"randolph duke" i love you as well my pal, and you have alway's been a premier "statesman" upon my opinion...but somehow, i really highly doubt that "kenny hill's" parents are now "thrilled" as per this most profound and shocking episode. what part of "3:am" are you not comprehending? their (19 yo kid) could have been badly hurt or even to the dire point of a fatality. i fail to see any humor here...
At some point, if the parents want anything other for their kid other than a hail mary shot at making the pros and thinking Kevin Sumlin is the only guy who can make it happen, the parents have to assume responsibility for not understanding what has been obvious to a lot of us for months - that Sumlin is using his lack of discipline as a recruiting advantage.
Manziel would never have won the Heisman if he had played for a coach who believed that a player should be held accountable for bad decisions off the field. How can it be lost on a kid's parents that Sumlin doesn't believe players should be held accountable for bad decisions off the field? Parents aren't sending their kids to play for aggy because Sumlin develops character. They aren't sending their kids to play for for aggy because Sumlin stresses academics. Parents are sending their kids to play for aggy because Sumlin is going to look the other way and he is going to let them play regardless of of what dumb things they do off the field.
At some point, parents who send their kids to play for Sumlin have to be thankful the kids made it as far as they did before they found themselves in jail. As I said, Speedy Noil only lasted six weeks before he had an "incident" with the cops involving bad decisions, drugs and alcohol. If there was ever going to be any outrage, we should have expected those who cared about Speedy Noil to call out Sumlin for his lack of leadership. It didn't happen. Quelle surprise.
I'm not saying there is any humor here. I am also not saying there should be any surprise. I will make a prediction that should surprise no one. More TAMU players will be arrested between now and the beginning of the season. Here is another prediction - no meaningful disciplinary action will be taken against any of them by Kevin Sumlin. Kids sign to play for Kevin Sumlin because they want what Kevin Sumlin offers. Kenny Hill knows no meaningful disciplinary actions will be assessed by Kevin Sumlin. Every player on that team knows Kevin Sumlin will not do anything as long as the team goes 8-4 and makes it to a chicken sandwich bowl.
Parents know why their kids are signing to play under Kevin Sumlin. Once the inevitable happens, they can't claim any outrage. It's a package deal. And, in case anyone didn't notice, Manziel didn't graduate. Parents whose kids sign to play for Sumlin have no right to complain when their kids end up with an arrest record or when they don't graduate. They trade the right to complain in exchange for knowing their kid's team will go 8-4, their kid will play in a meaningless bowl game and his coach will make $5 mil a year. It's how the world works in the world of low expectations.
But this PI SHOULD bother you and it's not naive, it's simply tuning your head the other way. Please don't defend this kids actions as just another college didoh. Where is it written that it is axiomatic that if you attend college you should get so drunk you pass out in a flower bed? Certainly not for football players. The football players at A&M AND UT are always under public scrutiny. This comes with the full ride scholarship they have been awarded. Therefore they are held to different standards than the normal student.
