Univ. of Oregon About To Stoop To A New Low

The University of Oregon Ducks want Rodney Woods to play football for them.

In May of 2000, Woods was at a party and got into an argument with another man, Christopher O'Leary, who had stopped by to pick up his girlfriend. The argument escalated, and two of Woods' friends began beating O'Leary. Woods tried to join in on the beating, but was held back. O'Leary was kicked in the head so many times that he died. When a friend of O'Leary's tried to stop the beating, Woods attacked physically attacked him.

Woods' friends are serving time for manslaughter. Woods was convicted of felony assault. But because he can't play football for Oregon with a felony conviction, he has sought and just won a reduction to a misdemeanor and 26 weeks of anger management class.

The Ducks had offered Woods a scholarship contingent on the charge being reduced, you see.

The psychologist who examined Woods and testified at his reduction hearing said the fight was "a situational loss of judgment."

The Ducks' coach, upon hearing the news of the reduction said, "I just feel strongly that he deserves this opportunity, and I'm glad he's going to get it."

This just sickens me.

Are there no upstanding young men out there worthy of being recruited to play football instead of this SOB?

I have just ruled out the University of Oregon as a potential college for my son.


Here's the link to the story. (http://www.oregonlive.com/ducksfootball/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/sports/1046524026179670.xml)

Here is a local editorial on the matter. (http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/oregonian/john_canzano/index.ssf?/base/sports/104384810452540.xml)

Perhaps me and some friends should go to every game this bastard plays in and boo our heads off whenever he steps onto the field. The only problem is that the college would make money off of our tickets.

[subgenius]

And the larger issue is the glorification of sports and athletes in educational institutions. They're crack whores to the money.
I wouldn't care if they got rid of all paid sporting events/scholarships.
My heart goes out to the O'Leary family especially when they have to see that animal on the field/on TV. He'll probably become a millionaire.

[Pyrrho]

If I were in jail on similar charges, I'd start action to demand reduction on the same basis. "I didn't mean to shoot her, judge. I am a victim of situational loss of judgment." Hey, maybe it can be made into a syndrome...SLJS, Situational Lost of Judgment Syndrome.

[Doctor X]

You behave like a university is a place for learning. . . .

--J.D.

[a_unique_person]

Originally posted by LukeT
Perhaps me and some friends should go to every game this bastard plays in and boo our heads off whenever he steps onto the field. The only problem is that the college would make money off of our tickets.

the basic problem is the winning is all that counts philosophy. It doesn't just rear it's ugly head in american college football.

LukeT,


----
I have just ruled out the University of Oregon as a potential college for my son.
----


Unforunately, there have been very bad things happen at just about every college all over the world.

[Hazelip]

Originally posted by LukeT
Perhaps me and some friends should go to every game this bastard plays in and boo our heads off whenever he steps onto the field. The only problem is that the college would make money off of our tickets.

Chanting 'felony assault and manslaughter' would be far more effective, I think.

[shemp]

This is one of the reasons why I have walked away from college sports completely, and most of professional sports as well. Far too many of the athletes are common thugs and thieves.

The worst is basketball. There are an amazing number of people with criminal records playing at the college and professional levels. And many of those without criminal records style themselves to look evil. Are these the sort of people that we want as role models for children? Children are looking up to convicted criminals like Allen Iverson and Latrell Sprewell as role models. It's sickening. Football (American) is almost as bad. Both these sports are off my watching list.

I still watch baseball and hockey, but they have some problem players too. Golf is about the only sport I follow that has few such problems. And you won't see Tiger covered with tattoos and spouting trash talk.

[Smalso]

shemp:This is one of the reasons why I have walked away from college sports completely, and most of professional sports as well. Far too many of the athletes are common thugs and thieves.

Don't you mean professional sports on both the college level and the "professional" level?

Several years ago when UNLV was hot, one of its players remarked that UNLV could beat the (Charlotte) Hornets; to which someone replied, "You should. You get paid more than they do."

As long as there's big BIG money on the line, felons and thugs will be role models in the sporting world. It's a terrible fact of life.

My question is, why do football and basketball seem to have a significantly higher percentage of these types? Why not hockey? Even baseball is relatively free of violence-prone players.

I want Tiger Woods to win every tournament he's in. Because he's so dominant, but also because he's a relative gentleman, and shows class. Remember Barry Sanders? Fantastic player, no trash talk, always handed the ball to the ref, no stupid celebration dances or taunting. Class all the way...

[subgenius]

Steve Yzerman.

[Skeptic]

I want Tiger Woods to win every tournament he's in. Because he's so dominant, but also because he's a relative gentleman, and shows class. Remember Barry Sanders? Fantastic player, no trash talk, always handed the ball to the ref, no stupid celebration dances or taunting. Class all the way...

There are quite a few people like that in sports, actually. John Elway or Jerry Rice in football, for instance. Larry Bird or Michael Jordan in basketball. Carl Ripken in baseball. The problem is that the bad overpowers the good.

But then again, just what do you expect? The average NFL player is a 23-year-old who was told all his life a). how much better he is than other people, and that b). he should do everything to violently kill, maim, and otherwise incapacitate the other guy. Is it any wonder they believe their own hype off the field as well?

Perhaps George Carlin is right. Perhaps baseball really does have relatively few criminals vis-a-vis football BECAUSE the object of the game is not to use the long bomb from the shortgun to blast through the defense, but to go home and be safe.

[subgenius]

And for no particular reason I want to tell a funny story.
Gordy Howe was asked why he always wore a cup, but didn't wear a helmet.
"I can always get someone to do my thinkin' for me."

[Agammamon]

As an aside, perhaps you guys might like to read The Big U, by Neal Stephenson (Cryptonomicon, The Diamond Age). It is a sort of satire on life in large universities that among other things quite sucinctly captures the inherent violent potential of young men living together without any real restraining force. Right now I am living a barracks on the Groton sub base and some of the things I see and hear about from these younger people are quite disturbing. We have had a rape in my building, constant fighting, men breaking into women's rooms if the door is not completely latched.
Trying to relate this to the post's topic, I wonder if there really are many others more restrained people to take this guys place.

[Tmy]

Originally posted by shemp
This is one of the reasons why I have walked away from college sports completely, and most of professional sports as well. Far too many of the athletes are common thugs and thieves.

The worst is basketball. There are an amazing number of people with criminal records playing at the college and professional levels. And many of those without criminal records style themselves to look evil. Are these the sort of people that we want as role models for children? Children are looking up to convicted criminals like Allen Iverson and Latrell Sprewell as role models. It's sickening. Football (American) is almost as bad. Both these sports are off my watching list.

I still watch baseball and hockey, but they have some problem players too. Golf is about the only sport I follow that has few such problems. And you won't see Tiger covered with tattoos and spouting trash talk.

HAHAHAHHA! Yeah everyone else at OU has a clean background. (if you take aways the drug possessions and DUI's)

tatoos = bad people? Sounds like your judgeing people more on looks than anything else.

[Tmy]

Is there any proof that basketball /football has more criminals??? Or is this a media creation? Raical bias cause there are more blacks in basketball/football.


I think its ironic that Shemp doesnt watch basketball because of "thugs" like of Spreewell or Iverson. (Im not sure if Sprewell has ever been convicted of anything) yet he wathes NHL hockey where bearnuckled fistfighting is actually condoned, and certain players are retained for that sole purpose.

[Smalso]

Remember Barry Sanders? Fantastic player, no trash talk, always handed the ball to the ref, no stupid celebration dances or taunting. Class all the way...

Takes me back a ways. When I played football in high school (back in the early Bronze Age) when a player scored a touchdown, he handed the ball to the nearest ref or simply placed it on the ground and returned to his position. (Remember when we played both sides of the ball?) Ant of the antics one sees in games now would have drawn a flag from the ref and, from our coach, a seat on the bench for a while. Footbal would benefit much from more players of Sanders' stripe.

[iain]

Originally posted by Smalso


Takes me back a ways. When I played football in high school (back in the early Bronze Age) when a player scored a touchdown, he handed the ball to the nearest ref or simply placed it on the ground and returned to his position. (Remember when we played both sides of the ball?) Ant of the antics one sees in games now would have drawn a flag from the ref and, from our coach, a seat on the bench for a while. Footbal would benefit much from more players of Sanders' stripe. Curiously, sports like soccer and rugby football have become less violent over time. Football (soccer) players are often sent off or given a warning for things which would have been overlooked or just considered normal play 20 or 30 years ago.

[Smalso]

Originally posted by iain
Curiously, sports like soccer and rugby football have become less violent over time. Football (soccer) players are often sent off or given a warning for things which would have been overlooked or just considered normal play 20 or 30 years ago.

Interesting. Shows that the act can be cleaned up.

[Tmy]

Oh come on! Pro sports is entertainment. Barry Sanders is fine but I love having a Deion Sanders too. He's fun to hate. You need villians as well as heros.

Look at the current state of mens tennis. BOOOORING! There's no personalities. I miss McEnroe.