Disiplining College Athletes

[Tmy]

A football player for Penn State got busted for DUI and the coach is cathing flack cause he kinda brushed off the notion of punishing the guy since he "didnt hurt anybody".

Why is there this expectation for coaches to punish these adults for their off campus non team related actions?? Its none of their business. Should the guys Accounting professor punish him too?

[Crossbow]

Well, for starters, if the student is on scholarship, then there are probably conditions for keeping it one of which may well be something like "being convicted of a felony will mean the scholarship will be terminated".

Also, college administrators are very sensitive to media attention when it comes to the student athletes. They know that a winning season will bring in lots of alumni dollars, but they also know that bad press concerning even one student athlete can drive away these same dollars. They cannot fire the students, but they sure can fire the coaches.

[Prospero]

It seems to me that the need to be sober while driving is fairly important. If he can't make that decision wisely, maybe he shouldn't be doing other, less important things, like playing football. I never understood the need for athletes capable of outsmarting bricks. On good days. When the bricks are hung over. Though usually the bricks are pretty fair competitors in the brain-power department. Stupid people whose sole purpose it is to run into other people and catch a ball really don't justify their own existence.

[Tmy]

Geez its only a DUI (like GW Bush, and he became prez).

Im amazing how schools treat these guys like indentured servants. Even a non scholarship player would still get grief from the coach.

[Mr Manifesto]

I won't pretend to be an expert on American football scholarships, but my understanding is that those who cop flack for their off-campus antics usually get it because they signed a contract with a clause saying they won't bring their institute into disrepute.

Assuming this is correct, it could be that the American public have come to expect that if a football player misbehaves in his spare time, that player will face reprecussions beyond that which the law usually provides. However, I'm with the coach. Life's too short.

[Piltdown13]

But I was an athlete myself in college (on the track team), and although I don't remember any contract -- my scholarship was for academics; I was a walk-on to the team -- it was definitely made clear to us that we would be held to a higher standard of behavior than the typical student, because we were representing our school "even when you're not wearing the uniform." There was the idea that we were role models as well. Not that any indiscretions of ours would be newsworthy in the way that, say, indiscretions of football or basketball players would, but the emphasis on good behavior was there.