It was 74 seconds. 74 seconds that Mel Pearson spoke on a BTN+ broadcast during the Michigan hockey team’s March 3 Big Ten quarterfinal against Wisconsin. But those 74 seconds said a whole lot about the past 10 months for Michigan Athletics.
Because by letting Pearson represent the Wolverines on national airwaves, it showed just how little the athletic department cares about fully separating from its former coach.
There’s plenty of reasons that warrant a full divorce. WilmerHale’s May 5 report included substantiated claims that Pearson yelled at female staffers and allowed former director of hockey operations Rick Bancroft to bully them and other staffers. It includes evidence that Pearson kicked goaltender Strauss Mann off the team for raising culture concerns. It alleges that Pearson then retaliated against whistleblower Steve Shields for trying to protect those athletes.
Despite those abundant reasons to do so, Michigan can’t seem to fully cut the cord. But it needs to. Michigan fired him — three months after the report initially reached athletics director Warde Manuel’s desk — but still lets Pearson hover around the program. It can no longer allow Pearson to do so if it wants to move on. Of course, this seems obvious, right?
Michigan realizes that too.
“On Saturday night, an outside contractor assisting with the StudentU production on BTN+ initiated an interview with former head coach Mel Pearson,” athletics spokesperson Kurt Svoboda told The Michigan Daily in an email that night. “The Athletic Department was unaware of the decision that unfortunately detracted from student-athletes who are competing in the postseason. This has been addressed with our broadcast partners as part of the educational aspect of these student-led productions.”
But this misses the point. By allowing Pearson into Yost Ice Arena at all, Michigan invites these sorts of appearances in the first place. His Champion’s Box seat lies within throwing distance of the Big Ten Network’s fourth-level video booth. By allowing him to stay so close to the program, it allows his misconduct and that of Bancroft to go largely unpunished although he doesn’t work at Yost Ice Arena anymore.
And the reason Pearson and Bancroft don’t work there directly corresponds to their role in that misconduct. Records uncovered by The Daily in September proved Bancroft retired due to his role in the misconduct, enjoying an exit package of a month’s salary and his accrued vacation time. The same records request by The Daily uncovered Pearson’s termination letter too, which made it abundantly clear that he was fired due to the investigation.
“Based on the information contained in the WilmerHale report, additional information I have received and your lack of sufficient explanation for your actions and behavior, your employment is hereby terminated effective 08/05/22,” Manuel told Pearson via email, noting that a disciplinary review conference regarding Pearson’s conduct came to that conclusion.
Clearly, the athletic department read the report and thought his conduct warranted his firing. Michigan also had access to a culture survey mandated by Manuel in May 2021. According to The Athletic’s Katie Strang, 31.3% of respondents to that survey said they “personally experienced offensive, intimidating, discriminatory or harassing conduct” by Pearson when he was coach. And 37.5% witnessed that behavior toward a teammate or program staffer.
What does Pearson’s continued presence at games say to those individuals?
One might assume that Pearson is just a fan attending a game. He might not be the coach anymore, but he shouldn’t be able to just enjoy a game at Yost either. He should have lost those privileges based on the results of WilmerHale’s report, and his corresponding lack of accountability.
His actions away from game days affirm his attendance is deeper than fandom, too. In September, Pearson snuck into private practice sections of the Wolverines, watching over his old program from the stands as they worked to move on from his tenure. As a result, sport administrator Josh Richelew sent him an email Sept. 26 which The Daily received a copy of through an open records request:
“Your appointment was terminated effective 8/05/2022. Please consider this a formal notification that you are prohibited from attending practices or accessing any Athletic Department facilities and venues,” Richelew wrote. “You may attend Athletic Department public events or games with the purchase of a ticket.”
But Pearson should not be allowed at games in the first place. Because the same staffers and players who suffered under his regime are at the rink in both instances, and his attendance fails to account for what they experienced. And in reviewing the removal policies for Yost, Michigan has every right to kick him out and show that it actually cares.
“Participants and guests should not be subjected to harassment or intimidation or any other kind of disruptive behavior while attending Michigan Athletic Department events,” the policy reads. “Any fan who engages in disruptive behaviors — including but not limited to appearing inebriated; entering the field of play or throwing objects in the stands or onto the field; harassing or intimidating others; or directing profane, insulting, abusive or highly critical language at another person (such as racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic or demeaning slurs) — will be removed from the event and may face arrest and prosecution in accordance with local, state, and federal laws.”
Harassment. Intimidation.
Sound familiar?
Sure, you can argue that Pearson’s contact with players and staff is minimal if he’s just sitting in his seat as a fan. However, his appearance on the Big Ten Network broadcast treats him as something more. Michigan Athletics realizes this — just look at its statement regarding the appearance. By saying his appearance “unfortunately detracted from student-athletes who are competing in the postseason,” Michigan acknowledged the weight of his presence. Those words mean it no longer wants him present.
But its actions — or rather, inactions — speak louder.
Michigan never released a public apology to any of the affected parties listed in WilmerHale’s report. It also didn’t follow through with the recommendations the original report laid out.
Specifically, the report asked the athletic department to open a new investigation. To verify if Mann was retaliated against by Pearson when he left the Michigan program, WilmerHale suggested that Michigan open a new inquiry under Standard Practice Guide 601.90, “Protection from Retaliation.”
It’s been 10 months since that report hit athletic director Warde Manuel’s desk. Michigan has not publicly announced a corresponding investigation, and there’s no inclination that it will do so in the near future.
But all the while, Pearson has gone to games. He’s sat right across from the bench he once coached. One floor below staffers who bravely stood up to his bullying in the WilmerHale report.
It’s too late to right those wrongs and ban him this season. Twenty-one home games concluded with Saturday’s win over Ohio State. Twenty-one games and that train has left the station. This week, the Michigan hockey team will travel to Minnesota for the Big Ten Championship game instead of hosting a final game at Yost, so the time for action came long ago.
But there’s still time to make a change. No matter how much Pearson wanted to hang around the program he disgraced this season, Michigan should never have let him in. And if Michigan Athletics wants to prove that it cares, it needs to ensure he doesn’t do so in the future.
Earegood can be reached via email at earegood@umich.edu or on Twitter @ConnorEaregood.