Glenn Schembechler resigns as Michigan scout after social media controversy

The son of a legendary college football coach is out of a job, just days after being hired by his father’s alma mater.

Glenn “Shemy” Schembechler – the son of longtime Wolverines manager Bo Schembechler – resigned as assistant director of football recruiting on Saturday.

The young Schembechler’s exit comes after it was discovered that there was a mass of objectionable and racist content on social media enjoyed by his Twitter account, according to multiple reports.

His Twitter account was deactivated on Saturday.

According to the Detroit News, Schembechler’s Twitter timeline featured a number of offensive and insensitive posts and “likes”, including several suggesting that slavery and Jim Crow were positive for strengthening black individuals and families. .

Schembechler’s beloved tweets were compiled over a period of years, according to Yahoo! Sports. Hundreds to thousands of those tweets were unliked Friday night before the Twitter account was shut down.

In a joint statement released Saturday, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh and athletic director Warde Manuel said Schembechler’s social media activity has “caused concern and pain for individuals” to the community :

“We are aware of certain comments and likes on social media that have caused concern and pain among members of our community,” the statement said. “Michigan Athletics is fully committed to a place where our coaches, staff and student-athletes feel welcome and where we fully support the university and athletic department’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.”

A source with knowledge of the situation told ESPN that Shemy underwent a thorough background check during the hiring process.

The hiring of young Schembechler sparked some controversy, even before his objectionable tweets were discovered. Some saw the move solely because of Harbaugh’s affection for Bo Schembechler, his former coach and mentor.

Shemy, during his brief three-day tenure with Michigan, has extensive scouting experience in the NFL, but not at the college football recruiting level.

He had been a longtime scout in the NFL, most recently with the Las Vegas Raiders until February. He has also scouted for Washington, Chicago and Kansas City.

Schembechler spent more than a decade working for the Washington organization.

Harbaugh started as a quarterback for Bo Schembechler in the 1980s.

Bo Schembechler coached Michigan from 1969 to 1989, leading the Wolverines to 13 Big Ten titles and retired as the program’s all-time leader.