The Victims' View of Second Chances

There's another view of second chances for student athletes who get in trouble, one that often goes under the radar. And that's the one of the victim.

A.J. Sturges, the MSU hockey player assaulted by Glenn Winston, recently released a statement on Winston's reinstatement, a note the LSJ's Joe Rexrode posted in its entirely on his blog. Here's the key bit:

In my opinion, the immediate reinstatement of Glenn Winston to the football team reflects very poorly on Michigan State Athletics. This decision has established weak precedent for future athletes involved in violent crimes.

It's tough to fault Sturges for his point of view here, I'm not sure that I'd feel any different were I in his position. That said, Winston did spend about four months in jail for the fight, which is a hell of a long time for a sucker punch. He's definitely paid his debt to society, and America is a nation that loves to forgive.

I guess it's no surprise then, that our poll on MSU's second chance policies is pretty evenly split between those who want the university to crack down and those who think giving folks like Winston a second chance is a great idea.

Is a 2nd Chance the Right Choice?

Sophomore RB Glenn Winston has been released from the Ingham County Jail and has rejoined the MSU football team as it starts practices this week. This is significant as it gives us a glimpse into how Coach Dantonio will work with his student athletes who make significant wrong choices in life and end up having to make amends to more than just a coach or a professor. It got me thinking about the differences, if any, in approach between Dantonio and past MSU coaches when it came to significant issues such as legal trouble.

One of the most obvious and serious events that comes to mind was when TE Eric Knott and QB Damon Dowdell were involved in an incident with a 13 year old girl in Detroit. The incident occurred while they were both recruits, and it occurred during the "changeover" year from Nick Saban to Bobby Williams. Both were eventually admitted to the university and saw playing time with the team. MSU student groups, including the Womyn's Council, protested outside Spartan Stadium during games. (Anyone remember the 49-3 thumping UM gave MSU in 2002? Starting at QB that game was Damon Dowdell. Who did he throw the most passes to? Eric Knott.) 2nd Chance.

After the aforementioned UM game, RB Dawan Moss dragged a police officer with his car while he was out drinking and driving, and was quickly charged with felony eluding a police officer. He was kicked off of the team about the same time that Coach Williams was replaced by Morris Watts. Kicked Off Team.

A few years ago Jeff Smoker had his substance abuse issues. He left the team mid-season and was checked into a drug treatment facility. While this is technically different than legal action against him, it brings up many of the same questions. It helped to contribute to the downfall of his coach, Bobby Williams, and one of the first major issues Coach Smith had to deal with was the steps Smoker needed to complete to rejoin the team. 2nd Chance.

And last summer, three football players were cited for briefly running from police on campus. Charles Burrell, Mitchel White, and Cameron Jude were all allowed to stay on the team after the situation was resolved. 2nd Chance.

So, it looks like 2nd chances are somewhat normal in these situations, even when the events that trigger them are major, such as sexual assault and substance abuse. Some will argue that football players are role models and these things should not be tolerated. Others will say that these are kids who make mistakes in life, and need this amazing 2nd chance to keep from falling into a worse situation in life. What do you think?