Son of Legendary Coach Schembechler Resigns at U of M After Offensive Social Media Activity

ANN ARBOR—A son of longtime Michigan football coach Bo Schembechler has resigned from his position with the Wolverines, with the school saying it was aware of his social media activity that may have caused “pain” in the community.

KEY POINTS:

• Glenn Schembechler, the son of legendary U of M football coach Bo Schembechler, stepped down just days after being hired as Michigan football’s assistant director of recruiting.
• The Detroit News reported that Schembechler’s Twitter feed contained posts and likes of offensive material, including some that suggested slavery and Jim Crow were positives to strengthen Black individuals and families.
• In a statement, Schembechler said he had “inexplicably and irresponsibly” liked items on social media.

Glenn “Shemy” Schembechler stepped down Saturday, just days after he had been hired as assistant director of recruiting on Jim Harbaugh’s staff.

The Detroit News reported Saturday that Schembechler’s Twitter feed contained posts and likes of offensive material, including some that suggested slavery and Jim Crow were positives to strengthen Black individuals and families.

“We are aware of some comments and likes on social media that have caused concern and pain for individuals in our community,” Harbaugh and athletic director Warde Manuel said in a 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.”

Schembechler played for his father, who coached Michigan from 1969-89, and was later an NFL scout. In a statement released Sunday night, Schembechler said that his life, and that of his father and family, has been devoted to the best in people, regardless of their race or religion. He said he had “inexplicably and irresponsibly” liked items on social media.

“What I do for a living is far less important than for people to know what is in my heart, and has been … instilled in me by my pioneering father,” said Schembechler’s statement released by the public relations firm of Rose + Allyn. “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 … . 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.”

Schembechler went on to apologize “profusely” to anyone he had offended and said he was hoping for “forgiveness based on my expansive life’s work, and not any moment of indiscretion.”