AJC > Sports > Blog > Archives > 2008 > February > 28 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USHow should college football handle bad behavior?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It is all too predictable.
The football season ends. The structure of spring practice has yet to begin.
The police blotter for college football players starts. And the bad behavior ranges from DUI, to bar fights, to the always popular and vague “violation of team rules.”
And there is frustration everywhere.
Fans and alumni get upset. Not only does this behavior have the potential to hurt their favorite team, but it also embarrasses their schools. The adults just don’t understand why, given the rare opportunity to play college football, the young men would risk losing it for one minute.
Fans of other schools get in their shots, sending doctored pictures around the internet making fun of the player or coach of the school hit by the trouble. They do this fully knowing that their time is coming.
The media, and I’m certainly guilty of this, start drawing lines in the sand. This school/coach is soft on crime. This punishment is not enough. Why don’t you just kick this guy off the team and be done with it? Why don’t you just put your foot down and say: “Okay, the next guy who steps over this line gets a one-way bus ticket home?” That will show them.
Here’s why it’s just not that simple. While the fans the media see a freshman left tackle or a sophomore running back who just violated team rules and embarrassed himself and the program, the coaches and the school see somebody’s child. At some point in the recruitment of that player, a coach sat in a living room and promised a parent or a guardian that their child would be treated fairly both on the field and off.
As tempting as it might be, you can’t use somebody else’s child in an attempt scare 100 other athletes into toeing the line.
Now I’m not naïve. There comes a point where the only way one of these guys is ever going to “get it” is to let him go so that he can start over. There comes a point where the persistent violation of rules by one or two individuals hurts the entire team. Then the head coach has to bring the hammer down.
I also know that these decisions become real complicated when it is a player who can help a program win. If a coach is making $2-3 million a year, kicking a player off the team has to give him pause. If a coach has one system of justice for star players and another for guys who sit on the bench he should be criticized. He should also be ashamed.
But remember this. All of us, the media included, have created this system that starts holding these guys up to public scrutiny and praise before they are old enough to shave. We have created a system where high school children are having signing day press conferences on ESPN. Most—the vast majority in fact—have the maturity to handle it. Some don’t.
I’m not making excuses for bad behavior. I’m just saying that dealing with that behavior is not as simple as we would like for it to be.
If you have some ideas on the subject, I’d love to hear them.
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Comments
By hal
February 28, 2008 8:10 AM | Link to this
Some infractions can be handled within the team if the coach sets it up that way. A peer review can range from simple stint of extra push-ups to a long walk and talk behind the barn. If you know what I mean. But that takes senior team leadership and clear and specific limits on what can be done.
By hal
February 28, 2008 8:10 AM | Link to this
Some infractions can be handled within the team if the coach sets it up that way. A peer review can range from simple stint of extra push-ups to a long walk and talk behind the barn. If you know what I mean. But that takes senior team leadership and clear and specific limits on what can be done.
By hop
February 28, 2008 8:20 AM | Link to this
SO TONY, ARE YOU WRITING THIS PIECE TO GIVE YOUR PALS IN KNOXVILLE a pass.
i am sure phat phil will be pleased with your actions.
By shane #1
February 28, 2008 8:51 AM | Link to this
tony,you hit the nail on the head with what you said about the media.athletes getting in trouble is not a new thing.some of the dawgs in the class of 68 became ledgends in athens for their partying,not a mean featin the athens of the 60’s-early 70’s.they never made the papers.i knew a guy at tech that saw a teamate being man-handled in a night club parking lot.he entered the fray to help his buddy and broke the other guy’s arm.he was a big o lineman with pro potential.it turned out that the”other guy”was an apd cop in plain clothes.my friend was suspended for a year,but was never in the news.a tech player today that was arrested for assaulting a cop would be all over the ajc!however,a year’s suspension and a knee injury ended any hope he had of playing pro ball.when a kid makes a mistake he hurts himself more than anyone else.i remember what”neon dion”said after the free shoes fiasco at fsu.dion said the guys were so stupid because they were putting a potential pro contract worth millions at risk for a pair of sneakers!i am not excusing the felonys,those young men should be off the team and probably never should have been recruited.but we should remember that most athletes are no worse,and actually probably more moral than the rest of the students.the difference is that when athletes are arrested the whole state knows it!
By zdawg
February 28, 2008 8:52 AM | Link to this
“If a coach has one system of justice for star players and another for guys who sit on the bench he should be criticized. He should also be ashamed.” You mean like when Urban Myer lets people SHOOT GUNS in bars and SMOKE WEED, but then they can block kicks in the South Carolina game to win the Eastern division. UM should be ashamed. But ajc.com and espn just turn the other cheek. Thank you for your time.
By Soapbox Hero
February 28, 2008 9:43 AM | Link to this
Oh please people lets quit beating around the bush. Alot of college football players would not be attending college if they could not play football. The ones that stir up trouble come from questionable backgrounds and are not that smart. There, I said it. It may be politically incorrect and I would certainly never expect any member of the media to have the cajones to say it, but that’s the truth.
Disclaimer: This certainly does not apply to the 90%-95% of college football players that are good guys and keep their nose clean. We’re talking about the bad apples. If I thought all these guys were punk thugs I would not be a college football fan.
What do we do about the bad apples? I don’t know. Perhaps they shouldn’t be recruited if the warning signs are there. Some programs just can’t resist though. Sometimes the warning signs aren’t there and they don’t go hogwild until they have all the freedoms that college life affords.
I do believe we do everyone a huge disservice by calling them a “child”. That is part of the problem. They are 18-22 year old MEN and should be able to conduct themselves in an appropriate manner without someone holding their hand. Their parents should not expect a coach to be their babysitter. I disagree that they should not be used to make an example to the rest of the team. If you screw up, this is what happens. The message could not be more clear. If a 20 year old screws up and commits a crime, the criminal justice will make an example out of him to deter others from conducting themselves in a similar manner. College football playing MEN should be no different.
By JP
February 28, 2008 9:48 AM | Link to this
As much as I dislike the NCAA for their often seemingly uneven handling of much in the world of college athletics, they need to step up and attempt to address this area.
It use to be kids were just the local Big Man on Campus, but now, earlier and earlier they see famous coaches and fans and media outlets tripping over each other for their attention and favor. That is a tall order to handle for many youngsters, especially in the society we have today.
Possible ways to blunt their egos:
(1) No HS player may be recruited until the first day of his Senior year in HS.
(2) No more than one phone contact a week by the school or the recruit to each other. No more than two mailings allowed to each recruit, per month. No texting, no computer contact.
(3) No on campus visits by the school.
(4) Only four offical visits allowed.
(5) In home visits may include no more than two coaches from each school.
(6) 30 days prior to NSD each recruit must narrow his schools down to only 3, maximum. Schools not in that chosen few must cease all recruitment.
(7)The NCAA should ask (cannot enforce this, of course) that each HS not allow the local media to bring a camera to video a recruit signing his LOI and only allow media on their campus that day for possible interviews.
The idea is to vastly limit the celebrity status of these kids, some of whom apparently think they are special individuals that may do as they darn well please. Give them a dose of humility early on and it might put their feet back on the ground, instead of up in the clouds.
By jabster
February 28, 2008 9:51 AM | Link to this
Then you have the hysteria over underage drinking (drinking by young adults), which leads to student-athletes being arrested and rap-sheeted and media-overexposed for what, having a friggin’ beer and jaywalking (like the guy at UGA)? Then the coach has to be the requisite hard@$$ to appease the P.C./dipsophobia crowd. GMAFB.
Heaven knows what they could arrest the rest of the student body for-oh wait! The Athens PD already do!
http://www.chooseresponsibility.org
By Emorydawg
February 28, 2008 9:51 AM | Link to this
AMEN! Soapbox hero.
By dakid
February 28, 2008 10:16 AM | Link to this
If you have, or know anyone that has been recruited, it does nothing for your ego. You know if you are good at 10 years of age, so a school calling you is more tiresome than anything. IT REALLY GETS OLD. The problem is that when you leave home for first time, alot of kids can’t handle it. You have to become your own man. And it alows for alot. Bad backgrounds have nothing to do with it. Most of the students who just attend school are under-age drinkers. I know one qb i went to school with who was #1 pick in draft who got busted for drinking and he came from wealthy family. It’s about one’s personal maturity.
By Bamafan
February 28, 2008 10:19 AM | Link to this
I was hoping Nick Saban would be tough on players who get in trouble. He is a teddy bear instead of a mean SOB the media say to the players. If a player gets in a bar fight at 3:00 am, he should be in trouble with the law and really be in trouble with the head coach and other coaches and players as well. I believe in giving people second chances. but at Bama they are given several more to go screw up and make the university look bad. The ncaa made a bad rule a few years ago, about doing a way with athlete dorms. Bama needs to get all of its players in one and make it like death row and get all the players to realize what they doing wrong and to grow up like gentlmen. Instead of ROLL TIDE the term to use is PAROLE TIDE. I am feed up with this bs from the players and from Saban also!!
By drew
February 28, 2008 10:50 AM | Link to this
Tony. Bobby Bowden, who I have a lot of respect for, is notorious for saying that players with less talent have a shorter rope than more talented players. What are your thoughts on this? Thanks.
By David-ATL14
February 28, 2008 10:55 AM | Link to this
Until the cottage industry of Recruiting is killed, nothing changes.
Nothing like the a* kissing world of recruitng to skew perspectives.
JP listed several good ideas above.
As for actually handling the off field transgressions.
I think Schembecler was ahead of his time.
Any player arrested resulted in Midnight Running for all other members of the team while the culprits watched the rest of the team run unmercilessly.
Not a lot of repeat offenders under that regime.
By AFnPC
February 28, 2008 11:52 AM | Link to this
Bammers should completely understand why all of this is going on, especially with their recent recruiting NC! What happens is $atan goes after talent, and not character. These kids are great at football, and nothing else. Get them off the Strip, into bed by 12:00 am, and in their classes. If they want to keep their scholarships the they need to keep their effing noses clean. It’s the same way in the military, you get a signing bonus, but if you get your arse in trouble, you’ll lose it faster than you got it. It’s all about life lessons…
Furthermore, what happens when these same guys try to get drafted? Where’d you go to school? Oh, Bammer… Got arrested, we might look at you in the 3rd round, even though you’ve got 1st rd talent, your character is a liability. That’ll go on and on. So, all you rising hs seniors, remember that when you’re choosing your school.
War Eagle!
By Ramblin Wrecker
February 28, 2008 11:52 AM | Link to this
I think the problem I have with your comments Tony, is that you are assuming that these coaches didn’t know WHO they were recruiting. I would submit that often times, coaches know a kid has a track record and is a potential risk to embarrass their program. Willie Williams is the prime example. He was known to be a problem. He (at 17-18 years old) had a rap sheet of multiple arrests. Yet he was recruited by all the big time programs and settled on Miami, where he was a problem and was eventually cut. You’d think his Div 1 career would have ended there. But no. he was given another chance at Louisville, where, big shocker right, he was a problem and was cut. Coaches will take a flier on some kids because they are blinded by athletic ability. I mean do you seriously think that this Tennessee punter would still be on the team if his whole family hadn’t punted for UT? Fulmer showed favoritism. I understand that these are somebody’s kids. But maybe what these troubled kids need is real discipline and not the pressure of being a college athlete. Remove the pressure, ask them to get their lives in order, then come back and we’ll talk about you playing college football. Life first. Football second.
By Johnny W
February 28, 2008 12:17 PM | Link to this
I’m so tired of everybody passing judgement on these people,from the players to the coaches,without really knowing much about the people involved other than name & position & hometown.Any kid (yes,they are kids,when your 42) is capable of getting into the type of trouble most of these guys find.Rich kids,poor kids,arrogant,shy,it doesnt really matter.Obviously,theyve done something right in life or they wouldnt be where they are.Everybody should think back to when they were 18-22 & about what they were doing & who they were running with.I dont want to hear “but I didnt have the opportunity these guys have…I wouldnt have risked it that way if I had” because almost everybody couldve had those type opportunities had they applied themselves the way these kids have,& I’m not just talking about football…I’m saying most people couldve obtained scholarship for whatever their interested or gifted in had they tried hard enough.Many of these guys who do come from a bad background actually do better than those who dont,as they know what they have to lose & are a little more appreciative for what they have.In the end,I belive if people were there witness to whatever crime has been committed & knew the kid as the coach does…they would probably agree with what the coaches hand down as punishment more often than not & may even end up more on the kids side.
By Emorydawg
February 28, 2008 12:34 PM | Link to this
Johnny W, This is exactly what is wrong with our society as a whole. The law says that you are an adult at 18. It is people that coddle these MEN like they are children that cause the problem. Don’t use the what were you doing when you were 18 garbage. I was in college, working a full time job, and acting like an adult. It is time that we stop this “hand holding” and treat them all like the are seen in the eyes of the law. GROWN MEN AND WOMEN. Time to grow up and start acting your age people. You can bet that the generations before us did.
By JohnnyW
February 28, 2008 12:52 PM | Link to this
Emorydawg,I commend you for your maturity at that age,you are a rarity.Legal adult is now 21.I’m not saying to coddle anyone nor am I saying not to hold these guys responsible or accountable.I’m merely saying;these guys dont need to be thrown off the team & deported to Guantanamo for a 1st offense of something like disorderly conduct,drinking or fighting as some people seem to want.Repeat offenders are a different story ie.UT’s punter.Also,I said above,if people knew the whole story & the people involved they would probably agree with the PUNISHMENT administered,not that there should be no punishment.In other words support the coaches decision as long as they are not turning a blind eye,again,as in UT’s 5th offense punter.
By Drew
February 28, 2008 1:00 PM | Link to this
Screw war eagles… always wanting to be like everybody else. I spent 2 years in auburn and they got just as many problems and athletes that “should” be getting in trouble than anywhere else. Let’s all grow up and realize no school is any better than the other. Recruit the guys who you know have good character and when you get them treat them with respect and demand respect in return. When they mess up deal witht the problem in an honest manner. Too many coaches sacrifice their own virtues for the mighty dollar. Just some thoughts. Oh and if you can’t tell…I absolutely despise auburn! and im not a tide fan either so don’t pull that card.
By lisa cheek
February 28, 2008 1:01 PM | Link to this
It is so obvious that you are an SEC homer and UGA grad. There is a reason they are the best conference in the country. They have the most players in trouble and they do the least about it. Win at all cost. Makes me glad I am not a fan of the SEC!
By lisa cheek
February 28, 2008 1:01 PM | Link to this
It is so obvious that you are an SEC homer and UGA grad. There is a reason they are the best conference in the country. They have the most players in trouble and they do the least about it. Win at all cost. Makes me glad I am not a fan of the SEC!
By Drew
February 28, 2008 1:02 PM | Link to this
Screw war eagles… always wanting to be like everybody else. I spent 2 years in auburn and they got just as many problems and athletes that “should” be getting in trouble than anywhere else. Let’s all grow up and realize no school is any better than the other. Recruit the guys who you know have good character and when you get them treat them with respect and demand respect in return. When they mess up deal witht the problem in an honest manner. Too many coaches sacrifice their own virtues for the mighty dollar. Just some thoughts. Oh and if you can’t tell…I absolutely despise auburn! and im not a tide fan either so don’t pull that card.
By your daddy
February 28, 2008 1:04 PM | Link to this
You Barners seem a bit nervous.. hehe.. little brother syndrome is tough isn’t it? I’d be nervous too if the HC of my rival school was CNS. He doesn’t duckhunt during recruiting season. Time will tell.. Bama will be competing for championships starting THIS year.. and for a loooooong while to come. get used to it folks.RTR
By Dawgilicious
February 28, 2008 1:20 PM | Link to this
I don’t hold my breath anymore. We take an office pool bet to see which UGA player will be the next to land in jail…That’s just the nature of the beast here in Athens.
By KR
February 28, 2008 1:27 PM | Link to this
Every university has their problem athletes. In the past, we the public never knew about the problems, but they were there. For example, does anyone in the general puble know what got Joe Namath in trouble with Coach Bryant? No. Because dirty laundry wasn’t aired in public back then like it is now.
If the SEC schools weren’t so successful, we wouldn’t hear about the problems either. Because no one would care.
To “your daddy”: the Barners comment is old and lame, much like the guy who originally used it. Get creative and try something new.
And no, we’re not nervous. Call back when Saban actually achieves a winning record in a regular season at Tuscaloosa.
WAR EAGLE!
By Roswell Ed
February 28, 2008 1:43 PM | Link to this
Bowden-Satan-Phat Phil
Three peas in a pod.
Notice how its the backers of these schools that say everybody does it.
They just don’t get caught!!
What a loser mentality.
Look at what Tubs did to Blackmon for an underage drinking charge.
6 GAMES
You don’t think that turned some heads?
Go to text to be linked and read Skarbisky’s or Melick’s article.
Don’t tell me that nothing can be done. That’s what the schools that have no discipline!!!
By humbledawg
February 28, 2008 1:47 PM | Link to this
lets don’t kid ourselves folks, “violation of team rules” = drug use. that was made well apparent when LaMarcus Coker was suspended multiple times for the same reason, “violation of team rules” which ultimate came out that he had been caught/tested for marijuana. that is something you never see in athens. our guys usually keep it to alcohol, which i am NOT excusing but compared to drugs? i often see players downtown enjoying themselves both sober and when of age, having a friendly drink. if they are 21 there isnt anything anyone can do really except for coaches implementing policies regarding alcohol. granted munzinmeir running out in front of of a police car thinking it was a taxi is unexcusable especially since he is underage. but to chastise of age athletes being social should not be a priority outside of football. if a player wants to go out and get drunk downtown and by some leap of faith dont get caught, ultimately they will learn the hard way at practice with decreased performance.
By Roswell Ed
February 28, 2008 1:53 PM | Link to this
The link is
al.com/sports/columnists
By AUtiger
February 28, 2008 2:16 PM | Link to this
Hey bama.. How many of your players got arrested this week?
PAROLE TIDE!
By Bear Bryant (from the grave)
February 28, 2008 2:17 PM | Link to this
DON’T MAKE ME COME DOWN THERE KR! To set the record straight, Namath and Stabler both tried my gawsh dang patience.. send me up a carton of Chesterfield kings, you cow college also ran.. .. is that a little better? (your daddy) ha- just joshin fella- lighten up : ) RTR
By ME
February 28, 2008 3:36 PM | Link to this
Tony, What your article does not address is the fact that in many, if not most all, the incidents are a violation of the law. Have you not noticed that these “kids” are only sorry when they get caught. Athletes have been given too many passes as it is. Break the law and you’re gone, end of story.
By gtjsp
February 28, 2008 3:36 PM | Link to this
Any one that thinks these young MEN and Woman should get a free pass because of there age, talent , athletic skills , and other hype built up around them should be ashamed of themselves. This is what is wrong with society today , cry me a river!!! Our Other young Men and Woman 18 and over in Iraq , dying daily for our freedom and the SA FREEDOM have to grow up pretty darn quick. Sorry captain - me and private so and so were just drinking, stealing, holding people at gun point because they locked my girlfriends car up in impound , and she asked my to get it out for her. Holy cow people. Why is it so hard to do the right thing , I know the armed forces would not coddle your 18 year old boy or girl. why do we expect for these kids to get a free ride to college , and then not to obey the laws of society or the administration of the school.
Just dont give me that , they are just babies crap. If your old enough to die in war , your old enough to go to school for free and act like a grown up. if not , let the real world raise them.
By ME
February 28, 2008 3:37 PM | Link to this
Tony, What your article does not address is the fact that in many, if not most all, the incidents are a violation of the law. Have you not noticed that these “kids” are only sorry when they get caught. Athletes have been given too many passes as it is. Break the law and you’re gone, end of story.
By reservoirDAWG
February 28, 2008 3:41 PM | Link to this
What are the coaches supposed to do? They can’t hold their hands. All they can do is explain the rules and the consequences if the rules are broken.
By Bingo
February 28, 2008 4:08 PM | Link to this
It’s a good thing these guys don’t play football at any of the service academies. They not only would get kicked off the team, a great possibility of marching off demerits (football players and even war vets), but would face the possibility of getting kicked out of school with the distinct possibility if they were in their last two years of having to PAY BACK their educational costs. One former football player failed his physical fitness test, got kicked out his last semester and owed the government over $100 grand. It’s sad that some Div I football players can’t stay away from drugs, robbery and DUIs to get a great education.
By oldgold
February 28, 2008 4:12 PM | Link to this
Standards are nonexistent. Kids are allowed 2,3, or 4 arrests with 1 or 2 game suspensions. There is never a “strike 3 and you’re out” program. There were standards in the past. I remember one kid being tossed out of school in the 70’s for damaging a Coke machine in the dorms. I myself was placed on “dormitory probation” for being one of 5 guys who gave a shower to a kid who never took one. Thats mild stuff compared to what kids get away with today. I know this sounds like an “old dad lecture” but thats how I see it.
By SECisFootball
February 28, 2008 4:13 PM | Link to this
AFnPC….you put on a fine display of Auburn ignorance in your comments and personal lack of intelligance. Just for a few FACTS….Only one of the players that was arrested was one of Saban’s recruits. That young man was thrown off the team. Please explain to me where Robert Dunn is now after his incident at the 7-11??? The other guys were not Saban’s recruits so that kind of blows your theory up a little. But hey, dont let facts get in your way. Is you want to talk about arrests, let me remind you of guys at AU like Kevin Sears and Trey Blackmon. Sure, Blackmon has been suspended for the better part of his career for one arrest 3 years ago.
As for your ridiculous comments about the draft. Name one person that has been an issue with. That because they went to BAMA and got arrested they dropped to a 3rd round pick. Let me remind you that in the last 5 years, we have had one kid who was 1st round draft pick material and he went as the 1st pick in round 2. That was Demeco Ryan and you cannot find a bad thing to say about him. I guess he is a pretty good football player too since he was the Defensive Rookie of the Year 2 season ago. Like I said though, dont let those facts get in the way.
By Roswell Ed
February 28, 2008 4:14 PM | Link to this
reservoirDAWG:
Kick them off the team?
Give them a meaningful suspension?
If you want to see how its done look no further then how Tubs does it at AU.
Look at what he did to Blackmon Lester and Sears for what appears to be minor violations.
Brandon Cox and Jason Campbell have been interviewed on how Tubs does it.
Both replied that he doesn’t put up with any crap.
He considers a scholarship an honor and there are enough players out there that AU doesn’t need any trouble makers.
By NYJACKET
February 28, 2008 4:43 PM | Link to this
Tony,
When I stepped on the Tech campus in 1961 there were about 200 scholarship football players (40+ per year over 5 years due to freshman ineligiblity to play and red shirting).
These guys were good. We had to earn a spot on the team in order to get playing time. Otherwise we watched the games from the stadium like everyone else. We had top drawer players who would have started for other schools that never saw a game.
But Dodd was a disciplinarian. We knew that certain actions would result in immediate dismissal. Yet, we still had our problems.
My point is the game has changed. The money is enormous. The number of players a school can have is less than half of what is was when I played. And, the players with potential are identified when they are still in junior high school. By the time they get to college they have had their backs stroked and their butts patted so many times they think they know it all and many are probably uncoachable. Now throw in the fact that they are away from home with a lot of freedom and some are going to get into trouble.
Glad I am not a coach in today’s game. The only chance he has to find kids with the right attitude and the ablility to play at an exceptional level.
By SECisFootball
February 28, 2008 9:22 PM | Link to this
KR….you make some very valid points. You are one of the few Barners (sorry…couldnt resist) on here I agree with.
I actually think the Barner, UGAy, LSWhoo, etc…are all lame. I think Bammer is pretty lame too because what the heck does it mean? :) I say if a rival wants to come up with something, make it good and make it a shot. Bammer never has nad never will be a shot at us!
By TJ
February 29, 2008 5:09 AM | Link to this
We need to cut these kids some slack on minor offensives and keep their names out of the newspapers. Because they are athletes at our favorite school, they come under the microscope that the normal student never has to endure. You do the crime, you do the time. It should be a given. The time should reflect the severity of the crime. That is if you get caught. How many who are asking for tougher punishment can look in the mirror and honestly say, I never did anything that would cause me to have to do the time if I had been caught. I certainly can’t. I doubt many of these bloggers can either. Maybe a few pious ones can, but I would bet many of their children can’t. How upset would they be if their children came under the same microscope as these student athletes and had their children’s crime published by the media and talked about on trash blogs like this? Look in the mirror!
By Hawkinsville Dawg
February 29, 2008 5:57 AM | Link to this
Here is one scenario where Nick Saban, the self reported savior of college football, might be ahead of the curve. He has openly and without shame combined football with a work release program in Tuscaloolsa, AL. Not only does it sell tickets, but it helps to reduce the inmate population in the Alabama prison system. Thanks Nick!
By George
February 29, 2008 6:31 AM | Link to this
PAROLE TIDE
By TW
February 29, 2008 7:25 AM | Link to this
Be nice to find a way to tighten up the high schools, the soil for the crappy attitude tree.
Aside from that, treat them like the citizens they are when they break the law, and leave it to the coaches to have them bear-crawling the field when they screw up.
Wouldn’t hurt for the media to talk about the good guys now and again. For every Warrick Dunn article, we get twenty pages of Ron Artest, Ricky Williams, Mike Vick, etc…
By Rick
February 29, 2008 8:00 AM | Link to this
I think the thing that concerns me the most is the inconsistencies that exist between programs. I t seems that small town police are more likely to take action than a large town police force that has other things to concentrate on. Foe instance it seems to me that Tech players would be less likely to get in trouble than players from Georgia.Georgia has much tougher rules than the other schools in the SEC. That could put them at a disadvantage. On the other hand some parents might push their kids to go to a school where discipline ia enforced more strictly, but this would probably be players who would behave anyway because of parental involvment.
By SECisFootball
February 29, 2008 8:14 AM | Link to this
Hawkinsville Dawg….Before you go running your mouth, I would suggest you look at your own team as UGA has had more players arrested over the last 5 years than BAMA has. Yes most were minor offenses but so have most of the arrests at UA with the exception of Elder. Correct me if I am wrong, but didnt UGA have a player spend the summer in Jail and was not suspended for a single game afterwards. Should I even mention Odell “Where’s the Pot” Thurman? Elder was kicked off the team for his actions and rightfully so. We can all go back and forth and take shots at each other schools for incidents like these but for every shot you can take at UA, I can do the same back at UGA and you know its true so get off your high horse.
By love football
February 29, 2008 8:46 AM | Link to this
Is there a law that you canot tell a kid once you sign. and if you get in trouble with the law, your scholarship will be taken away. sounds simple enough to me.
By matt
February 29, 2008 8:48 AM | Link to this
Great column, Tony. Not giving the “bad” coaches a pass, but also pointing out there’s another side that most people don’t think about.
By UGAly
February 29, 2008 9:53 AM | Link to this
Student athletes should abide by the same disciplinary system that regular students do.
By Former Dawg
February 29, 2008 10:02 AM | Link to this
Athletes should be treated as everyone else is. They should get no harsher nor easier attention. Until this happens, the problem will continue. It runs both ways; sometimes athletes draw attention “normal” students would not receive and other times they get passes the “normal” students do not get. Both situations are unconscionable and just wrong. Treat them like everyone else and let it go at that.
By your daddy
February 29, 2008 10:15 AM | Link to this
I posted another very good artical that the fishrapper failed to show you guys- AJC is and has always been against the Tide, and pro Barn- even more than their own states’ schools. ROLL TIDE - COMIN TO GIT YOU BARNERS!