Michigan has suffered enough. (Insider: college football).

The infractions case against the Michigan program has grown so old that if the NCAA decides to throw the book at the Wolverines, it ought to be a first-edition copy of Dostoevsky's Crime And Punishment.

When Chris Webber was stuffing the basketball into the goal in his first season wearing a bright gold Wolverines uniform--and allegedly stuffing booster Ed Martin's gold into his pockets--current UM star LaVell Blanchard was blowing out the candles on the cake celebrating his 11th birthday.

When Maurice Taylor was driving an SUV more expensive than some houses while still a power forward for the Wolverines, 2002 McDonald's All-American recruit Daniel Horton hadn't enrolled in middle school.

According to his guilty plea last month in U.S. District Court, Martin admitted to a money laundering scheme related to an illegal lottery he conducted. He lent $616,000 to Webber, Taylor, Louis Bullock and Robert Traylor while they were on scholarship at Michigan, which may rank with the most egregious breaches of NCAA regulations. In negotiating the plea, Martin agreed to cooperate with UM officials examining the case.

Though many of these offenses were committed so long ago that Michigan still was a basketball power, at least a portion fell within the NCAA's statute of limitations. Thus the organization is empowered to issue punishment if it determines rules were violated. However, if those penalties alter the competitive capabilities of the Michigan program that exists today, there will be no justice done.

In terms of NCAA penalties, Michigan got off lightly when it concluded a 1997 investigation into Martin's dealings. At that time, Martin wouldn't cooperate with the investigation, which was unable to develop the hard evidence to validate harsher punishment. Michigan was not banned from postseason play or television appearances.

No doubt the university knew there was plenty of cause for shame and should have self-imposed stiff penalties against the program, but significant pain has resulted from its decision to change coaches on the eve of the 1997-98 season. Since Steve Fisher was fired, the Wolverines are 73-78 overall and 31-49 in the Big Ten. They've made the NCAA Tournament once in five years. Prior to Fisher's dismissal, they'd been there 11 times in 13 seasons.