So what do we do about athletes behaving badly?
If I’m a Georgia fan, here is what would drive me absolutely nuts:
We just watched our 40-year-old athletics director commit career suicide for making foolish decisions about alcohol and his personal life. It cost him a salary of $550,000 per year and untold other benefits in the future. It also embarrassed the hell out of him and his family. There are no adjectives to fully describe how bad it was and there is no way to truly quantify how much it will ultimately cost Damon Evans both professionally and financially.
In short, it was really, really bad. It was kind of thing you probably wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy.
So if you’re an athlete at the University of Georgia and you’ve seen one of the most high-profile employees of the school lose almost everything in the space of a few days, wouldn’t it occur to you to be a LITTLE more careful in your behavior–at least for a couple of weeks?
Wouldn’t you say to yourself: “Self, if that can happen to Damon Evans, it sure could happen to me! One day he was running the whole athletic department, making good money, living in a great house, and driving a BMW. Man, he had it all and now he’s GONE! Guess I’d better watch it for a while until things calm down.”
If you were an athlete at the University of Georgia, wouldn’t you at least THINK about that?
Apparently not. Two players were arrested Sunday on alcohol-related charges. They have been suspended from the team. As Mark Bradley points out, that makes seven arrests this year for Georgia football players.
Here is what would drive me crazy if I was a Tennessee football fan: In 2007 we were two bad passes away from winning the SEC championship. Now we’re working under our third head coach in three years. The whole world is telling us that we’ll be lucky to win five games in 2010 but we do have some hope.
Derek Dooley is now our head coach which means that an adult is back in charge. Dooley has made it clear that a change in culture is coming. If you are a Tennessee player and you liked the culture of the previous guy, you’ll find him out on the West Coast serving two years of NCAA probation. Feel free to join him. But if you stay here you better understand that there is a new sheriff in town.
If you’re a Tennessee player wouldn’t you think that maybe–just maybe–it would be a good idea to be careful because a lot of people are watching and this Dooley guy is not kidding around?
Apparently not. The other day Tennessee fans had to look at the searing images of two players covering their faces from photographers as they left a detention facility in Knoxville. An off duty police officer was sent to the hospital while trying to break up a fight in a bar. Media reports say Tennessee players were involved. To what extent will be determined in the future by local law enforcement. One guy has already been kicked off the team.
Needless to say it was a setback for Dooley’s attempt to change the culture of Tennessee football.
Here is where I think we are on this issue.
The vast, vast majority of college student athletes behave themselves and accomplish great things on the field and in the classroom. There are some amazing kids who participate in college sports. We should never forget that.
But within this large universe of good kids, there is a subset of people who participate in college athletics who cannot or will not draw a straight line between actions and consequences. They believe, for whatever reason, that their talent makes them bullet proof and unaccountable. And in some cases they are right. And when they are right, that’s when the adults have to take an integrity check.
It’s easy for me to write this. My professional future is not resting on the behavior of an 18-year-old kid whose ego was so pumped up during the recruiting process that he thinks the rules don’t apply to him. It’s easy for me to say that you send the kid packing and let him figure out his future far, far away from your campus.
But I don’t think you ever get a handle on that subset of problem children unless you have a conversation with them that goes something like this:
Young man, you are blessed with enormous talent. But you have a decision to make. Which do you want to do more: Play football and go to school OR engage in anti-social and potentially criminal activity? You can’t do both. If you want to play football we have a great opportunity here and we would love to have you with us because, as I said, you are very talented and we believe you could be very successful as an athlete and as a student.
But if you embarrass our football program and our university, your athletic career can be ended right here and right now. You know that NFL dream you’ve had since you were little? It won’t happen because the pros have decided they are fed up with the Michael Vicks and the Ben Roethlisbergers, and the Pac-Man Joneses of the world. These guys do more background research on a potential NFL Draft pick than the U.S. Senate does on a future Supreme Court justice. They will come to us and ask us what we think of you. And we will tell them the truth.
So on draft day, when you go in the fifth round after your agent said you were a lock to go in the first, you’ll know why.
Now is this kind of harsh? Yeah, I guess it is. Would this potentially hurt a school in recruiting? With a certain kind of kid, probably so.
But Mark Bradley also pointed out in a recent column that one of the reasons Evans had to go was because he was in a leadership position and had seriously damaged the “brand” of the University of Georgia. And that is a really big deal. Do we not hold high-profile student athletes to the same standard? And if we don’t, is it because we think it’s easier to replace an athletics director than a great wide receiver? Again, it’s the adults who are paid to make the tough decisions.
And don’t tell me that this happens everywhere. I know it does. And don’t tell me that some schools are better at covering it up than others. That may be true. Is that the rationale you want to hang your hat on: That everybody does it and some are just better at getting away with it?
But on this issue, fans and media are often guilty of wanting to have their cake and eat it too. When the left tackle gets into trouble and embarrasses your university, you want him gone–right now. But when the backup left tackle gives up four sacks in the next game and your team loses, the coaches suddenly become stupid people and should be replaced.
We can’t have it both ways. Like we just told the athlete who behaves badly, we have a choice. We either want discipline or we don’t. If we do, then we have to be adults and live with the consequences. And if we don’t, we also have to be prepared to live with the consequences as well.
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206 comments Add your comment
LowerTheDrinkingAge
July 13th, 2010
9:32 am
Most of these problems aren’t problems if we all deal with the reality that college age kids drink, 21 or not. In the last UGA incident, there would have been only one arrest if Elizabeth Dole would have kept her gaping whole shut. The DUI is inexcusable, especially in Athens where you can get a cab 24/7, but to come down hard on a kid for an MIP is crazy. I’d hate to think that I was possibly jeopardizing my career by drinking in college–that’s dumb. We all do stupid stuff–that’s sort of the point of college. I don’t see the point in pretending that these athletes are somehow different just because endow them with scholarships to perform for our pleasure (and in Tony’s case, his livelihood). Plus, doesn’t the NCAA require schools to treat student/athletes just like regular ole students? Regular ole students don’t get their heads knocked off for stuff like this. They deal with the legal consequences–which is pretty rough in the case of a DUI–and get on with their lives…but what the hell do I know? Off with their heads!
Brand Loyalty
July 13th, 2010
9:33 am
If you look at the big picture (20+ years) I would say Damon was only being loyal to the brand not damaging it. So were the 2 guys last week. So were all the “fans” who trash the campus on game day (and get trashed). It’s the UGA “brand” plain and simple.
Not a UGA fan
July 13th, 2010
9:35 am
All of you people crucifying UGA and Richt are absolutely insane. You want them (and their athletes) held to a higher standard than any other school playing BCS-caliber football.
The fact is that Athens and UGA police place a great deal of emphasis on stopping alcohol-related offenses. That comes from the top down in both the city/county government, as well as the university. They spend a great deal of resources on this and take basically a zero-tolerance approach. More so than just about any other college town in America. And the big city schools have bigger issues for their police force to deal with (theft, violence, etc.).
Miles
July 13th, 2010
9:36 am
Let’s not forget that college football players are on athletic scholarships, not academic scholarships. Thus, the criminal element aspect should come as a surprise to noboody, especially you, Mr. Barnhart.
RxDawg
July 13th, 2010
9:38 am
“Just thinking”
Do you really think if those kids sign that paper, that it will deter them from drinking 1 or 2 years later downtown one night? Heck, I’d bet they already sign something like what you describe. If you stick a cat in a room full of mice, eventually the cat is going to have a mouse. Especially if it’s 85 of em.
The “solution” to all of this goes deeper then this blog. Alcohol has always been looked at as a legal entity rather than a health entity in this country. Our towns and roads are built to accomadate people with cars, and are thus very spread out. The mass transit in every town pretty much stinks. Take a look at some of our Europeon counterparts for an example. Madrid has a subway system that looks like the central nervous system, I’ve seen it and it’s impressive. They all have lower drinking age laws and drinking laws in general, yet they all have less problems and alcoholics? These are all things that make me go hmmm.
Charlie Bama
July 13th, 2010
9:38 am
Drinking? Change the age for doing it? Seriously? In this discussion about discipline, that’s like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. Dumb is the pivotal element here. Face up to it, none of the football players recruited for big time programs like the SEC, Big Tin, Big 12(-2) are sought after for their smarts. NONE of them. Many may well be very smart, but that was NOT their foot in the door.
RomeDawg
July 13th, 2010
9:42 am
Beast of the East,
You may be one of the last people that can come on a this blog to make a comment about UGA our “brand” being compromised to win a few games. Brandon Spikes ring a bell. And what was Coach Meyer’s way to handle it? Yes, Coach Meyer was ready to tarnish the Florida Gator brand to win a game. Most college athletes are being arrested for alcohol related crimes. What percentage of other college students are getting drunk in the bars? Mr. Jackson made things much worse by driving and that’s inexcusable but most of these athletes are just doing what other 20 year old college kids are doing.
im4bama
July 13th, 2010
9:48 am
Here’s what you do Tony.. You teach teach their sorry ass a lesson. I believe everybody deserves at least one chance if they do something that’s minor (drinking), but if they have really crossed the line like guys at Tennessee (armed robbery and gang beatings), then you kick their thug asses off of the free ride.
RxDawg
July 13th, 2010
9:51 am
We’ve have slowly striped more and more responsibilites from the teen populations over the years. We continue to raise the driving age, the drinking age, etc. So is it that surprising that “kids” getting to college aren’t as resonsible these days? We keep postponing “growing up” all in the name of self rightousness. Ya know it wasn’t that long ago that 16 year olds were considered very adult. Most were married, owning a house, and starting a career. Society has pushed all of that back, and delayed “growing up”. Maybe it’s time we tear some pages out of all the laws that are layed upon us. It’l never happen because our political system is set up to add laws, not remove them. But this citizen thinks it should.
Villanova alum, ATL resident and college football fan
July 13th, 2010
9:53 am
If anyone wants to criticize Richt for anything, criticize him for not getting control of the local law enforcement the way Meyer has in Gainesville. That seems to be what the people want.
Lewis
July 13th, 2010
9:53 am
Until the big alumni booster groups, the season ticket holders and others who pour the money into the coffers of the football program decide they want a higher standard upheld this will continue to be normal. We are just hearing about the guys who get caught, so one can suspect much more is going on we never hear of but that other students at school see and are aware of. When I went there we all heard or saw how the players behaved, it was no secret how they got away with all sorts of poor behavior. This is big business and that tends to determine what response the school makes. You have coaches and athletic directors making huge sums of money for bringing in huge amounts of money. The choice is between enforcing a higher set of standards or perhaps losing money. Usually standards go by the wayside in such situations.
DirkDawggler
July 13th, 2010
9:56 am
Coach Richt should gather all the players (if he hasn’t done this yet) and proclaim something akin to this: “Gentlemen, I am asking you to NOT drink any alcohol as long as you represent the University of Georgia. If you do, do so at your own peril. If you must, do it within the walls of your own dwelling. But the consequences while you are under scholarship at the University of Georgia if you do anything that embarasses yourself or this institution will be a 6 game suspension if you are caught doing anything illegal regarding alcohol. Second alcohol-related offense will result in dismissal. Period.”
Too harsh? Perhaps. Effective? Don’t know, but that’s the goal, right?
Galleria
July 13th, 2010
9:59 am
Hahaha, “if I’m a Georgia fan…”
GTPHISH
July 13th, 2010
10:00 am
Build an adjunct-jail complex in the athletic dorms
Damon
July 13th, 2010
10:01 am
Misbehaving college athletes are a reflection of the college LEADERSHIP.
By the way, I Luh You Coat-Knee!
Rob
July 13th, 2010
10:02 am
Great article!! High profile athletes sometimes forget where they came from and how they got there. I love it when I see schools and pro teams hold them accountable for their actions even if it costs them in the win/loss column. Integrity, personal responsibility, and setting the right example for our youth should be the most important things.
Concrete Pete
July 13th, 2010
10:06 am
I can tell you this: Football is a rough, mean game. You get 85 18-22 year olds together that can play the game at a high level, and you will have some issues. Hell, you put 85 average college kids together you will have some issues. It’s a fact. EVERY college in the nation has issues. I did a lot of work on college campuses doing various marketing back in the 90’s and early ’00’s and some of the worse behavior I saw was at schools and teams you never heard of. Findlay OH, Cumberland TN, Georgetown College in KY had kids that behaved like they were straight out of the movie “The Program”. Since they were in small towns, law enforcement let them slide as long as they didnt do anything too serious. Assault, theft and rape were apparently not serious enough in these places.
I found the story to be similar with major D-1 schools and programs. Players run wild, and depending on local police integrity and commitment to do their jobs, the players operate under little to no accountability. The University of Alabama is a poster child for players causing mayhem with no recourse. I had a Tuscaloosa police officer actually tell me one night while he was on duty in the major social area for kids that “No one wins if these kids get in trouble. What they bring to this School, state and Bama fans, they deserve to cut loose”. Bama players knew that and took full advantage and I saw more than a few times where players assaulted males and females, damaged property, stole, openly used drugs in public all while law enforcement not only turned a blind eye, but in a few occasions made arrangements for players to get home safely.
West Virginia? Unreal. You ever hear of problems there? Nope. But go there and check it out. Tony, I’m sure you and your reporter brethren know all about the drug dealing, shooting, assaulting and so forth that goes on there. But it never makes news because it would be “bad for business”. You can’t win football games with your star running back or corner back in jail.
TommyJack
July 13th, 2010
10:12 am
Good piece, TB.
GT Fan ...
July 13th, 2010
10:13 am
“It’s easy for me to write this. My professional future is not resting on the behavior of an 18-year-old kid whose ego was so pumped up during the recruiting process that he thinks the rules don’t apply to him.”
Great point TB! But I believe for most of the bad apples the pumping-of-the-ego/rules-don’t-apply starts well before the recruiting process.
And GA fans, while it hasn’t been the most pleasant road (7 arrests in 2010), can breathe a small sigh of relief that Da’Rick didn’t sign with the dogs. B/c after reading the article about his arrest, trouble surely would’ve found Da’Rick in Athens too; his character/integrity were exposed in his signing with UT.
jackyldo
July 13th, 2010
10:13 am
Many of these kids think they are great having no idea what the jump is from Norcross High to the New Orleans Saints.. They see the few that make the show and are sure they’ll be the next big thing.
College is a stop for them play sports and play.. Some get an academic pass because of who they are. Basketball players (precious few) jump to the NBA after 1 year to Millions of dollars. They are so close they can taste it.
BUT they are 17-18-19 years old — not every kid going off to college drinks, but a majority do, some for the 1st time.. They can go to Iraq and die, they can vote for their President,, but legally they can’t drink until 21.. This is a major problem at all Universities “”under age drinking” Suddenly on a magic day the can imbibe …to their hearts content.
Lower the drinking age to 18 and treat all college kids like adults.. You drink – you drive – you lose.. There are ways to socialize in Athens and walk to your dorms – taxi to your apartment you drive you lose.. Public intoxication – you lose A code which teaches responsibility for your actions.. to all students.
1st offense probation within the University and 25% of your Athletic season (not just football).
2nd offense suspension from the University for 1 academic quarter.. your coming here primarily to learn not to go to class and get drunk every night .. Academic suspension means no sports.
Teach responsibility..
SecGuy
July 13th, 2010
10:16 am
Actually, I think the jury is still out on Dooley at Tennessee. Any coach would have kicked Myles off the team, he’s an habitual screw-up. How long will the others be suspended will be telling. And why no word on Rogers yet? Richt and Georgia seemingly go through this every summer. You can’t watch players all the time, so the team itself must assume some responsibility. Seniors, or some faction of the team need to set the tone and provide leadership. Leadership is the mark of the best teams, both on and off the field.
Sven Ottke
July 13th, 2010
10:21 am
Tony, there’s no mistake. You are a Georgia fan and it’s fairly obvious. Your coach is all bark and no bite. He talks a big game but in the end does basically nothing. If he wanted to send a message, he would. After about the 5th Drivers License incident, he said he was going to do things
“you don’t even want to know” to stop this issue. 4 more DL incidents later…………nothing. Discipline is a joke in Athens……..because the tail wags the dog there.
Gen Neyland
July 13th, 2010
10:24 am
LowerTheDrinkingAge : When I was 18, the legal age was 18. In part, you could thank Vietnam and the draft for the benefit to drink legal at 18. BTW, I took full advantage of the law and probably shouldn’t have although I never ended or began a day in lockup. Cops use to simply confiscate alcohol from the underage and made ‘em drive/go home if they appeared capable of doing so on their own. Ditto on pot. The world of Zero Tolerance has changed the game….
RxDawg : Maybe the younger folk in European countries mature mentally a bit faster than some of our American bred youth. What we’re zeroing in on here is the damage caused by under-age consumption which needs to be addressed, no doubt, although over my years of following college sports, it seems many criminal and law breaking acts committed by college athletes are done while they’re sober, too. Thankfully, as you’ve mentioned prior, the majority are good apples…
ugaclassof2004
July 13th, 2010
10:29 am
What do we do about athletes behaving badly?
1. Everyone needs to quit acting so shocked. This has only be going on in sports for oh…I don’t know… the last 100 years!
2. We as fans need to quit being so self righteous. We wine and dine recruits when they visit on recruiting trips. Boosters buy the players Play Stations when they win bowl games. And we buy these guys drinks and get them laid when they win games for us. Yet we act shocked when they act up? Have ya’ll seen the gold grills, dread locks, and tribal armband tatto’s these players have been sportin lately? These are some rough dudes man.
3. It’s Athens GA. Have any of you ever gone downtown for a night of fun? Boy I know I have! It’s one of the best college towns in the nation! Now multiply that x 10, and you’ll know what it feels like to be a Bulldog football player. Athletes are just like anyone else: some can hold the fame and liqor and some can’t. I’ve personally partied with Verron Haynes after he came back from scoring the winning TD in Knoxville, and the amount of arse that guy had around him that night was Hugh Heffner like!! I’ve also partied with Fred Gibson and Danny Ware, and both of those guys were stand up folks not to mention the women that were with them were drop dead gorgeous! I say let these guys blow off a little bit of steam. It’s what college is all about. Quit making a mountain out of a mole hill.
Vdawg
July 13th, 2010
10:32 am
A good read on the subject:
http://theladysportswriter.blogspot.com/2010/07/recent-uga-arrests-highlight-broader.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FlTvow+%28The+Lady+Sportswriter%29
Nesbitt for Heisman
July 13th, 2010
10:33 am
Well said,
.
……………. MR. COLLEGE FOOTBALL
………………………… with Tony Barnhart
Bill King is a.................
July 13th, 2010
10:33 am
Recruit the Terry Hoage’s of the world!!! Leave these thugs home. They dont deserve to be in Athens. I’ll take an overachieving Terry Hoage over Dontavious Jackson and Odell Thurman anyday of hte week.
ugaclassof2004
July 13th, 2010
10:37 am
Bill King is a…..
“Leave these thugs home.”
Yeah well if you that then you won’t have a football team, so….
UGA = We RUIN This State
July 13th, 2010
10:38 am
As UGA reaps(recruits), so do they sow.
Charlie Bama
July 13th, 2010
10:39 am
Hey, Concrete Pete — Sounds like sour grapes to me. Alabama the poster child for players who escape punishment for crimes? Funny, very funny. The bigger the program, the more scrutiny they get, whether from the NCAA, the media, or the public. What or whoever your team is can be a poster child, too –provided they’re very good nationally at something. If they’re basement dwellers, the sins are there but nobody cares. See?
rogeriter
July 13th, 2010
10:43 am
The sad part is that if a coach is strong enough to kick them off the team for their behavior, another school will be salivating to accept them–behavior and all! The problem isn’t just with the students! Maybe there should be a rule that if a scholarship player is kicked off the team for disciplinary reasons, another school can not offer them a scholorship. They can play for another school but not under a scholarship!
Tide Rising
July 13th, 2010
10:48 am
People, including 18 year olds, live up to or down to the expectations that are set for them.
The reason we’ve only had one player arrested in the past year at Bama is a simple matter of expectations. Saban doesn’t wait till players get arrested to boot them. He starts booting the early troublemakers when they start breaking team rules. Took him a good year and a half to change the culture at Bama(7 arrests his first year) but he did. And now the players have the fear of God in them that if they do something wrong they’re gone.
Until you have that real fear of consequence nothing will change in Athens or Knoxville. The problem at each of those places right now is that the players have either no respect or no fear of their coaches and of consequences for their actions. Start booting them for the smaller stuff like breaking team rules and things will get cleaned up double time.
GATORZONE
July 13th, 2010
10:49 am
People living in glass houses…
Therefore I will not disparage another program.
However, it really gripes me that the players know if they get kicked off of one team, they can simply transfer to a different school and someone will take them. If the NCAA would put a stop to this, these guys would fly straight, or go home for good. Prime example is Cameron Newton. He knew when he left Florida, that he could go somewhere else and play. there are not any consequences for bad behavior.
Hoopie
July 13th, 2010
10:49 am
The solution for the coaches is to closely monitor these kids. OTHER schools do that and RIcht doesn’t. Last summer Auburn kicked 3 kids off the team for sassing a teacher. Since then, hardly a problem.
A good friend of my daughter’s played OL at UGA and passed out drunk and on the toilet in a bar bathroom ….TWICE!!! He got a one game suspension each time.
$aban had troubles his first year at Bama until he threw the unruly seniors under the bus when the pros came calling for evaluations. $aban then set standards, got rid of a couple more kids and now he doesn’t have problems.
RIcht is wrong to think that these kids can self-police and be lead out of the wilderness. These type athletes need military-type discipline or they will fund a way to fail.
UGA Degree in Criminal Justice
July 13th, 2010
10:50 am
Next thing you know, UGA is going to being wasting more taxpayer money ny offering some new “joke” degree in Criminal Justice or something with which to continue to recruit non-qualified student-athletes through the Special Admissions program to earn more revenue for privately-held corporation known as the UGA Athletic Association.
Oops, my bad. They ALREADY offer a Criminal Justice degree now.
Well then, should we then consider all of the student-athlete
law-breaking is considered as Degreee requirement, or at least an “elective” course??
RxDawg
July 13th, 2010
10:51 am
Concrete Pete, that’s a good post. It’s all very speculative, but it makes a lot sense quite frankly. I’m not dismissing whats going on at UGA, but I’m not so naive to think that what your describing isn’t going on at some institutions.
wth
July 13th, 2010
10:51 am
nothing knew here
GATORZONE
July 13th, 2010
10:52 am
Tide rising, I would be surprised if Alabama does not have the same issues as EVERYONE else in the SEC outside of Vandy. I wouldn’t be bragging too much, it usually comes back to bite you!
RxDawg
July 13th, 2010
10:53 am
GATORZONE
July 13th, 2010
10:49 am
…that’s a great point.
GATORZONE
July 13th, 2010
10:53 am
Hoopie, how about that Theif Cameron Newton that Auburn welcomed with open arms???
Dbalcer
July 13th, 2010
10:55 am
The problem is bigger than student athletes it is a symptom of the way our kids are growing up. Underage drinking is a big problem. If we kicked out all students or had them lose their scholarship for drinking there would be many good kids who didn’t get the chance to finish their educations. We as a society need to change our attitudes about drinking so that they match what we do. We say we are against under age drinking but glorify getting drunk in our movies and v shows. Those kids need mentors to show them how to handle the peer pressure and adulation they receive at school. Most of these infractions happen in the summer when the coaches have to be hands off. They need the guidance of coaches year round.
RxDawg
July 13th, 2010
10:56 am
Tide Rising and Hoopie, maybe you guys are right. Maybe it’s time to bring the foot down hard. But this get’s back to what Tony said in that our career’s don’t rest on what a bunch of 18-21 year olds do. That said, I wouldn’t object if Richt went that way and I’ve even consider it during the season if the losses start piling up.
GATORZONE
July 13th, 2010
10:57 am
Or, Ole Miss signing Jamar Hornsby? No consequences. These guys are coddled and made exceptions for from middle school on.
HugoStiglitz
July 13th, 2010
10:59 am
Im with you GATORZONE, the NCAA needs to do something about it themselves. If they can enforce student athletes to pass classes then surely they can enforce them to not get arrested. If the NCAA enforced a mandatory dismissal from the team for a DUI then maybe they wont drive drunk after that. Coaches across the country have already shown a lack of interest in serious discipline so somebody else has to do it.
GATORZONE
July 13th, 2010
11:00 am
RX, all teams have the troublemakers and most coaches give them several chances. The only difference is how it is reported when they finally do something that requires them to be kicked off of the team. Richt has a fine approach, Athens just tends to get major coverage of issues via the AJC.
Gainesville news stays fairly local unless the infraction is major. Carlos Dunlap was huge.
Frankie Hammond Jr. got a DUI this summer and no one even heard about that.
Small town coverage.
MegaT
July 13th, 2010
11:00 am
Great perspective Tony! Amber Harding said it best when she said “there most certainly is an “I” in “team”. It is the same “I” that appears 3 times in “responsibility”. This issue rips at the heart of all college football fans. As a UT fan, I am both angered and embarassed. I’m really tired of these “bad apples” spoiling the good character guys that are at and have come through UT. If this is the way that we have to win, I don’t want it anymore. Enough is enough!
RxDawg
July 13th, 2010
11:00 am
“Most of these infractions happen in the summer when the coaches have to be hands off. They need the guidance of coaches year round”
This
Teflon-WrecksNEffect
July 13th, 2010
11:01 am
You comments about the other Tenn. HC serving 2-yrs. Probation on the West Coast is confusing and somewhat unfair.
As unorthodox as Kiffin is, the Probation is the result of what happened under another Administration.
Also, the harsh truth is that if a player’s Parents start shopping around looking for “extras” if their son is as talented as Reggie Bush is, then it is really hard to hold any coaching staff or School accountable when the parents get the benefits and are central in cutting the deals with outside parties.
GATORZONE
July 13th, 2010
11:03 am
RxDawg
July 13th, 2010
11:00 am
Very true.
Phil
July 13th, 2010
11:03 am
These players really DO need to think about the LONG TERM CONSEQUENCES of their actions absolutely right, the NFL will do a massive character check, as will any future employer, and all those dumb decisions will live on forever, and potentially cost people millions, destroy families, get good coaches fired, and so much more. Right on about the “entitlement” mentality as a big part of the problem. Yes, these guys are great athletes, but that doesn’t earn them exemptions or privleges from a moral standpoint.
If anything, a massive gratitude for the unreal opportunity, should RAISE their level of conduct.