[Hold My Own]

First I want to make if clear this is a hypothetical question and there is no factual evidence for me to ask this, but I just wanted to see if the board agreed with my feelings on the matter

I vote no, bottom line is sports is a different beast then just a normal student, yes we all should ave a second chance but if the papers picked up on the fact that we went after this kid knowing what happened it could all hit the fan

[SuperJon]

I say yes. Who are we to say that it wasn't this kids first time doing it and he just fell to some peer pressure? If anyone thinks this doesn't go on with athletes already at LU then they're blind or don't want to hear it (not just football but other schools). We'd be hypocrits if we taught forgiveness and mercy and didn't give this kid a chance. We should give him a zero-tolerance policy but give him a chance.

[Hold My Own]

SJ I agree, and I'm sure it happens as it is already, but there is a difference between seeking someone out and taking care of a player that is already at your school.....I guess it's more of a PR thing more than anything.....

I think JF should ask himself this....would it be worth accepting this student if I knew the press would write a story about the character issues and it was to get picked up by the AP wire....is all of that worth this one athlete


is that going to happen if we accept this athlete, probably not, but you have to be willing to accept these things if you accept this athlete b/c these are things that could happen

[SuperJon]

I think the chances are the same that someone writes an article saying, "___ Finds Forgiveness and Hope at Liberty University." This could be a great thing for this person and the school. Once again, this comes back to the fact that I'm not nearly as conservative as most at Liberty.

[Hold My Own]

Ohh and I'm not either, heck I'll roll one up and smoke it with ya kidding kidding...but I just hate doing anything that could shed a negative light on so many positive things that are happening here....there are a lot of people waiting for LU to have one misstep for them to exploit, but maybe your right and it could be positive, but I think that would only come in the Champion! Where's your Yes vote???

[SuperJon]

I forgot to click it.

Here's my thing, what would Jesus have done? He sought out people like this and taught them. We say that we are "changing the world one degree at a time." I think a big change would be to take a kid who may have had a troubled past and helping him turn his life around for the better. Liberty is needed more by people like this than the people who have grown up in church their entire life.

[BJWilliams]

I really think that it would be great if we offered a kid like this a chance. Now I also think that the papers would look at something like that and go on with some serious LU bashing.

Im all for forgiveness and second chances. What I also think is that if youre going to give somebody a second chance, you have to see what they are going to do with that chance. Now I think that makes it all the more important that this person finds a great support structure in the campus pastor's office, at a church like TRBC and in the dorms (if this person lived in the dorms)

[SuperJon]

You also have to remember that Coach Rocco is putting his name on the line with this. If this kid comes and screws up again then people will question what type of kids Rocco is bringing in. If Coach Rocco will stick his name on the line with this kid then I trust him and support him with it. People get so frustrated with churches and Christianity in general (and I'm one of them) because if you're not born into the church a lot of times you're not accepted. If you've had a troubled past people with shake your hand at church then the second you turn around they'll talk crap about you. I've seen it happen way too many times for anyone to say it doesn't happen. Letting this kid in will show that we do care about kids and believe in forgiveness and mercy. Any of the PR stuff or negative articles written can be taken care of by us saying we're giving this kid a second chance that all of us have been given and that if he screws up and does the same thing again he will be asked to leave the school just like any other person that goes to LU. The PR crap shouldn't be the important thing. Ministering to a kid and hopefully changing his life, and afterlife, is what should be important.

[Hold My Own]

I agree, ministering should be the most important thing.....so to me, bring him in....he's not allowed to play football for 1 year, if all goes according to plan then he'll play the next season

I'm just not willing to allow an outsider who was kicked out of school to represent Liberty in the public spotlight until he proves himself worthy


It's hard for me to trust someone that I dont know to begin with, if you add the fact that they just recently got kicked out of school for mistakes made? Now it's time for them to earn the trust...and I understand I never brought this to the question but the bottom line is at a national football powerhouse generally wont kick someone out only for what has been discussed but rather things on-top of what was discussed (that they found out about)

[SuperJon]

Should we have to earn forgiveness?

[Hold My Own]

I believe after mistakes have been made then you must show signs of progress before anything should ever be handed to you....God and man are two different answers simply because God knows if you are truly sorry and man can only tell by actions

No different then Rehab, Probation, suspension, etc etc

You cant just tell the judge I'm sorry and he'll toss you your keys back

[SuperJon]

Ok, with that analogy, Jerry is the judge. Coach Rocco would be the District Attorney. By my understandings, Coach Rocco has made a "sentence recommendation" for the kid. Nine times out of ten, the judge will strongly consider and lean towards that recommendation from the District Attorney.

[PAmedic]

Eric Green.

But I still would like to see us give people ONE chance. Screw up- you're gone.

[LUconn]

I voted yes simply because I don't think that would completely disqualify him from our consideration although it certainly doesn't help him. It would be decided on a case by case basis.

[bigsmooth]

if the kid has a clean track record with one offense, and you can look back at his character and it is good, sure you give him a chance. i do agree LU is not a reform school, but look at the atheltes we have had at liberty who came in as non-christians. many have come to accept Christ. some have not and have done many things against the liberty way and if were found out, would be kicked out of school. that goes for christians as well...some have broken rules and would be kicked out as well. it should clearly be a one and done situation, and a case by case deal.

[PAmedic]

BTW- I'd say the same thing if it was a recruit for the debate team, or LU Aviation, or ANY program.

[Baldspot]

My first thought is it's just not worth it for a first year head coach to roll the dice like that on his own career and also the reputation of the entire program for some kid that another school just said "see ya later" too. Jeff Jones at UVA comes to mind as someone who made that mistake. The other school had a reason for letting the kid go. Unless their initials are BJU, do we really think the other school made a mistake in letting the kid go?

My second thought is that Coach Rutigliano would take the kid, set him up in an apartment off campus and make sure he never had to do a drug test. Then again, Coach R was not a rookie coach trying to build his career. He also viewed LU as a reformitory school instead of a school for students who demonstrated they wanted to be there in order to get admission.

[Brokeback Flamer]

I say a hearty YES. We have had student/athletes who have done things equally as "bad" : Sireing children, paying for abortions, cheating on classes, drinking, having sex I even have it on good authority that a few of our SA's have even.................danced!!!!!
Can the kid help us win? Great. If we can keep them out of jail, then we can keep them on the field/court. Why should we make an exception, let's be consistent

[Hold My Own]

would anyone change their vote if he was selling it?

[PAmedic]

Big difference.

You jumped about 3 steps with that one!

[Hold My Own]

these are all things that could be in the rumor mill, like I said before....I'm on the fence about letting him come in, I think the PR would be awful and there would be more negative things then positive....but if he sold, there is no way you can let him on the team...let him on campus and sit out a year but you cant let a kid play who just sold drugs

[bigsmooth]

there are many players that have come through the LU program and have done way worse, and much of it was swept under the rug or never found out. let's just leave it up to the coach and administration.

[Libertine]

I find it hard to believe that a kid would get expelled from any other school for smoking pot.

[Guest]

if the kid has a clean track record with one offense, and you can look back at his character and it is good, sure you give him a chance. i do agree LU is not a reform school, but look at the atheltes we have had at liberty who came in as non-christians. many have come to accept Christ. some have not and have done many things against the liberty way and if were found out, would be kicked out of school. that goes for christians as well...some have broken rules and would be kicked out as well. it should clearly be a one and done situation, and a case by case deal.

indeed, you'd be surprised what the "christian" kids do too. . . their parents would be mortified!

[LUconn]

alright alright. I doubt any of us would be surprised. We all went there and we all know what goes on with certain people. Every dorm had at least 1 or 2.