C-Webb back in town

I honestly feel bad for Chris Webber. He's really gotten the bad end of the whole Ed Martin scandal. Most people blindly call him guilty without knowing the true facts of the situation. Let me enlighten...

Webber began taking loans from Ed Martin at about age 13. This was far before Michigan was even in the picture. Ed Martin loaned money out to all kinds of inner-city kids. Some of them became great basketball players and some of them didn't. Ever wonder why 3/4 of the people accused in the situation were from Detroit?? Martin was well-known among Detroit inner-city youth as a very wealthy, nice guy. He gave money to families that needed it. He was ridiculously rich, and he loaned out money that he didn't need at the time, but knew he would need/get in the future. It was a pretty good deal for all involved, really. Ed Martin never once gave money to the University of Michigan, but he was a fan. The scandal began when Steve Fisher began leaving tickets for Martin. When he did this, Martin became classified as some sort of booster (there are different booster classifications). The ironic part is that had Webber gone to MSU, MSU would probably be in the same boat. Do you think the MSU Athletic Department wouldn't have given Martin tickets if he wanted them? Martin NEVER paid Webber to go to Michigan and anyone saying so is completely ignorant. If you're going to pay someone to pick your school, you give them a thousand bucks. You don't give them $200,000. That's way too easy to trace.

The situation is very complicated. People always complain that Michigan got off easy. The fact is that they could've easily fought the whole deal and probably gotten off without any sanctions. Martin really wasn't a booster. If there's anyone to blame in this whole situation, it's Steve Fisher. Fisher gave Martin tickets, probably fully-well knowing that he had given Webber money. Had he not done this, there would be no scandal.

So, needless to say, I'm cheering hard for Webber. An apology would go a long ways.. but I realize there's legal ramifications in doing so. Webber was the #1 player coming out of HS (by a mile), he had the chance to be a legend in Detroit. If he brings a championship back to Detroit, he will become one. Here's to hoping he does.