Graham Glasgow was at the end of his rope. A March 2014 arrest for drunk driving was only the start of the Michigan offensive lineman's troubles.
One year to the date after his arrest, Glasgow failed a random test for alcohol, failing his probation and extending that period by another six months.
There was another problem with his test violation: New coach Jim Harbaugh wasn't happy with his center's track record of behavior, and he wanted a dramatic change.
One idea was to move Glasgow back into the dorms. But as Angelique S. Chengelis of The Detroit News reports, the Wolverines were concerned about immersing Glasgow among such a party-centric social circuit.
So instead of freshman, Glasgow and Michigan went into an entirely different direction: They moved the fifth-year senior in with his grandmother.
Carmella is 81, enjoys aqua aerobics classes, and is known to some as "The Little Italian." She stands shy of 5-foot-2 and moved from Illinois to downtown Ann Arbor, where Michigan and Glasgow hoped she could help keep him on the straight and narrow.
Growing up, Carmella had been a common presence in Glasgow's home, since his parents were both orthopedic surgeons and had busy work schedules. That presence made it easier for Glasgow to adjust to his new roommate.
And she takes her role seriously.
"She's the nosiest person I've ever known. She has to know everything," Glasgow says. "She'll say, 'You're back a little later, why is that? Were you being smart, Graham?' Oh, Grandma."
But so far, the arrangement has been magic for both Glasgow and Carmella. He's on track to graduate with an economics degree, he's being held accountable and making better decisions, and he's playing an important role for an upstart Wolverines squad.
And Carmella? She gets a little companionship for her own favorite activities.
"At night I made him watch 'Dancing with the Stars,'" says Carmella"He'd say, 'No, no, no, I'm not going to watch 'Dancing with the Stars,' and then if he'd miss a show he'd ask, 'Who got knocked off?'"