Wolverine Digest

ESPN Analyst Bobby Carpenter Helped Rally Michigan Troops

Even when the future of the Big Ten's football hopes were uncertain, Michigan welcomed help from a traditional foe.

Eric Rutter

USA Today

Over the last month, the prospects of Big Ten football seemed bleak. Very bleak. So bleak that at one point, former Ohio State linebacker, OSU adjunct professor and radio show host Bobby Carpenter rallied the troop to push towards a fall Big Ten football season.

Initially, Carpenter didn't see much return on his effort. But he kept pushing and pushing and pushing. Carpenter sought out the help of former Michigan players, and in the long run his effort was met in kind. 

"There was a concerted effort behind the scenes, talking to some of those guys and obviously getting it out on social media,"Carpenter told Wolverine Digest. "There were a couple guys that I talked to that were trying to do what was best. I talked to media people in Indianapolis and in Detroit, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Chicago-- any place I could,"

With Carpenter acting as a general in the fight to bring back Big Ten football, Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren underwent fire from all directions. If Michigan high school football teams can play and the University of Michigan can host on-campus classes, why can't the football team compete in games? 

"When you start watching people on TV and it's college and then professional on the weekend, it was pretty good," Carpenter said. "They had zero positive tests coming in, zero guys on the COVID list, rather. Then you see high school leagues being played and little league-- I'm coaching my kids' teams. I have a couple cardiologists that coach in the league with me, and their kids are playing."

All of this anecdotal evidence compounded the fact that three other Power Five conferences are also moving forward with football. Based on that and the advanced testing measures at hand, the Big Ten finally decided to relent and announced a fall football season.

But with that announcement came the reality that Big Ten teams would be asked to play eight games in eight consecutive weeks before reaching that ninth bonus game. On the surface, that doesn't seem like much of a challenge, but even small tasks loom large in the COVID-19 era.

"It sounds like you're trying to thread a needle from a couple feet away," Carpenter said. "They didn't do themselves any favors with the scheduling. Eight games in eight weeks without a bye, that's tough. Then obviously there is the ninth game where they're going to pair up someone from the opposite division. It can be done. It will require a lot of players sacrificing and being very careful."

But up to this point, Michigan football players have sacrificed. Team captain Carlo Kemp talked about how the football squad has diligently stuck to their own devices outside of practice for the past couple months. That commitment is what has allowed for the Big Ten to move forward with football despite the unusual circumstances.

"There might be a situation where there are some teams that only play seven games and others play eight," Carpenter added. "That could be a very real possibility."

Despite the unknown, Kemp trusts that his teammates will stick to their instructions and do everything in their power for the Big Ten season to go on uninterrupted. That falls directly in line with Carpenter's recommendations as well.

"I think it can be done, but it's going to require an immense sacrifice from the guys," Carpenter said. "They'll be essentially in quarantine, practice, class, virtual class, whatever it is, wear your masks and when you're not out, you have to be in your room and not be around people that don't have your best interest in mind."

But that is a sacrifice Kemp and his Wolverine teammates are willing to make. Now that Michigan has a start date to shoot for, the team is full-speed ahead to make the most of the pandemic-impacted season. 

One they were not promised.

What do you think of the Big Ten's procedure through the pandemic? Would you have done things differently? Let us know!

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Eric Rutter
ERIC RUTTER

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