Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh is thawing relations between the school and one of its most famous athletes.
According to Michigan Insider’s Sam Webb, Harbaugh appeared on WTKA’s The M Zone to invite former Wolverine basketball star Chris Webber back to campus as an honorary captain next season, an offer Webber accepted.
. @CoachJim4UM just came on @The_MZone on WTKA and invited @realchriswebber to be an honorary captain for a game next year, and Webber accepted. He will be back on Michigan's campus next football season pic.twitter.com/dCUWIU7IeX
— Sam Webb (@SamWebb77) June 22, 2018
This is quite a significant deal considering Webber has been estranged from Michigan athletics since his implication in a booster scandal roughly 15 years ago. Webber and the rest of the Fab Five were actually forced to disassociate for ten years as part of the NCAA penalty, but while the other four members embraced Michigan again after that period ended in 2013, Webber has never returned to campus. While he has supported the basketball team from afar, he’s made it clear that he feels that he isn’t properly appreciated by the school.
Michigan writers immediately took note of the thaw, and pointed out how interesting it was that the football program forged a breakthrough after repeated, ill-fated efforts on the basketball side of things.
Fascinating. A reconnection with Webber has been broached and rejected many times on the basketball side. Most recently, members of the Fab Five held a symposium to mend old wounds. Webber passed. https://t.co/rE8eSAcBH6
Harbaugh reaches out, and suddenly it’s a’go. https://t.co/cfQN5imtbL
— Brendan F. Quinn (@BFQuinn) June 22, 2018
Webber returning to Michigan, even if it’s associated with the football team, is a major breakthrough. That said, there’s no guarantee that it will end his ongoing feud with one of his Fab Five teammates.
