Michigan AD Warde Manuel denies apology to Chris Webber
Chris Webber is one of the greatest power forwards of all time. He was a big part of Michigan’s ‘Fab Five’ in 1992 and 1993. Webber was the first overall pick in the 1993 NBA Draft, won rookie of the year, and has a successful basketball career at every level. Now, Webber’s legacy is tainted after being linked to a scandal that involved taking money from former Michigan booster Ed Martin. After Webber said that Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel apologized to him, Manuel denied that an apology was issued, according to Angelique S. Chengelis and James Hawkins of The Detroit News.
Webber was indicted in 2002 for obstruction of justice and lying to a grand jury. He eventually pled guilty to criminal contempt. Michigan stripped Webber’s stats from its record books, and the 1992 and 1993 Final Four appearances were vacated. The NCAA mandated that Michigan disassociate itself for 10 years through May of 2013.
Manuel: ‘I made no apology’ to Webber
Earlier in the week, Webber said that Manuel apologized for the way Michigan handled his investigation.
“I was told by the athletic department at the University of Michigan that he was sorry,” Webber said.
Manuel, though, had a different story to tell. He said that he did not apologize to Webber and went on to congratulate him on his upcoming induction into the Hall of Fame.
“I enjoyed the conversation with Chris when we met sever years ago,” Manuel said. “But I can assure you I made no apology to Chris. And for those who may be curious, I never asked him to apologize to the University of Michigan.
“I wish Chris nothing but the best, and I’m happy that he’s being inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.”
The scandal caused Webber’s relationship with the team to sour
The article by The Detroit News said that Webber’s involvement in the scandal resulted in a strained relationship with his former teammates.
“Webber’s role in the scandal tainted the group’s legacy and strained his relationship with his former teammates,” the article said. “He was the lone member of the Fab Five who didn’t have a presence at an October 2016 campus forum celebrating the 25th anniversary of the teams; he didn’t respond to invitations. Nor did he participate in a documentary on the team.
“It wasn’t until three years ago Webber made his return to Michigan’s campus, when he accepted an invitation from football coach Jim Harbaugh to be an honorary captain at the game.”
Nobody other than Manuel or Webber knows the real story of how their conversation went. But now, it appears that the two are in disagreement on whether or not an apology was issued.