves. After a dismal 4-8 season in 2021, the Huskies fired coach Jimmy Lake and hired Indiana’s Kalen DeBoer as head coach. DeBoer brought his own luggage — including transfer quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and a bevy of assistant coaches. Even if Jackson wasn’t a part of Michigan’s reinvention since he left the program, he got to be part of an entirely different one in Seattle. Look at the last two seasons, and the results speak for themselves. Washington went 11-2 and beat Texas in the Alamo Bowl in DeBoer’s 2022 debut. In that season, Jackson found personal success too by catching 28 passes and earning 376 yards from scrimmage. It was the most prolific season of his career, setting the stage for a hype-filled 2023 season.
However, the best laid plans went awry, and a broken thumb sidelined him deep into the season. He didn’t play until facing No. 8 Oregon on Oct. 14, slipping down the depth chart as other receivers and kick returners took on larger roles in his absence. But when he got a chance, the same explosive style that made him so effective showed up immediately. His first play of the season against the Ducks, he took a 26-yard post route to the crib. With and without him, the Huskies have surged to a sterling 14-0. “(Jackson) legitimately is one of our most explosive players on this football team,” Washington receivers coach JaMarcus Shepherd told The Michigan Daily. “And I’m not just saying that as just like this random statement. No, we keep track of explosive plays by our players with spring ball and fall camp. Giles was at
number one or two between him and (Jalen McMillan) pretty much every fall camp or spring ball that we’ve been here so far.” Now, Jackson will look to make those plays with a National Championship on the line, against many of the same players who he once shared a locker room with when he was a Wolverine. Mike Sainristil, once a receiver alongside Jackson at Michigan, will likely line up across from him as the nickel corner. Despite any prior ties, each side is trying to take a championship ring off the other’s finger. For those close to Jackson, it’s a full circle moment, even if the stakes are high. “It’s funny like me, him, Mike were all in the same wide receiver class,” graduate receiver Cornelius Johnson said. “We’d go out and go get food, go to different social events together, just hanging out together at the house. So going against him, I might have to mess with him pregame, just say what’s up to him.” They’ll have a lot to talk about, considering the resurrection of each program since Jackson packed his bags for Seattle. But that’s proof that his transfer worked out for everyone, even if it took a while to get here. Both sides are one win away from a National Championship, and while one is bound to be heartbroken, the journey to this moment has worked out for all those involved. Giles Jackson’s decision has brought him to this point, and he wouldn’t change it. Even if he once again hears boos from the Michigan faithful — even though three seasons later feels like an eternity — he’ll be propped up by his Washington faithful.
FOOTBALL
The comeback chat that brought Michigan’s seniors back
JOHN TONDORA
Daily Sports Editor
HOUSTON — It doesn’t matter who started the chat. No one can seem to remember anyway. It doesn’t matter who got added when, or where. That fades in and out of memory too for the seniors of the No. 1 Michigan football team. It doesn’t even matter who said yes first. It had the desired effect all the same. The old guard was coming back. “Really it was just the amount of unfinished business we left,” senior defensive lineman Kris Jenkins told The Michigan Daily. “We didn’t feel like we left enough of a legacy that we felt confident in before we left. It was just the fact that we had some unfinished business to do. We all felt that way.” It was a lofty goal. Achieving the first Big Ten Championship for the program since 2004 in 2021 — and then another in 2022 — as well as capturing Michigan’s first two berths to the College Football Playoff in back-to-back years, the now seniors and graduate students of the Wolverines had already ascended to nearly the highest of heights. But clearly it wasn’t enough for them. As each player reflected on their time at Michigan, they couldn’t stop nurturing the same sore, sour tastes: unfinished business, embarrassment, more to give, meat on the bone. A litany of phrases, all that communicated the same message. Despite being the reigning champions of the Big Ten, after a trouncing at the hands of Georgia in 2021, then a rollercoaster of a loss against TCU, the job — as any of them will tell you — felt unfinished. There was simply something missing. “We knew, especially in that last game we played with TCU, we didn’t play the game that we knew we could play,” Jenkins said. “We didn’t feel like we left it all on the table like we should have. Especially being in moments like that, we definitely wanted to come back and prove to ourselves, really just leave everything out there as a team, as players, as brothers, as a family.” So a group chat was made. And the results came in spades. “It was really like one person started (saying yes), everybody really followed suit,” Jenkins
said. “I can’t remember exactly who said ‘yeah’ first but everyone was really comparing with each other just weighing how they felt with each other and everybody agreed with that. We felt like we were all in the same problem.” It was a weighty decision, whether to stay, go onto the NFL, or lead a life outside of football entirely. For a group that had seen the lowest of lows — a 2-4 2020 season, a pay cut to their head coach, and a litany of doubts — walking away so fast wasn’t easy. In fact, it just felt off. As the group discussed back and forth about their feelings, hopes and decisions to be made, it didn’t matter who said yes first. That fact is likely lost to time, or at least, the recesses of a group chat that spent its purpose nearly a full calendar year ago. One yes came in, then another, and another, and another. And then the whole dam broke loose. Unfinished business, once a sour taste in the mouth of the Wolverines, became a rallying cry. And while the original creator of the chat may be lost, its ramifications live on stronger than ever. “Honestly, I have no clue,” Jenkins said of the chat’s maker. “I just got added on that jawn, I was like (wow). I was glad because it was at the right time because, I wouldn’t say it was a stressful time, but it was a time with a lot of questions.” Though each player had the same question, it came with different equations. For Jenkins, it was the allure of a degree — coupled with slight pressure from his mother. For others like graduate defensive back Mike Sainristil and graduate linebacker Michael Barrett, it was about leadership, camaraderie and more. For graduate interior offensive lineman Trevor Keegan and senior Zak Zinter, it was about rejoining a back-toback Joe Moore award winning offensive line. The reasons, variable and numerous, could apply to one and all. But the final piece of the puzzle had one more idea in mind. Senior running back Blake Corum, who suffered a seasonending knee injury against Illinois only one week before a signature matchup against Ohio State, had even bigger aspirations. Michigan’s steam engine in the backfield had another term
on his mind: legend status. So when a yet-unsure Trevor Keegan called up Corum, the conversation was short. “Mike already knew he was coming back,” Keegan told The Michigan Daily. “I had an idea that Kris was coming back, and Zak — we just really talked about it. I was in Florida after the game. I called up Blake and he was like ‘we doing this?’ and I was like, ‘hell yeah. Let’s do it.’ ” Sainristil set the table by committing to return before the 2022 Big Ten Championship. Meanwhile, Keegan, Zinter and others, in the few strokes of a phone’s keyboard, cleaned the plate. Finally, Corum made sure to emphatically leave no crumbs. “The Unfinished Business Chat — we basically said if we come back, we have to do it big,” Corum said. Now, Michigan stands on the precipice of a National Championship. And it stands on the shoulders of its senior giants. Empowered by its returning class, the Wolverines have ascended. The old guard group has accomplished, nearly, all of their intended pursuits. Defeating Michigan State, Penn State, Ohio State, capturing a Big Ten Championship and the first CFP Semifinal victory in Michigan history, the peak of the mountain rests in their sights. Now, in their minds, the final step is to summit it. “There were some things that we wanted to accomplish,” Sainristil told The Daily. “Just dedicating this season to doing everything necessary to win a national championship and that’s something that I wanted to be a part of and being a leader on this team I was gonna do everything I can to make sure that this team is in a position to get this thing done.” It started with a group chat. But it didn’t matter who started it first. It didn’t even matter who said yes first. It may just be lost to the back of an aged-out group chat. An aged out group-chat, but a group that refused to age out. The texts may now reside in the recesses of phone storage, or deleted altogether, but the impact remains all the same. On the eve of Michigan’s National Championship matchup against No. 2 Washington, the Wolverines’ seniors maintain they have one final shot at finishing business. That’s something that they might just be able to remember.
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Wednesday, January 10, 2024 — 11
In final game of his career, Blake Corum finishes business
CONNOR EAREGOOD
Daily Sports Writer
HOUSTON — It had to be Blake Corum. No one else could have delivered the finishing blow on the Michigan football team’s National Championship. It wouldn’t have been right. After all, it was Corum who guaranteed that the Wolverines would win it all in the first place. It was Corum who came back to see it through, turning down a surefire NFL payday to settle “unfinished business.” So 14 wins down and one to go, it had to be Corum who sealed the deal. Breaking the plane on a goal line run with 3:37 left in his college career, he plunged into the end zone, and with that, finished off all that he cared about. Michigan’s season touchdowns record? Forget about it. How about scoring the most touchdowns in a Michigan career? Not a care in the world. No, what Blake Corum came
back to do was win a national championship, something unheard of for far too long in Ann Arbor. And as he and junior quarterback J.J. McCarthy tapped their ring fingers in celebration, Corum had put the champagne kiss of a national championship on ice. In the dying minutes of a 34-13 win over No. 2 Washington, Corum led No. 1 Michigan to finish what he started. “We all knew it was gonna happen. Who else but Blake, man?” senior running back Kalel Mullings told The Michigan Daily. “He’s been doing it for four years since we’ve been here. Just so happy for all of us. This is crazy.” Crazy because it wasn’t too long ago that none of this was possible for Michigan — at least that was how it felt. Think back to 2020, when the Wolverines went 2-4 in a season that almost nuked the program. Think of how desperate Michigan was, how bad it got bullied by Ohio State in Jim Harbaugh’s first five years until finally in 2020’s pandemic season, it just gave out.
But then a freshman from Marshall, Virginia, emerged, and he built it back up better than ever. Corum was the embodiment of the work it would take to bring the Wolverines back to the top. It’s a specialty of Corum’s, really. The explosive cuts, the ability to drag opponents behind him — those are nice. But his
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FOOTBALL
On the biggest stage, Donovan Edwards finally has his moment CHARLIE PAPPALARDO
Daily Sports Writer
HOUSTON — The expectations for Donovan Edwards could not have been higher. As Michigan entered the 2023 season with already meteoric expectations and hype, everything centered around its run game. Junior and senior running backs Edwards and Blake Corum had both looked dominant. They had both taken control of, and won, games. And within the Michigan program, in the media and all over the college football landscape, the duo was hailed as the best in the country. But for the first 14 weeks of the season, half of that assessment looked premature. Corum thrived, earning numerous season and career records and shining in the season’s biggest moments. But Edwards couldn’t keep pace. His yards per carry fell to nearly half of his previous year’s totals, and he scored a measly three touchdowns. At points, even a week ago in the Rose Bowl, it looked like Edwards had become an afterthought. He wasn’t getting the touches. He wasn’t getting the yards. He wasn’t getting the spotlight, and it seemed like his star might have dimmed. And at points, that frustrated him. “I found myself, early in the year, stressing,” Edwards said. “Like, first game, OK cool, whatever. Second game, woof. Third game, yo? Fourth game like, what’s going on?” But on Monday, on the biggest stage of his life, Edwards
reemerged from backstage and took control of the show. The moment that had been expected — the moments that he was waiting and working for — finally arrived. And with its arrival came a national title. “I was so excited for Donovan because I just felt like he needed that,” Corum said. “He needed it. He’s back. Dono is back.” And it truly looked that way. All season, Edwards was just one cut, one jump, one step away from a home run. However, they’d routinely fall as fly balls instead. But on Monday, Edwards finally put the pieces together again. Four minutes into the first quarter as Michigan stormed down the field for the first time, Edwards got his first carry. A handoff from junior quarterback J.J. McCarthy, Edwards drove straight towards the pile, seemingly destined for a short gain. But he wouldn’t let the play die, so just after first contact he bounced left, found a gap and took off for six points. One pitch, one home-run scamper. And with his second appearance, he did it again. This time taking the ball at Washington’s 47-yard line, Edwards shimmied right and waltzed into the end zone untouched. In two drives, with two carries, Edwards had delivered two touchdowns. He had become the center of the show. He had created more points for the Wolverines than Washington would score. He had his moment. But even through his frustrations, his reemergence wasn’t what he thought of.
work ethic is what made Monday’s national championship possible. It’s what made him turn down an NFL payday for a championship he knew he could win. And with Corum at the lead, everything and everyone else fell into place. “For me, when we all decided to come back, we knew what it
“Is (my performance) a relief? Winning is the relief for me,” Edwards said. “… For me what has been implemented in my mind is the team’s success. I don’t care if I do bad, not no more, that comes with the game. But it’s not OK to continue to be in a slump and be pissed off at the world and be pissed off at people … Like Coach Harbaugh says, what’s good for the bee is good for the hive, and he’s darn right.” For Edwards, after a year of personal frustrations while the Wolverines soared, he finally got both. His patience paid off, and having finally summited the mountain, personally and collectively, Edwards seemed content. “I needed to have a year the way that I had this year to be able to continue to grow as a human being,” Edwards said. “ So I’m blessed. I’m happy with how everything has gone for me this far, even though it hasn’t been what I wanted it to be — I don’t care.” And after the maize confetti rained down and the trophy was hoisted, McCarthy, Corum and Harbaugh sat down and tried to make sense of what they had seen from Edwards. McCarthy contextualized things, he talked of the pride he felt for Edwards knowing how hard he worked and how much he had gone through. But Corum put it bluntly: “The Don is back.” Because after a season of frustrations and imperfections, Edwards had his moment — twice. And the aftermath was a sea of maize confetti.
took to get here, right?,” Corum said. “And when we all said we were coming back, and the guys that had no other choice but to come back, we had to pay attention to details.” Pay attention to these details: two touchdowns and 134 yards in the biggest game of his life. More importantly, 58 touchdowns and 3,737 yards in his career. Three wins over Ohio State, three Big Ten championships. And now, thanks to Corum’s game-sealing brush strokes, one National Championship. In most worlds, it shouldn’t have happened. If it were anyone else, they would’ve left last year for an NFL payday, another great Wolverine who just couldn’t get it done. But here’s the thing about Corum, he always finishes the job. That’s why he woke up at 3:30 a.m. to make it to his workouts in high school, or why he came back from a knee injury to lead Michigan to this moment. It’s why when his first crack at the
final touchdown stalled less than a yard short of the goal line, he got up off the ground and went straight to the backfield to ram it home. When Corum called it unfinished business, that’s really all he needed to say. And 3:37 after his final touchdown as a Wolverine, Corum had wrapped everything up — the game, the season, his career — with the perfect bow. As the game ended and Corum found himself enveloped in the moment, he took a moment to pray. His hard work had paid off. He had lived up to everything he promised. Then, after celebrating with his teammates, he took the stage alongside Harbaugh and his teammates as confetti fluttered around him. His teammates smiled, they cried, they all cast their eyes on Corum as he celebrated victory. He had no more to give but a closing remark: “We said we had unfinished business, so I’ll leave y’all with this: business is finished.” Consider it done.
FOOTBALL
Jim Harbaugh and the man that time forgot JOHN TONDORA
Daily Sports Editor
HOUSTON — And all was good in the world. The prodigal son had returned. He came bearing a Super Bowl appearance and a winning record from the NFL. A legendary Michigan quarterback, triumphantly returning in the program’s dire moment of need. Out of a nightmare, came a dream. “And then when I played here at Michigan as a quarterback in the ’80s, you heard it a lot, all the time — the team, the team, the team,” Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said. “And we brought that back when I came here in 2015 — the team, the team, the team.” The eras of Rich Rodriguez and Brady Hoke were no more. Losses to Ohio State, Michigan State and Penn State, were no more. Bowl losses, losing records and the strife that only comes with the life and death of college football seasons, surely, were no more. Right? Then the Wolverines had trouble with the snap. And J.T. Barrett clinched a first down. Michigan was blown out of the water 62-39 by Ohio State in the midst of a “revenge tour” in 2018, and a 2020 Wisconsin game sent the program into a downward spiral. 10 wins had once seemed like an insurmountable number for Harbaugh, but a 2-4 season felt like a death sentence. Jim Harbaugh had become the man that time forgot. After years of a resurgence that never came, suddenly things became a little more fragile. The critics creeped in a little closer. The prodigal son, once welcomed home with open arms, looked up to see a banishment staring him in the
face. Once more, the future of the Wolverines was in doubt. Now three years later, and no one could have predicted what came next. “It speaks for itself,” graduate defensive lineman Cam Goode said. “Coach Harbaugh is a great guy. I’m just blessed to have the opportunity to be here and I wouldn’t be here without him. He gave me a chance to come develop myself (and) become better. I feel like I’m an NFL player already because of him — for real.” After 2020, everything changed. Jim Harbaugh changed. Receiving a dock in pay, Harbaugh went to work. He hired new coordinators across the board. He became a fresher, more vibrant version of his football self. Vowing to beat the Buckeyes “or die trying,” in some ways, it felt as though a new coach had been hired. Unbeknownst to those outside the walls of Schembechler Hall, rarified air had once more seeped into the building. The return of key players like defensive lineman Aidan Hutchinson and running back Hassan Haskins, and the continued quarterbacking of Cade McNamara had given Michigan new footing. In some ways it was all new. Yet at the same time, it was the quintessential Jim Harbaugh. Dedicating themselves to dominating the line, the Wolverines leaned into a once-antiquated mentality. The flash of the air-raid offense, upended by the sturdy ground game. It wasn’t perfect. Michigan didn’t go undefeated from the moment it took the field in 2021. There was a loss to the Spartans and two CFP stunners to go along with it. But the culture had changed. The program had changed. “He’s the captain of this ship
and all of us are gonna ride with him,” graduate linebacker Mike Barrett said. “We all knew the kind of coach he is. He’s a players coach.” After three straight wins against Ohio State, three straight Big Ten Championships and three straight CFP appearances, there was only one step left. By the end of 2023’s calendar year, Harbaugh had already done much of what he set out to do. But there was still one box left to check. Even as he dodged allegations and served suspensions, missing a total of six games across the entire season, Harbaugh persevered until the final hour — no matter what eventually comes down the line. “Nobody wanted us to be here — nobody wanted him to be here,” Barrett said. “And to watch all the highs and lows of his career while being here is amazing to finally be able to bring this back to Ann Arbor for him — knowing that he’s an alumni, knowing that he played here.” As the clock struck 2024, Michigan’s season still lived on. The dinosaur of the CFP, stuck in the land that time forgot, had yet another, perhaps even a final, shot. This time, he didn’t miss. Three years after one of the most disastrous seasons in Michigan football history, two words will forever associate themselves with the Harbaugh era. National Championship. “For me personally, I can now sit at the big person’s table in the family,” Harbaugh said. “They won’t keep me over there on the little table anymore. My dad, Jack Harbaugh, won a national championship and my brother won a Super Bowl. It’s good to be at the big person’s table from now on.” Read more at MichiganDaily.com
FOOTBALL
Mike Sainristil caps off Michigan career with National Championship-sealing interception PAUL NASR
Daily Sports Writer
HOUSTON — Any type of game-sealing catch Mike Sainristil might have dreamed of when he came to Michigan would have looked far different than the one that occurred on college football’s grandest stage Monday night. The graduate cornerback joined the Michigan football team as a wide receiver, spending his first three seasons with the Wolverines on the offensive side of the ball. Any game winner would have come from his own quarterback, be it a buzzer-beating touchdown or a fourth-down catch to move the sticks and let his team kneel it out. Any thoughts of a game-sealing interception would have been a nightmare when he was a wideeyed freshman arriving in Ann Arbor — a bobbled catch falling into a defender’s arms or a mis-ran route handing the defense a freebie. But much can change in a matter of a few years, because under the bright lights of the National Championship in Houston, Sainristil made a game-sealing catch that was the stuff of dreams. He didn’t do it running a route, and
the catch didn’t end up in the endzone. It was an interception, and one that all-but guaranteed the Wolverines the National Championship over Washington. “Mike Sainristil, I hope somebody could go grab him and get him up here at the podium. Amazing. Amazing stalwart of a player,” Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said postgame. “… When a play needs to be made, Mike Sainristil has made it. … Huge play. The fourth-and-13 play, Mike Sainristil makes that interception, returns it down to the 6 or 7 yard line.” For Mike Sainristil, it was five years of hard work at Michigan, and 81 yards of glory. Everything he had done, with three years as a wide receiver before switching to cornerback last year, all culminated in a legacy-defining moment. The pass from Huskies quarterback Michael Penix Jr. was too high for receiver Jalen McMillan to grab, and Sainristil was in the right spot. He wasn’t always in the right spot. For years, he sought to find an identity as a receiver for the Wolverines, and made plenty of progress doing so. He learned how to find paydirt, scoring twice in his sophomore and junior campaigns. He learned how to build
on his skillset as a route-runner, going from 145 receiving yards in 2019 and 82 in the shortened 2020 year to 305 yards in 2021. But he was never the guy, he was never the centerpiece. For someone who turned out to be as skilled as Sainristil on defense — someone who became a centerpiece of Michigan’s defense — he just wasn’t in the right spot to start his career. But he was in the right spot these last two seasons. He was in the right spot when Penix’s pass in Washington’s march to bring the game back within a score in the fourth quarter went high. He caught the interception and turned on the jets. That part isn’t all that new anymore. After snagging one interception last season, the catch marked his sixth this season to tie him for third most in the country. “Another playmaker, just like Will (Johnson),” sophomore defensive back Keon Sabb told The Michigan Daily. “He was built for this moment, he’s been making plays the whole season. For him I feel like it was just another play for him just making another Mikey type of play.” It might have been just another play for someone who’s gotten an interception nearly every other game on average, but it wasn’t
just another moment. It was the moment, it was Sainristil leaving one last mark on a program he’s given so much to. He planted his foot, shifted to his right and blew past a defender near the thirty, leaving yards of green grass ahead of him. Another sight that started becoming more and more familiar as the season wore on. Totalling 240 interception return yards on the year, Sainristil grew accustomed to plucking balls out of the air and taking them for a little run in the other direction. A notable shift from his receiving days, but an essence all the same. Defending instead of route running, things are plenty different there. But when the ball finds its way into his hands, it becomes all about reaching peak speeds and finding space to dash. It was that way when he was a receiver, it is now — and it certainly was when he caught that critical pick. The forty, the thirty, the twenty. Smelling the endzone and trying to put Michigan up three scores himself, Sainristil just kept scampering down the field. Eventually, though, a defender caught up to him, stopping him just short of the endzone. But not short of a game-sealing, legacy-defining, dream-making
play that put Michigan in prime position to go up three possessions late. “It was awesome,” junior wide receiver Joe Taylor told The Daily. “Mike’s a great guy, great leader, and for him in that moment to get that, it’s not a surprise, he showed up. I thought he was gonna score but he might have got a little tired. It was awesome to see that, great leader, great person, great teammate, great everything.” Great this, great that — everything about the play was great for Michigan, and everything about Sainristil’s career was too, position changes and all.
Because when Sainristil stood to Harbaugh’s left on a stage after the game — set up in the very red zone in NRG Stadium that he took the interception return into — as Harbaugh lifted the National Championship trophy, it didn’t matter what Sainristil thought his Michigan career would look like when he was being recruited. It didn’t matter what he thought a dream catch would look like when he started playing a receiver. All that mattered is that he was living the dream — earning an interception that iced the game and a National Champion title by his name that’ll live forever.
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Wednesday, January 10, 2024
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SPORTS
WEDNESDAY
BUSINESS IS
FINISHED Charlie Pappalardo: There is no asterisk
CHARLIE PAPPALARDO Daily Sports Writer
H
OUSTON — As he sat down at his press conference, Jim Harbaugh was adamant. He had just sprinted from a Gatorade bath, watched confetti fall and hoisted the Michigan football team’s first national championship trophy in 26 years with a look of pure elation on his face. But as he spoke, he was adamant in a way he hadn’t been before. “The off-the-field issues,” Harbaugh said of the Wolverines’ sign stealing scandal. “We’re innocent and we stood strong and tall because we knew we were innocent. And I’d like to point that out. And these guys are innocent. And overcoming that, it wasn’t that hard because we knew we were innocent.” It was a shocking departure from what had been the company line. Harbaugh, his staff and his players had spent two and a half
months dodging questions about the program’s most infamous scandal. Harbaugh himself repeatedly swore that he wished he could say more, but just couldn’t. Monday, he finally did, and part of that decision has to be because he knows what’s coming. Regardless of if he stays or goes. Regardless of what exactly happened in the past that led to this entire debacle, Harbaugh knows that a narrative is coming. In fact, it started growing as soon as the salacious details of the scandal emerged, and it’s growing faster now. It then was a foreboding, selffulfilling school of thought: that no matter what the Wolverines did in 2023, there would always be an asterisk, there would always be a stain that no victory could be potent enough to remove. But now it’s a legitimate question: can Michigan’s national championship, its brightest moment in almost three decades be acknowledged without caveats. And the answer is simple — yes. There is no asterisk, and there is no
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caveat, because Connor Stalions didn’t win that trophy, Uncle T didn’t win the trophy. Hell, even Jim Harbaugh alone didn’t win the trophy — the Michigan football team did. And it has to be possible to distinguish the players and their
rightly be in trouble. But with that being acknowledged, it’s time to do away with the notion that the scandal had any tangible impact at all on what we just witnessed. Without Stalions and the sign stealing
There is no asterisk, and there is no caveat, because Connor Stalions didn’t win that trophy, Uncle T didn’t win the trophy. Hell, even Jim Harbaugh alone didn’t win the trophy — the Michigan football team did. accomplishments from the sins of the program as a whole. It is very possible, even likely, that repercussions are coming. If the Wolverines did illegally steal signs, if Stalions did sneak onto Central Michigan’s sideline — and if Harbaugh knew — Michigan will
“operation,” the Wolverines outmuscled Penn State, bested Ohio State, vanquished Alabama in overtime and trounced Washington in the National Championship. If anything, the scandal should be centered around what the
Wolverines did in past years. If the violations were committed in the years when the Wolverines stumbled just short, and in the seven least impactful games on Michigan’s schedule this year, why is this the year that deserves an asterisk? And if you truly believe that the Wolverines couldn’t have gotten past powerhouses like East Carolina, Nebraska and Minnesota without their signs, you’re deluding yourself. Michigan may have erred, and it may deserve punishment, but if the signs weren’t the reason Michigan won this year, — they won without them, they beat four of the nation’s best teams without them — then why punish the players? Why run yourself in circles debating reputation and image and legitimacy? There’s no point. Whatever you believe about the scandal, whether it correlates to the sins of the program, or the sins of Harbaugh or Stalions, it can be distinct from the national title. And that’s what the players deserve. They turned Michigan
from a 2-4 afterthought to a national champion in three years. And they won that national championship because they were the best team. That doesn’t mean the Wolverines were the perfect team. That doesn’t mean they are the most morally upstanding team. But they were the best team, and they showed up when it counted. That’s what should matter. The scandal will always be a part of the Wolverines’ season, it will have a lasting impact and it has, in many respects, made Michigan infamous once again. But you can argue about morality all you want, and all you’ll do is wind yourself up. Because that doesn’t change the fact that Michigan won all its impactful games on its own. It doesn’t change the fact Michigan won because it was better than everyone else — that needs no asterisk.
Photos: KATE HUA, ANNA FUDER/Daily Design by Lys Goldman
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