Leininger done for the season????
-
orangeandbrown
- Peregrine
- Posts: 3542
- Joined: Mon Jul 26, 2004 5:00 pm
- Location: Saline, MI
- Contact:
-
Schadenfreude
- Professional tractor puller
- Posts: 6983
- Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2004 7:39 am
- Location: Colorado
First:
It is very important that everyone here understands that Matt's best interests are at the center of my thinking.
Also, as I've said, I've been through almost precisely what Matt is going through right now. The only difference between his college rap sheet and mine at this point is that the city police didn't bother to write me up for underage consumption when they charged me with drunken disorderly.
Like Matt, I was on full scholarship (mine was academic). Like Matt, I didn't just go to class. I was extremely active in the campus community. Matt's thing is football; my thing was the school newspaper (and some related things not worth discussing here).
The big difference is that when I got popped for disorderly (and, several months later, for drunken driving) no one ever threatened to take away my scholarship. No one suggested I shouldn't be able to continue in my leadership role at the school newspaper.
And that was the Right Thing To Do. My legal troubles and youthful struggle with binge drinking had no bearing on whether I was producing academically. It had no bearing on whether I was helping run a good newspaper. I was measured by whether I produced academically and at the newspaper. And I did produce, despite my occasional binge drinking and my legal troubles.
Fifteen years after the fact, I can tell you this: Everything I've accomplished in my career flows from the fact that I was able to keep my scholarship and I was able to continue my work at the school newspaper after getting popped a couple of times legally.
I haven't been arrested since, either. I grew up.
The big question (for me, at least) is whether Matt's apparent pattern of binge drinking has a bearing on what he is able to accomplish on the football field. Does it affect his ability to be a valued, trusted member of the football team?
As I've hinted in previous posts, we don't know. We don't know -- as O&B put it -- "if there were 15 near misses in the interim, or something other thing."
But, on the flip side, we can also say we have no evidence that Matt's binge drinking is affecting his responsibilites to the team. (If someone has some, please, post away. I want to hear it). And I tend to think it isn't... especially if Matt's pattern of drinking followed the pattern that led me to the same arrests (bombed a couple nights a week, otherwise completely sober).
What bothers me is that people don't seem to want to wait for the answer to that question of whether Matt's drinking is affecting his responsibilities to the team.
As Redwingtom put it: "A strong message needs send to these KIDS...yes these are still KIDS...that incidents of this type cannot and will not be tolerated at BGSU...PERIOD. We are not that school from up north, or down south."
Why? So we can claim some sort of moral superiority? For the public relations value?
Would Redwingtom go further and suggest I should have been stripped of my academic scholarship and kicked off the school newspaper because of my legal scrapes?
If so, we aren't going to agree on that.
Matt is going to get sent a message. If his judge is anything like my judge, he will be fined $1,000, serve a few days at the Wood County Jail, have his license suspended for 90 days (or more) and be ordered to receive alcohol counseling
(And this counseling is huge; Matt needs to really think through his issues with alcohol. Does he have a physical problem? Or, as seems more likely, is he simply a binge drinker who is making really bad decisions).
All that punishment is very likely no matter what Brandon did.
So for Brandon to go further by dismissing him from the team -- well, that's an overreaction in my mind, based on what we seem to know.
This isn't an indefinite suspension. He's off the team. Period.
Unless Brandon has a change of heart, Matt is going to lose his scholarship, which is his meal ticket to the middle class.
Why? So we can say we aren't Toledo are Marshall? For the PR value?
I think that's an overreaction... again, based on what we know.
And I stand by my belief that a two-game suspension for disorderly conduct and underage drinking was also an overreaction
It looks to me like we are past the point of no return.
It is very important that everyone here understands that Matt's best interests are at the center of my thinking.
Also, as I've said, I've been through almost precisely what Matt is going through right now. The only difference between his college rap sheet and mine at this point is that the city police didn't bother to write me up for underage consumption when they charged me with drunken disorderly.
Like Matt, I was on full scholarship (mine was academic). Like Matt, I didn't just go to class. I was extremely active in the campus community. Matt's thing is football; my thing was the school newspaper (and some related things not worth discussing here).
The big difference is that when I got popped for disorderly (and, several months later, for drunken driving) no one ever threatened to take away my scholarship. No one suggested I shouldn't be able to continue in my leadership role at the school newspaper.
And that was the Right Thing To Do. My legal troubles and youthful struggle with binge drinking had no bearing on whether I was producing academically. It had no bearing on whether I was helping run a good newspaper. I was measured by whether I produced academically and at the newspaper. And I did produce, despite my occasional binge drinking and my legal troubles.
Fifteen years after the fact, I can tell you this: Everything I've accomplished in my career flows from the fact that I was able to keep my scholarship and I was able to continue my work at the school newspaper after getting popped a couple of times legally.
I haven't been arrested since, either. I grew up.
The big question (for me, at least) is whether Matt's apparent pattern of binge drinking has a bearing on what he is able to accomplish on the football field. Does it affect his ability to be a valued, trusted member of the football team?
As I've hinted in previous posts, we don't know. We don't know -- as O&B put it -- "if there were 15 near misses in the interim, or something other thing."
But, on the flip side, we can also say we have no evidence that Matt's binge drinking is affecting his responsibilites to the team. (If someone has some, please, post away. I want to hear it). And I tend to think it isn't... especially if Matt's pattern of drinking followed the pattern that led me to the same arrests (bombed a couple nights a week, otherwise completely sober).
What bothers me is that people don't seem to want to wait for the answer to that question of whether Matt's drinking is affecting his responsibilities to the team.
As Redwingtom put it: "A strong message needs send to these KIDS...yes these are still KIDS...that incidents of this type cannot and will not be tolerated at BGSU...PERIOD. We are not that school from up north, or down south."
Why? So we can claim some sort of moral superiority? For the public relations value?
Would Redwingtom go further and suggest I should have been stripped of my academic scholarship and kicked off the school newspaper because of my legal scrapes?
If so, we aren't going to agree on that.
Matt is going to get sent a message. If his judge is anything like my judge, he will be fined $1,000, serve a few days at the Wood County Jail, have his license suspended for 90 days (or more) and be ordered to receive alcohol counseling
(And this counseling is huge; Matt needs to really think through his issues with alcohol. Does he have a physical problem? Or, as seems more likely, is he simply a binge drinker who is making really bad decisions).
All that punishment is very likely no matter what Brandon did.
So for Brandon to go further by dismissing him from the team -- well, that's an overreaction in my mind, based on what we seem to know.
This isn't an indefinite suspension. He's off the team. Period.
Unless Brandon has a change of heart, Matt is going to lose his scholarship, which is his meal ticket to the middle class.
Why? So we can say we aren't Toledo are Marshall? For the PR value?
I think that's an overreaction... again, based on what we know.
And I stand by my belief that a two-game suspension for disorderly conduct and underage drinking was also an overreaction
This wasn't an indefinite suspension. He got kicked off the team.That being said, if Matt can get help and get things turned around then I would hope he can be welcomed back to the flock.
It looks to me like we are past the point of no return.
-
Jacobs4Heisman
- a.k.a. Capt. Rex Kramer
- Posts: 7889
- Joined: Wed Nov 10, 2004 7:59 pm
- Location: Aliquippa, PA
Man this is a tough one. As a falcon fan, of course this sucks because he should be a big part of our defensive line. As a person, I'm torn. I was also at BG on full academic scholarships and I also had a couple disorderlies, and substitute a theft of university property and drunkenness at a hockey game for the DUI. But nothing was done to me at all. I was given a second and third chance and have likewise grown up and have fun responsibly now. I also have a degree which i received for free, which is something I hope matt can still get. However, a line has to be drawn if we are going to continue to claim moral superiority over the like of Toledo, Marshall, etc. If this all happened to scooter mcdougle, and amstutz didn't dismiss him from the team, we would be crying out that it's just another case of Toledo looking past a clean program for a winning one. I guess I'll just stop at not faulting brandon, but feeling hella bad for Matt.
Maybe the reason they decided to be so harsh is that he is more in the spotlight being on an athletic team and no offense but the editor (or whatever position you held) of the newspaper really doesn't make many waves in the community when you get stopped for dui or whatever charges were brought against you. When you are on a team that represents the University, like the Football/Basketball/Baseball teams, the band or anyother Large group, you represent the University whether you are in uniform or not. People who attend games or events recognize you and sometimes hold higher opinions about you. When something happens to you, essentially it happens to the university as well, since you represent them. The media jumps all over the bad things and leaves little or no time for the possitives which makes it hard from a PR point.
I agree that he definately needs help and maybe kicking him off the team is what he Absolutely DOES NOT need as it may encourage him to continue to go down the wrong pathway. It is probably going to be very important to keep people around him that understand his situation and also want to help him and by taking away what is familiar to him i.e. The Football team, it may actually hurt him more than help. I hope for his sake that he overcomes this issue and turns out a better person after this is all said and done.
I know UT has a rep for having "disciplinary issues" and we did have some players who made bad judgement. One of our best defensive players sat out this season because he and a friend made a bad decision and it cost his friend his life, then while "dealing with that loss" he made some other bad decisions, We are hoping that he will be back on the field next year and when that first happened, a lot of people were calling for him to be kicked off the team but Coach Amstutz realized that infact it would be best for him to get his life "in order" and then return to the team. I think that maybe that would be the best course of action for your Coach to take as well as in the end it may benefit Matt more than just having the coach show him the door.
-Just my two Cents....
I agree that he definately needs help and maybe kicking him off the team is what he Absolutely DOES NOT need as it may encourage him to continue to go down the wrong pathway. It is probably going to be very important to keep people around him that understand his situation and also want to help him and by taking away what is familiar to him i.e. The Football team, it may actually hurt him more than help. I hope for his sake that he overcomes this issue and turns out a better person after this is all said and done.
I know UT has a rep for having "disciplinary issues" and we did have some players who made bad judgement. One of our best defensive players sat out this season because he and a friend made a bad decision and it cost his friend his life, then while "dealing with that loss" he made some other bad decisions, We are hoping that he will be back on the field next year and when that first happened, a lot of people were calling for him to be kicked off the team but Coach Amstutz realized that infact it would be best for him to get his life "in order" and then return to the team. I think that maybe that would be the best course of action for your Coach to take as well as in the end it may benefit Matt more than just having the coach show him the door.
-Just my two Cents....
Everyone,
I have mixed feelings about posting to this thread, but I guess I can say a couple things without jeopardizing confidences.
Matt is a GREAT young man.
I know more than is posted, but do NOT know the whole story, rest assured, there is far more to it.
Most Important!-Coach Brandon would NEVER do anything to a player that was not in the player's best interest. Of course Brandon cares about the 'game', but more importantly he cares about the growth and development of these young men. Also remember, the school is not the only one that makes decisions of this sort, in some cases they just happen to be the ones that have to enforce the decision others have made in the best interest of the athlete.
I have mixed feelings about posting to this thread, but I guess I can say a couple things without jeopardizing confidences.
Matt is a GREAT young man.
I know more than is posted, but do NOT know the whole story, rest assured, there is far more to it.
Most Important!-Coach Brandon would NEVER do anything to a player that was not in the player's best interest. Of course Brandon cares about the 'game', but more importantly he cares about the growth and development of these young men. Also remember, the school is not the only one that makes decisions of this sort, in some cases they just happen to be the ones that have to enforce the decision others have made in the best interest of the athlete.
-
Schadenfreude
- Professional tractor puller
- Posts: 6983
- Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2004 7:39 am
- Location: Colorado
I'm glad you posted Hartmom. Thanks.hartmom wrote:Everyone,
I have mixed feelings about posting to this thread, but I guess I can say a couple things without jeopardizing confidences.
Matt is a GREAT young man.
I know more than is posted, but do NOT know the whole story, rest assured, there is far more to it.
Most Important!-Coach Brandon would NEVER do anything to a player that was not in the player's best interest. Of course Brandon cares about the 'game', but more importantly he cares about the growth and development of these young men. Also remember, the school is not the only one that makes decisions of this sort, in some cases they just happen to be the ones that have to enforce the decision others have made in the best interest of the athlete.
