(Go to the original article at TNJN.com)The UT football situation ending with the permanent dismissal of two players is the latest in a never-ending saga of athletes and misconduct.
Whether it's at the professional level, college, or even high school, it's no secret that athletes and trouble go together like late-night hunger and Taco Bell.
Specifically in the college world, there seems to be a continual misunderstanding between fans, coaches, and players about behavioral protocol.
"As I've said many times before, we hold our student-athletes to an extremely high standard on and off the field," said UT Head Coach Lane Kiffin, after dismissing Nu'Keese Richardson and Mike Edwards. "Our student-athletes must be responsible members of society, and this type of conduct will not be tolerated."
Sorry Coach, but I'm not buying it.
If the neanderthal that sleeps in class everyday only after arriving 10 minutes late with no backpack, books or pencil, is the "high standard" you speak of, you need to set the bar based on athletes outside of your locker room.
You didn't recruit the players you have because they are functioning members of society, you recruited them because they're good at football. If you cared about these kids upholding values, you would have recruited at National Honor Society meetings, not high school playoff games.
If you hold your players to high standards off the field, don't recruit kids that have been involved with, or are likely to enter the world of crime. Kiffin supporters might say that he didn't know that Nu'keese Richardson or Mike Edwards would end up with charges of attempted aggravated robbery. After all, he's no fortune-teller.
Give me a break.
A coach with Kiffin's recruiting experience knows exactly what each kid is like within five minutes of talking to him. On top of that, they have easy access to prior coaches who are sure to have information on the player's past or ongoing behavioral issues.
Unfortunately, like every other NCAA coach, Kiffin was hired to win. That's it. His job title isn't Head Coach/Babysitter/Ethics Professor.
Especially in a BCS system that demands perfection, noble causes, like developing young men to contribute to society once their football careers are over, are ignored completely in the quest to win. As a head coach in the NCAA, you have to produce results, and produce them quickly, even if it means investing trust in untrustworthy adolescents.
These scandalous stories of college athletes and their sabotaging charades won't end until the big programs realize that winning isn't worth moral bankruptcy.
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