Adam Glanzman - Flickr

John Beilein
 

When federal prosecutors dropped their bombshell on college basketball two weeks ago, they also suggested that additional charges will be forthcoming in their investigation of fraud and corruption in the recruiting process. Acting U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim even said, "If you yourself engaged in these activities, I'd encourage you to call us. I think it's better than us calling you."

Kim and his colleagues at the FBI should not be expecting such a call from Michigan coach John Beilein.

John Beilein

"I didn't like what happened," Beilein said. "But I sure didn't lose any sleep that night. And that's a great feeling."

Beilein made his comments during his talk about integrity at the annual Michigan Sports Business Conference.

In a survey that CBS Sports published in August, Beilein was voted the "cleanest" coach in the NCAA by his peers. CBS asked more than 100 coaches, "Who is the high-major coach you genuinely believe does everything by the book and operates completely within the NCAA's rulebook?"

With 26.6 percent of the vote, Beilein was the landslide winner. Mike Brey of Notre Dame was second at 10.5 percent, and none of the other coaches cracked double digits.

CBS quoted another coach about Beilein: "Personally, we've gone up against him [in recruiting] ... and there's never been any issues. You go head-to-head with some of these guys, and you know what's going on. ... But nothing has popped up that's even been in the gray area [with Michigan]."

After the FBI announced arrests and charges against four assistant coaches and an Adidas executive, Beilein didn't sound particularly sympathetic.

"If people are committing felony crimes in our business, then get them the heck out of our business," Beilein said. "If that's what's happening."

Why FBI Needed To Keep NCAA In The Dark On Its Recruiting Investigation