Today I played in a double header agianst a varisty high school team from Wisconson (Im in Illinois). A pitcher on the other team is suspended for DUI and assaulting a police officer.* The first game was a scheduled game I.E. the athletic directors got together and said we will play one game today. The second game was planned by the coaches just to get other players in. Therefore said pitcher was not allowed to play in the first game but pitched the second. I think it is worth mentioning that said pitcher was quite good and a D1(Division 1 College scholarship player for the non U.S. dopers) prospect.
Should the pitcher have been allowed to pitch the second game? Should events outside school or the team prevent athletes from playing?
*I am not completely sure that that is what happened but it is what I was told.
Well (I assume) the umpires were paid by the school, transportation was provided by the school, the field was provided by the school, everyone but him was in a school uniform, if thats not school sponsored I don’t know what is.
Certainly, I think he should be prevented from playing sports, driving a car, voting, and generally drawing breath.
:rolleyes:
There’s already a legal system in place for the purpose of trial and punishment. To me, advocating additional punishment outside of that system is akin to a lynch mob…particularly when we don’t know the actual specifics of the incident.
If by “scheduled game” you mean that the score or win will count in some league standings, then playing a suspended student is akin to bringing in a ringer. The second game seems to have been clearly a “pick up” game for practice. I don’t see a problem with the kid playing.
Of course, the intricacies of the various state, school, and league rules are hardly elaborated in the OP and there may be other factors at play, here.
My impression would be that a school suspension should remove the student from acquiring any “points” from a school or contributing any “points” to a school and I don’t see a problem with any non-“point” activity.
If it had been the school play, I would say a suspended student would be barred from acting, directing, etc. and would have his/her name kept off the program. However, if some Saturday the kid showed up to help move some large scenery materials into the auditorium or sat down with some kids to help them memorize their lines, I would say the drama club could accept his/her help just as they might accept the help of a parent or an older sibling, no longer in high school.
if this kid played football rather than baseball, i am sure N.U. would be interested in giving him a full ride scholarship.
lawrence phillips played college ball here. he was suspended for a short time while the investigation into him beating his girlfriend up was conducted, but allowed to play in the national championship game. (i guess the score hadn’t been run up enough)
he has since been cut from 2 or 3 pro teams for his conduct off the field.
tell the kid to switch to football, and call the athletic director at N.U.
Don’t most schools have rules about this stuff? Like, if an athelete drinks alcohol, they are off the team, etc.? Is there a “rule” that says that if you engage in certain unacceptable behaviors (like have a DUI and assault a police officer) that you can’t play? If so, it was appropriate that this guy didn’t play the first game. He knew the rules beforehand, and made his choice.
However, if the second game was more of a “practice” game and didn’t count for much, it wouldn’t really matter if he played or not. (Though, being the bitch I am, I may not have let him play, if I were in charge!)
longhair: I have heard stories about Nebraska. I know you are not exaggerating! No other gods before football, eh?
Here in Ohio, as I understand it, the body that governs high school athletics would not specifically prohibit participation for violation of law.
Many, but not all school boards, have adopted an athletics “code of conduct”. The public school system here has one and they require the signature and compliance of the athlete. In our code of conduct, any criminal behavior is punished. First violation is 10% of the season, second is 30% of the season, and 3rd is forfeiture of your entire HS athletic career.
But since it’s a local school board thing, enforcement and interpretation varies.
we take our football seriously here in nebraska. we once had a player, scott baldwin. he was arrested, nude trying to beat down his girlfriend’s door. it took a few officers to subdue him. it was determined that he had some sort of mental disorder. the coach got him released into his custody rather than sent to the state hospital, and was to monitor his condition and see that he stay on his medication.
a few months later, he was nude again, attempting to break into an apartment building. during the scuffle to subdue him, he tried to get the officer’s gun. in the struggle, the gun went of, hitting mr. baldwin in the spine. he is now paralysed from tyhe chest down. he lost the negligence lawsuit against the city. the coach has since retired. the football fans in the 3rd congressional district sent this man to congress!
i am not a football fan, or even a sports fan. i t is very weird living here sometimes…
In our school district, and at least one other in the area, this kid wouldn’t even be at the game. According to the athletic code of conduct, your behavior at any time, in any place, is subject to the code. If you happen to sneak a cigarette at a theme park a thousand miles from home and one of your coaches sees you do it, that’s it, you’re off the team. Even if it’s in the middle of summer vacation.
And a suspended student is not allowed on school property. So there’s no way they would have let him play (or watch, for that matter) around here.
Events outside school shouldn’t reap punishments at school. What’s next, giving someone detention because he got in a fight over spring break? A kid failing English because he got a speeding ticket?
