Desmond Howard addresses possible asterisk around national championship for Michigan
Michigan has taken on an ‘us against the world’ mantra with many across college football indicting the Wolverines following their sign-stealing scandal. That includes those who would dismiss a national title for the maize and blue if they were to win the College Football Playoff.
However, as Desmond Howard explained on ‘The Pat McAfee Show’ last week, it’s just the response of doubters. No matter what happens for the Wolverines in the next week, he says there will be a group that will argue whatever they may accomplish.
“I believe that you’re gonna have what we call haters,” said Howard. “I mean, there’s nothing, there’s absolutely zero that will change their mind, no matter what happens moving forward, right?”
Still, as Howard continued, he also doesn’t understand why an asterisk would be necessary.
As we all know, some misconduct went down in Ann Arbor in connection to the scheme involving Conner Stallions. From then on, though, every opponent was aware of that situation, made their own necessary adjustments, and subsequently lost to Michigan after.
With the scandal out in the open, and with Jim Harbaugh off the sideline in some of those games because of that, Howard explained how Michigan continued to prove their worth.
“If you look at the big picture? I mean, we’re all football guys. We know the sport. This story broke, and they were playing Michigan State that night, right? The next week, they played Purdue. After that, they played Penn State, they played Maryland. After that, they played Ohio State,” recalled Howard. “When we were on set when it broke and everyone was talking about this and that? I said, ‘Well, guys, you know what?’. I said the silver lining right now is that, moving forward? There are no more excuses because everything is out there, right? If you think they were stealing signs? It’s done now.”
“They got Conner Stallions. You can change your plays, you can change the signals – whatever you have to do because you have that sort of time. So, moving forward, it’s a clean game, right? Then they took care of Michigan State that night, they beat Purdue. But then, on top of everything, (Tony Pettiti) suspended Harbaugh for three games. He’s suspended them for the toughest part of their schedule,” Howard said. “What did they do? They ran the ball down Penn State’s throat for 32 straight plays in the second half and beat them with the substitute teacher. And then went to Maryland and beat Maryland with the substitute teacher and then they hosted Ohio State.”
Some critics of Michigan will denounce anything they do in the playoff tonight or, potentially, next week. If the Wolverines accomplish their mission after all of this season’s circumstances, though, Howard doesn’t know how one would even begin to do that.
“I would say with everything that they had going to against them, how could you put an asterisk by anything within the accomplishments they did?” asked Howard. “They’re not stealing signs no more. They did it with the interim head coach.”
“If you beat Alabama and you win the national championship game? I think that’s probably one of the most incredible runs we’ve ever seen of any team that’s crowned national champs.”