Read a great article on this the other day.
Relationships with the colleges matter a ton. Its not just because theyre alabama players that he ignores off field stuff. He has sources there beyond the coach and players. He knows professors, janitors, secretaries, etc... taht he can ask how these kids are when no ones watching. how they are in class. are these problems big or no.
How many alabama players have we drafted then went on to get arrested or cause head aches? If ozzie trusts his sources at bama and theyve never steered him wrong on a players character, and maybe HAVE steered him away from talented bama players in the past -- its not trust the player or overlooking the red flags, its just getting deep information that he trusts.
He may not know a soul at Ole Miss and couldnt get anything reliable on Tunsil, or this player or that player.
Its not hypocritical at all.
Im sure youre quicker to forgive a brother, sister, friend, cousin, etc... for doing the same exact thing than you would a stranger. because you have the context of the mistake, you know it doesnt define that person, and others you trust also still like that person. the stranger you have no context, whether this was an isolated incident or just the 1st time they were caught -- and even if ppl tell you otherwise, if you dont know THEM well you dont know if they have alternative motives (like hyping up your program by pushing a player in the 1st round).
Ozzie has solid sources at Bama to vet this stuff that he just doesnt otherwise. Im sure Michigan is the same too. Peppers and Jourdan Lewis may not be any lower on our board than they were before, while others with similar issues may have fallen. Or maybe they did fall bc Jim verified that theyre both punks. But i guarantee theyre more confident in their evals of the Michigan kids than they are the Ohio state.