Richard Rodriquez can coach.

For $2.5 million a season he had better. 

Michigan has a great strength and conditioning coach.  Mike Barwis is as good as it gets.

Real professionals.

Small problem.  The players at the University of Michigan are not professionals.  They are students first, then football players.  This probably comes as a major shock to most of the people who post to Michigan internet web sites, but it is reality.

And, no, not everybody breaks the rules on the number of hours players can work out, which is the gist of today's stories in the Detroit Free Press which quote present and former players on the extent of the Wolverines' cheating.

freep.com/article/20090829/SPORTS06/9082...

Yes, cheating.

NCAA rules say the most players can be required to work out in the off season is eight hours a week, the most time players can spend in off field activities during the season is twenty a week or four hours a day.  And coaches can't participate in organized off season practices.

It appears from the report Michigan is not just breaking each of these rules, but tap dancing on top of them.

And, no, not every team does.  In fact, if you read the message boards the main reaction to the story has been to complain that Lloyd Carr's staff didn't make these demands of players.

The Free Press story is most damning when players who have not complained were interviewed previously about the off field demands of playing at Michigan.  Not knowing the rules, most described a regime which clearly crossed the boundaries of what the NCAA will permit.

Michigan now says it will self investigate the allegations by going back to the team and interviewing players who already were made to sign statements that the team is in compliance.  But the NCAA can, and should, step in to conduct an independent investigation.

Why?

Because at the end of the integrity of any sport relies heavily on a level playing field.  Sure some schools have more money, better coaching staffs, and state of the art facilities.  But all of them should be working under the same rules.

Rodriquez is undoubtedly a good football coach, a motivator and X's and O's expert.  But how good is he or his program really, if he gets to his goals by taking advantages other schools don't and exploiting young players who don't dare buck the system?

There is something more important to consider.  Something that the Rich Rodriquez' of the world forget.  The players they recruit are not professionals.  The rules are there to protect the players, to make sure they have time to be students.

There is an alternative for Rodriquez and Barwis.  Go play with the big boys.  Take jobs in the NFL with real professionals.  There you can demand unlimited effort from players.  There you have total committment of time and resources.

And thirty-one other coaches with the same advantages.

It is, as Shakespeare said, a consummation devotely to be wished.