🏈 Jonathan Taylor commits to play at Alabama

[rick4bama]

Well if Coach Saban think he will help the team, He the coach so I guess he has the right to do so. And about the UGA coach why would he care about what he think!

 

[TerryP]

The best point I saw was that he hasn't had to answer the consequences of his actions. He went from a Chevrolet Malibu to a Ferrari F460 Modena by coming from Georgia and landing at Alabama without earning it. He fell into a better situation.

Here's where you aren't characterizing this accurately. You're forgetting his time riding a moped at Copiah-Lincoln CC.

He loses his scholarship at UGA, and is forced to attend a JUCO school. That's landing at Bama? That's spending a year in what we could call a probationary situation. Due to his play in JUCO, and keeping his nose clean while there, he had schools like LSU, Bama, and Mississippi State pursuing him.

The point he is being required to do a lot of things to be afforded this opportunity is answering the consequences of his actions. One example would be the work with the women's shelter. Another would be the counseling he's required to complete.

Too many people at the University of Alabama work/worked their asses off to make it a destination for scholars and athletes for a few to come in a ruin the reputation built my thousands of others.

In the end, if Taylor screws up this opportunity, that's something you can rightfully assert. However, as of right now, it's a worst case scenario built on "what if..."

It's my opinion we need to keep this to what we know. And, outside of what's been reported—which I strongly doubt has told the whole story, much less a good portion of this story—we don't know a whole lot.

 

[BamaFan334]

Here's where you aren't characterizing this accurately. You're forgetting his time riding a moped at Copiah-Lincoln CC.

He loses his scholarship at UGA, and is forced to attend a JUCO school. That's landing at Bama? That's spending a year in what we could call a probationary situation. Due to his play in JUCO, and keeping his nose clean while there, he had schools like LSU, Bama, and Mississippi State pursuing him.

The point he is being required to do a lot of things to be afforded this opportunity is answering the consequences of his actions. One example would be the work with the women's shelter. Another would be the counseling he's required to complete.



In the end, if Taylor screws up this opportunity, that's something you can rightfully assert. However, as of right now, it's a worst case scenario built on "what if..."

It's my opinion we need to keep this to what we know. And, outside of what's been reported—which I strongly doubt has told the whole story, much less a good portion of this story—we don't know a whole lot.

I don't consider getting to immediately play football anywhere owning up to your consequences. I don't want the guy dead, but you can't say he's not making out like a bandit for committing fraud and hitting a freaking woman. Let me know if your company would let you slide on that behavior. I know Home Depot wouldn't. They wouldn't send me from corporate to a store or to a Distribution Center to load boxes for a year and then back to a posh office making more money than I left making. Get caught cheating at Harvard (and most other universities) and you're out of there with no chance at coming back. I'm not saying the guy should be banned forever, but playing Division I football is a privilege and I think we have gotten so far away from the true meaning that people feel it's owed to them to play these days. Let him play a smaller level of football and see if an NFL team comes calling. Isaiah Crowell is a perfect example of how that should work, Da'Rick Rodgers as well. Remember, this is not a second chance. Underage drinking, sure, go run your ass off. Failing one class, sure, go run your ass off. Hitting a woman and committing fraud against the university already giving you a free ride, see you and best of luck at a lower level.

 

[BamaFan334]

This is just a question because I simply don't know. Have any of y'all heard of anyone getting trouble after they were sent to Community College after messing up?

 

[rick4bama]

This is just a question because I simply don't know. Have any of y'all heard of anyone getting trouble after they were sent to Community College after messing up?

Cam oh no that was his father! Sorry!

 

[sean]

while i can't overlook the fact that he did commit crimes, and i never will, that still doesn't mean that he doesn't deserve another chance.

so i am in favor of giving the guy a second chance.

goodness knows i haven't been the best person in the world...never claimed to be. i am not without fault and i have been in situations (legal-wise) that i put myself in and never blamed anyone but myself. i paid my debts and was given a second chance. since then, i have kept my nose clean. i always remember what i was told by someone (the one who gave me the second chance) when i find myself in some certain situations where i feel i may do something bad (even if it's not my fault).

being given a second chance is the easy part. the hard part is living with that chance and making sure you don't betray that trust given to you.

the young man needs to pay his debts, that is certain. but he was given this chance by our coach and i trust him and his decisions. he knows, as well as i'm sure Jonathan knows, that if he slips up he's gone.

as i said, i can't and won't overlook what he did. but i am willing to give him another chance as was given to me.

 

[TerryP]

This is just a question because I simply don't know. Have any of y'all heard of anyone getting trouble after they were sent to Community College after messing up?

If you consider not remaining eligible due to academics "messing up," Michael Dyer fits that bill. Heck, if I recall correctly, he had an issue with the police at Arkansas State, didn't he?

 

[UAgrad93]

@TerryP, Dyer got pulled over for speeding and pot I believe. Got released there and Petrino took him in at Louisville. Played this season and was academically ineligible for their bowl game.

 

[TerryP]

I don't consider getting to immediately play football anywhere owning up to your consequences. I don't want the guy dead, but you can't say he's not making out like a bandit for committing fraud and hitting a freaking woman. Let me know if your company would let you slide on that behavior. I know Home Depot wouldn't. They wouldn't send me from corporate to a store or to a Distribution Center to load boxes for a year and then back to a posh office making more money than I left making. Get caught cheating at Harvard (and most other universities) and you're out of there with no chance at coming back. I'm not saying the guy should be banned forever, but playing Division I football is a privilege and I think we have gotten so far away from the true meaning that people feel it's owed to them to play these days. Let him play a smaller level of football and see if an NFL team comes calling. Isaiah Crowell is a perfect example of how that should work, Da'Rick Rodgers as well. Remember, this is not a second chance. Underage drinking, sure, go run your ass off. Failing one class, sure, go run your ass off. Hitting a woman and committing fraud against the university already giving you a free ride, see you and best of luck at a lower level.

Perhaps I'm talking semantics here. Earlier you mentioned "he hasn't had to answer to his consequences." Now, it's "owing up to your consequences."

"Owning up," the way I define that phrase, is stepping forward and taking responsibility for your actions. That's something that falls directly under self-introspection. It's also something that you, nor I, can say whether he's done so or not. The fact that he's been given this opportunity from the school administration and the coaching staff tells me he's owned up to what he's done. The fact he's willing to go through the retribution leaves me thinking the same.

The notion he's "making out like a bandit" isn't accurate as well. He still has to face what the judicial system hands out. The fact he lost his scholarship means he's already had to deal with some of the repercussions that came from his earlier actions.

One thing that doesn't sit well with me is continuing to see "he hit a woman." We don't know what transpired there. Perhaps this is a bit naive, but I doubt it when I say anyone who sits and says "I'll never do such a thing" isn't being honest with anyone including themselves. You never know what might happen and send you over that edge.

I know this is semantics here: playing D1, or DII, or whatever division a kid plays in isn't a privilege. It's not some special right. It's not something that is given to a select group of people. It certainly carries no advantages. Playing at this level is earned. Earn, and privilege...two separate things entirely.

BTW, it's also my opinion the two examples you've listed (Crowell and Rodgers) aren't cases of comparing apples to apples. However, if we take Rodgers as an example, if it were permissible by SEC rules and regs, him returning to the SEC wouldn't have bothered me in the least. He failed numerous drug tests at Tennessee, and also passed numerous drug test while at Tennessee Tech.

I truly believe I understand where you're coming from. For me, I don't believe I've a right to be judge and jury. There's simply more there than I know about.