The idea of recruiting top high school prospects is to convince them of why they should choose your school over others, so naturally coaches from top programs attempt to knock their rivals down a peg or two. But there’s always a line that should not be crossed with negative recruiting, and Notre Dame may have crossed it this spring.
Sam Webb, who runs Michigan’s 247Sports.com site, said on his WTKA 1050AM radio show this week that Notre Dame tried to discourage a foreign-born recruit from committing to Michigan by pointing to the high crime rate in Detroit. Here’s the message a coach supposedly delivered to the recruit, as transcribed by Dan Lyons of The Spun:
“Young man, parents of young man, you gotta be aware over there in Ann Arbor. Have you seen the crime rates in Detroit? Have you seen the murder rates, the violent crime rates in Detroit? … It just might not be a safe environment in Ann Arbor.”
Most people with a basic geographic understanding of the state of Michigan know that Ann Arbor is not all that close to Detroit (about 45 miles away), so you could easily go to the University of Michigan for four years without ever having to step foot in Detroit. However, a player from another country might not know that, which is what makes the alleged recruiting tactic seem even dirtier.
Some of the top coaches in the country have been accused of using some questionable negative recruiting tactics, but you can understand why Michigan officials would be upset if that story about Notre Dame is true.
