Ray's departure not what 'M' needs

It was the Michigan football team's anguish at the loss of a leader.

In front of an anxious horde of reporters, Michigan coach Lloyd Carr announced that safety Marcus Ray was suspended for allegations of dealings with an agent.

Mark Snyder Mark My Words

When confronted with the NCAA suggestions, Ray denied the issue. Michigan athletic director Tom Goss approached him with the news, at which point Ray was "shocked by it," Goss said.

"He expressed opposition" to the news, Goss said.

So now Michigan sits in an NCAA-induced purgatory.

Over the next few days, the athletic department's compliance officers will decide whether the allegations are accurate.

The problem for Michigan is than they have to decide who is telling the truth. The NCAA was tipped off to the situation by an unknown source before passing all of its facts on to Goss.

And so the waiting game begins.

Until there is a resolution, Michigan must move forward without its heart and soul. Therein lies the biggest problem with this situation - that hole Ray leaves behind.

As a defender on the field, Ray is an All-America candidate, guiding the defense from his safety position. While strategy rarely emanates from the strong safety, Ray is a hero because he knows what is going to happen and then he puts a stop to it.

He makes plays. Remember two years ago at the Horsehoe in Columbus when Ray sealed the victory with an interception? Or last year when he licked 13 Fighting Irishmen just two weeks before picking off two passes against Michigan State? When Michigan is down, and needs a spark, he steps up.

DeWayne Patmon, who missed most of the championship season with a broken leg, will try to step into Ray's on-field position. There is little doubt Patmon can play the position. Michigan's secondary is one of its strongest areas, even with its depleted ranks. But you don't replace an All-American just like that.

The grooming process Ray went through for five years led to this point. He slaved for four years to have it all, to be a senior captain and lead by example.

This wasn't supposed to happen to him.

Ray is one of the personalities on this team. Always quick with a joke or a smile, he can ease tensions - both positive or negative as the past two months have shown - while still toeing the company line.

But leading off the field is where Ray's absence is deadly.

Ray carries the swagger and confidence of the defense. Despite the recent rash of injuries, he held the patchwork defense together. And two weeks ago, after Michigan's heartbreaking loss to Notre Dame, he was the first to say 'We'll be back.'

But until this situation reaches its conclusion, he can't do any of those things. He's a spectator, just like the rest of us, watching a Michigan team in search of its first victory.

And that may be the biggest irony of all.

If Michigan had won its first two games, overwhelmed Notre Dame on the road and Syracuse at home, and played flawless football, it might have all been for naught.

Right now, Ray has been declared ineligible by Michigan, pending further investigation. But in the NCAA's eyes, his mere presence - should the allegations prove true - would force forfeits on those games anyway.

Adding to the present scenario of failure surrounding the program, devastation such as this only makes things worse.

The pressures of agents and professional football abound - especially when your best friend (Charles Woodson) is an all-world rookie for the Oakland Raiders.

Distractions are inevitable.

Michigan did what it could, preparing the players with lectures from the FBI and NCAA about sanctions and legalities, but policing every athlete is beyond their means.

Goss said the Athletic Department paid closer attention last year as the spotlight on Woodson grew, but there was only so much they could do to combat possible problems.

There is no question Marcus Ray knows about the real world. For five years, he has sat through the lectures on agents, drugs and gambling, soaking up the warnings.

Even inside the Schembechler Hall fortress, despite the stringent restrictions placed on Michigan players when it comes to public comments, Ray knows the rules.

But with his suspension, it may not matter.

- Mark Snyder can be reached via e-mail at msnyder@umich.edu.

09-18-98