Some members of Michigan's football team have adopted a wallaby. Well, those guys actually think they adopted a kangaroo, but the general consensus is that they actually own a wallaby. (The folks at the San Diego Zoo have an explanation on the difference between a wallaby and a kangaroo.)
The distinction is probably not important to them: The animal is from Australia, is a marsupial, and it is awesome. Junior running back Wyatt Shallman posted a picture to Instagram that shows him posing with the newest member of the Wolverines family:
Shallman, who lives in a house with several other members of the Michigan football program, doesn't say where he got the wallaby.
It doesn't seem to be illegal, since there are pet wallaby breeders based in Michigan, but if we're assessing the wisdom of adopting a pet wallaby while playing college football, that might be subject to debate.
Quarterback Shane Morris, who lives in the house with Shallman, doesn't seem to think the wallaby is the greatest idea in the world:
My dad instincts are coming out right now and I really don't approve of @J_Wangler16 owning a wallaby in our home. pic.twitter.com/7NkdZ2YVG5
— Shane Morris (@ShaneMorris_7) June 26, 2015
Similarly, it's doubtful Michigan's football program has a written rule addressing wallabies as pets -- yet, anyway.
But now that the public knows about the wallaby situation, Shallman had better be careful and take proper care of the wallaby. If he's irresponsible about his new pet, animal activists will be eager to take him to task over it.
It doesn't take much common sense to know that college football players and wallabies probably don't mix well. Jim Harbaugh can't be thrilled about the potential distractions this creates.
