There is a saying: “when people show you who they are, believe them.” Glenn “Shemy” Schembechler III, son of the late legendary University of Michigan football coach Glenn Edward “Bo” Schembechler Jr., is apologizing for “liking” social media posts deemed transphobic, that advance political conspiracies and that are racially insensitive; including some which implied slavery and Jim Crow aided the strengthening of Black people and families.
“By inexplicably and irresponsibly liking things on social media I owe an unabashed and unequivocal apology to my hundreds of friends and fellow coaches in the Black community, all communities, the University of Michigan, my father’s legacy and my family,” Shemy wrote in his apology statement.
“Any words or philosophies that in any way seek to underplay the immeasurable suffering and long-term economic and social inequities that hundreds of years of slavery and the ‘Jim Crow’ era caused for Black Americans is wrong.”
“I was wrong. We must never sanitize morally unsanitary, historical behaviors that have hindered the Black community, or any other community. There are no historical silver linings for the experience of our brothers and sisters.”
This Is PR Spin
That is straight from public relations 101. No, actually. The apology statement was made through Rose + Allyn Public Relations. It is unlikely Shemy believes any of the words in that apology, given that he liked the posts in the first place.
Trying to frame his actions as irresponsible liking of social media posts is a copout and avoids him taking any real responsibility. Shemy is 53 years old. We allow teenagers the grace of making mistakes on social media. But not an adult at his age who clearly approves of the messages in the social media posts, otherwise he wouldn’t like them.
Shemy was hired last week by Michigan as the assistant director of football recruiting. He has stepped down from that role. A formality because the university was going to have no choice but to fire him for this.
Michigan Made A Series Of Missteps
The Michigan athletics department needed to do a better job of vetting this man, who would be involved directly in the recruitment of Black players. But being the son of the “great” Bo Schembechler likely afforded him a different review process.
“We are aware of some comments and likes on social media that have caused concern and pain for individuals in our community,” head coach Jim Harbaugh and athletics director Warde Manuel said in a joint statement. “Michigan Athletics is fully committed to a place where our coaches, staff and student-athletes feel welcome and where we fully support the University’s and Athletic Department’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.”
More hollow words crafted from a public relations staffer. If the university was committed to diversity and inclusion their vetting process would have been better. It’s not hard to find someone’s social media history.
Also hiring Bo Schembechler’s son was a horrible decision on its face. Hundreds of former Michigan players came forward in the last few years alleging sexual abuse by former team doctor Robert Anderson. Many of those players also allege Bo and athletics director Don Canham knew of the doctor’s behavior and did nothing to stop it.
One of those survivors who alleged abuse by Anderson and knowledge by Bo was Matt Schembechler, Bo’s adopted son and Shemy’s stepbrother.
The scandal resulted in a $490 million settlement between the school and more than 1,000 survivors last year.