Amidst a sea of Michigan fans, alumni and supporters, former Wolverine football superstar Braylon Edwards hosted a charity basketball game on Saturday at Crisler Arena.

But before the festivities, Edwards and ex-Michigan running back Mike Hart didn't hold back their sentiments regarding the current condition of the Michigan football program.

"I just want to see how they bounce back," Hart said. "It's always hard to see your alma mater when bad things are being said about it. You never want to see that. But it's done, it's over with ... They just need to come back from it."

In May, Michigan admitted it had committed a slew of NCAA violations, leading to self-imposed and future NCAA-imposed sanctions. But until the NCAA's response is revealed, fans, coaches and former players — like Edwards and Hart — will continue to voice their opinions, favorably or not.

According to Edwards, "there will be no excuses this year" for Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez.

"He has to put them in a position to win games and if he doesn't, he's in trouble and that's just not me," Edwards added. "That's how the alumni feel. He has to win games and especially the you-know-what game."

Despite the media scrutinization of the University and the football program, both Edwards and Hart still reiterated their support for their alma mater.

"I feel like RichRod was trying to get the guys ready and I feel like sometimes, when you're in that atmosphere, sometimes you go over and it's not on purpose," Edwards said. "It's not as though you write it down and you go, 'Today, we're going to go over by two hours, tomorrow, we're going to go over by three hours.' You're trying to get a team ready, trying to get a team prepared to be the best in the country."