Ketch's 10 Thoughts From the Weekend (Inspecting Tom Herman's first 100 days as UT HC)
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Herman was the hottest commodity out there. He had LSU begging him to sign up, and would likely have ended up there if Texas hadn't pulled its head out of its collective ass in time to get him on board.
The Aggsy fans wanted Stumblin fired so they could get Herman as well.
I don't even know what that means. Dude was playing near perfect football until he got hurt last year. As far as I can remember, about the best true freshman season we have seen from a QB at UT. Yet, this board thinks Sam is more "alpha" because he called out Dylan Haines on twitter.
Bottom line is they are both injury prone, we need both to be good as they will both end up playing. However, Shane is the proven commodity at QB, and Sam is the guy who hasn't taken a single practice rep. They are the same size, were essentially ranked the same coming out of high school, and both seem like competitive guys who want to win. Very similar, but I give the clear edge to the dude who has already done it regardless of his Twitter activity.
Very fair points and I probably need to backtrack a little. FWIW, I hope this was a one-time deal and I'm a huge fan of the 2nd chance. I'm very happy that this happened during a period where they have time to review the exact situation make a non-rushed determination. I'm glad they aren't rushing to judgement and I wouldn't be at all opposed to giving the kid some serious probation and a chance to prove he can stay out of trouble. After all, his crime was mostly victim-less. He didn't rape, steal, accost or assault anyone.
But I will say one of the things I liked about the CS era were the (apparent) principles he stood by. I liked the code, the adherence to class attendance, the drug testing and the hardline on treating women properly. Especially with all the happenings 90 minutes north of Austin and the blind eyes in Norman.
If this kid is not contrite and doesn't show the greatest effort to prove this was a one-off incident with unusual circumstances, then cut him loose.
And as for you presumption that I never tried a controlled substance... you can't prove anything
We appear to largely agree. I too agreed with Charlie's stance on keeping our noses clean and obeying the rules. But it has to be tempered because we are dealing with kids who are 15-18 years old when we are talking about recruits. I know I did some incredibly stupid things when I was a teenager, as did my kids. I would want them treated the same fi they screwed up and were arrested. Kids lack judgment, which means they may screw up from time to time. They may screw up badly.
You're really going to compare having a few black-market Xanax in your possession to gang rape? Seriously?
I do not believe he admitted to selling drugs. He admitted to asking for reimbursement from friends with whom he shared drugs for which he had paid. There's a huge difference between those two scenarios.
If this is what coaches/players are telling you then fine. But if you're basing this off twitter pictures and Simms/Applewhite flashbacks I'm just not buying it.
Good grief, reading comprehension please. I never compared the crimes, I compared the excuses being made by people about the criminals. Like letting the legal process play out, getting a good lawyer to get him off or get a reduced sentence, etc.
There is no comparison between the crimes, although both are felonies. I have been pretty vocal here and on social media that the institutional coverup of sexual assaults at Baylor from the Regent level down is similar or worse than what happened at PSU.
Reese Xanax being a drug dealer on school grounds is likely just a kid doing really stupid things because he thought he could get away with it, or more likely, he wasn't thinking much at all.
My fault for listening to your damn radio show and podcasts
It is surprising...Shane seems to come across plenty alpha to me. Especially considering his bloodline and who his daddy is. Steve definitely isn't a tinker bell.
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Totally agree. Surprises everyone.My fault for listening to your damn radio show and podcasts
It is surprising...Shane seems to come across plenty alpha to me. Especially considering his bloodline and who his daddy is. Steve definitely isn't a tinker bell.
The "excuses" (I prefer the word explanations) may be more valid for one crime than for another. Forcible gang rape is NOT a lapse in judgment, IMO, even for a teenager. Nor would be attacking people, kidnapping, bank robbery or any number of other assaultive or criminal offenses. I always view it as a tragedy when a young person with a bright future commits a serious crime that screws up his or her life, and believe generally in allowing them to make amends unless the circumstances include violence or display a want of concern for the victims.
Holding a few black-market Xanax might be, however. Modern culture treats drug use as a minor offense, traffic-ticket style, not as felonious conduct. Marijuana sale/possession/use is legal in a number of states. A high-school kid could easily view having a few illicit Xanax as nothing major until he is arrested.
Again, you are conflating issues. I don't have a problem with giving a kid a second chance from this situation. But that's a second chance at going to college and getting a job and staying out of jail, etc. Its not a second chance at a 100K free ride at my University as a football player. He lost that opportunity when he decided to be a drug dealer.
Wrap it in all the nice language you wish, he was selling drugs for money on school property. Its not black market, its a crime. Its not illicit, its illegal. If Reese viewed that as nothing major until getting arrested, he should also find out that he isn't going to get 100K gift from UT for testing the boundries of criminal law.
Frankly, my focus isn't on Reese Xanax, its on Tom Herman. He needs to eliminate his ethical blind spot of this and Horny and start backing up his hardnosed talk. He has standards to live up to just like players on the team.
I think it's a little unfair to flat out call him a drug dealer, based on what we know.
Let's say someone buys a quarter ounce of pot that they are going to share with a friend, but they aren't giving their friend the pot without them going in with some money. Is that person a drug dealer in a literal sense? I guess. Is it fair to label them as a drug dealer in the general sense? I don't think so.
If you admit to selling drugs illegally to third parties, I am pretty sure that's the legal definition of a drug dealer.
Now maybe he only does it with friends, and only does it rarely, or some other mitigating factors exist. That's not in any story I read one way or the other. I am not saying he is the head of a cartel.
Plus, comparing pot to Xanax isn't really fair either. You cant buy Xanax legally in Colorado, except with a doctors prescription.
Awesome write up. Just overpaid for bad seats to see us crush OU in October. Please pass the kool aid.
I'm telling you that there are whispers in the air that there are some mitigating factors.
That might not change the totality of your thinking, I'm just passing along the whispers.
It may fit the legal definition ( I do not know if profiting or making a regular business enterprise of drugs is part of the definition or not). In terms of seriousness of the offense, however, I do not believe it is the same.
Is someone who asks for gas money to drive you somewhere engaged in the business of selling gasoline? Or how about someone who asks you to pay half the bar tab--is he a bartender? Does he need a TABC license?
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Bet you will have a moral blind spot when your son (nephew, niece, brother, etc.) is arrested for something stupid he or she did. It is easy to talk tough when you and yours do not bear the consequences.
When did it become "your" University? As I understand it, UT was built with public money and financed by the State of Texas. You do not own it or operate it.
I have two boys, they, and I, have made plenty of major mistakes. And they usually have consequences we have lived with. I am far from a hardass. Most of the people on this board had the same opinion I did when the story broke. Bye Reese was the most common post. Sometimes you cross a line you cant walk back from. Reese did that with respect to a UT scholarship.
Your latter comment is just being petty. I paid to get my UT law degree, and I paid for my son to get his Bachelors there as well. Sorry if you don't understand words beyond their literal meaning.
First, this Board has plenty of internet hardasses who express a "hang em high" lynch-mob mentality without giving much reflection to individual circumstances. Dirty Harry is a fictional movie character. No one wants our law enforcement system working that way, especially when teenagers are involved. When faced with the real consequences in the real world to real people, I bet many of them would have a very different viewpoint.. We don't often ruin a kid's life over a mistake like this.
Reese may have crossed a line he cannot walk back, that remains to be determined. Fortunately, it is not your call or he'd be getting a needle in the arm, apparently. It is Hermann's call (and maybe Fenves').
the latter comment is to remind you that the interests at stake go WAY beyond your personal viewpoint. Sorry you don't like it when someone points out that your personal interests are of almost no importance weighed against the overall interests of the University of Texas. You paid a fraction of the cost of getting a law degree and fraction of the cost of a bachelor's degree. The State of Texas paid most of that cost..
I am hardly being a hardass. I have posted several times that Reese may get a pass from the law; lesser charge, probation, whatever, and that's fine with me. I don't know why you cant differentiate the consequences from the legal system and UT, but that's your issue. As an aside, I deal with kids all the time who have ridiculously harsh consequences from legal actions in school and other settings, and I generally agree with you that's bad policy. We are creating a generation of unemployable people because of a school fight or a pot bust that would never have made it to a police record in prior decades. Coupled with all the fed and state and their contractors having to have employees with crystal clear background checks, that a powerful force in keeping qualified people unemployed or underemployed. Again, this is a completely different issue than UT giving a kid a 100K scholarship, but for some reason you don't seem to get the distinction.
Your needle in the arm comment is just silly stupid. And yes, it is clearly Herman or UTs call, so what? Who plays, how often, what position, etc etc is also Hermans call. Are you saying a message board about UT athletics shouldn't talk about these subjects? That's an equally silly argument.
And screw you and the horse you rode in on if you don't think I can use the phrase "my university" when speaking about the place I attended. Hell, I don't care if someone here is just a fan of UT, and never set foot on the campus, they can lay claim to UT FB or BB being their team.
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