At the University of Michigan’s board of regents assembly on Thursday, June 25, interim president Domenico Grasso addressed the departure of former Michigan basketball coach Dusty May, calling the transfer a “bellwether” for college athletics.
May, who had reportedly agreed in precept to a contract extension with the Wolverines however had but to signal it, left this system on Monday, June 22. One day later, he was in Brooklyn for the NBA Draft the place his Dallas Mavericks selected his former player, Michigan forward Morez Johnson Jr., with the No. 9 overall pick.
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“Our current system is in dire need of clarity and equitable reform,” Grasso stated on the regents assembly. “Coach May told me that among his reasons for leaving were uncertainties and pressures involving the transfer portal and NIL support for student-athletes.
“He and I agree that the way forward for college sports is headed within the mistaken course.”
While Grasso did say the new “Protect College Sports Act” could provide “higher stability, clearer nationwide requirements and extra constant guidelines” to college athletics, he also said it has “deeply regarding provisions.”
“Rather than trying to conferences such because the Big Ten as fashions of athletic and educational excellence, it imposes restrictions that disproportionately have an effect on the establishment,” he said. “Among probably the most troubling provisions are focused limits on convention enlargement and realignment, in addition to dangerous restrictions on pupil athletes’ capacity to profit from extra NIL alternatives. These measures will cut back universities and conferences’ flexibility to adapt to altering situations for pupil revolutionary alternatives.
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“We want what’s best for the Big Ten and for Michigan. We are not going to sacrifice competitive advantage that we built for more than a century. We stand ready to work with legislators on a bill that will establish a system in which every university can compete and thrive for generations to come.”
May spent simply two years in Ann Arbor however made a long-lasting mark on this system. He went 64-13 throughout his time, received the 2024-25 Big Ten Tournament championship, the 2025-26 Big Ten championship and completed his time in Ann Arbor defeating UConn, 69-63, to win the nationwide championship on Monday, April 6.
U-M interim president Domenico Grasso applauds throughout a particular regents assembly at University of Michigan’s Ruthven Building in Ann Arbor on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026.
“When my family and I came to Ann Arbor two years ago, we hoped we could help bring Michigan basketball back to where it belongs,” May stated in a goodbye assertion to U-M. “This wasn’t an easy decision. An opportunity came along that was right for my family and something I felt I needed to pursue, but that doesn’t change how much these last two years have meant to us.
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“Thank you for trusting us, believing in us and making these final two years a lot enjoyable. It was an honor to educate at Michigan and put on the Block M.”
On Tuesday, June 23, Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel formally introduced assistant basketball coach Mike Boynton Jr. would be appointed as interim head coach.
That set a clock for the switch portal to open for U-M gamers on Friday, July 24, 31 days after Boynton’s appointment as interim.
Tony Garcia is the Michigan beat author for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at [email protected] and comply with him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
This article initially appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan president has strong words about state of college sports