tOSU Indiscretions of May (Mega Merge)

[Piney]

Great Post, Oh8ch...

Agreed Mili, Well earned great post award for Oh8ch.

Would everyone be happier if things were kept quiet? We just have to trust Tressel to do what is needed and we just have to not be embarrassed by these minor incidents. Now major ones are different. But compared to what happened over the past two years I would gladly take a kid getting caught with a joint over bar fights, assaults on campus, DUIs, or $100 handshakes.

 

[osugrad21]

Unfortunately, my good friend, that is not always the case (see Irizarry)...

Mils, I wouldn't call Izzy's first punishment fire...

By fire, I mean someone or a group of players being tossed from the team...that is not to say Haw or even Izzy's first offense deserved that. Once the hardline is set, I have a hard time seeing people continue to make such poor decisions...and if they do, they can go also.

My opinion is also biased as someone who has to make these decisions a few times per year. Yes kids make mistakes, but eventually, there has to be a line for the best interests of the program and the school.

 

[Bucklion]

And one more thing - I would take a dozen DUI's and Marijuana busts rather than see a single Reggie Germany 0.0. GPA. THAT was a failure by the coaching staff.

I have to say something about this...joint busts, yeah, OK, but every DUI has a chance to kill someone, so that's 12 chances, which is way, way out of the league of joint busts, because other innocent people are in danger.

I'm not calling you out at all Oh8ch, and I know you were totally just making a point, and I know I am more sensitive about this than other people...all I can say is that there's a reason I'm sensitive to it, so I had to say something.

OK, no more soapbox.

 

[LloydSev]

Has anybody here had to deal with this issue with their own child? I did not too long ago. My 17 year old is one of the miniscule percentage of people in Maryland who had to renew his learner's permit as a result of his experiment (that's what he termed it - an experiment, and I made him take AP chemistry since he likes experiments). He isn't getting his driver's license until at least the end of this summer which is more than one year from his "offense" provided he attains the other goals that are required from him. Yes, I am a prick, and at the start he let me know how unfair I was. He now understands and appreciates why I did what I did. I guess to each his own.

I applaud you.

 

[GoBucks459]

this is just bullshit, Haw messed himself up...Now its time for Pittman and Maurice (WELLS!) to get it going! MO Wells gets a lot more reps now that Haw fked up....Go Bucks i think we'l still be okay although this does hurt. Damnit haw....i dont understand how these kids just cant realize what they do HURTS THE PROGRAM LIKE HELL!!

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

LR, since we don't have a Great Parenting Award, a Great Post Award will have to suffice.

 

[lvbuckeye]

nice... i mention the speed dial aspect, someone else runs with it, and THEY get the great post award... :p

 

[LightningRod]

Mili

I am not looking for an award. Alan asked this question early on in this thread, and I had to think long and hard before responding. You knew about this episode when I pm'd you after it happened. It was one of the hardest issues I think I will ever need to deal with in my life. I am not ashamed to say that I attended a few counseling sessions to make sure I was not overreacting. I did not have a father in the household to that for me, but I was fortunate enough to have a best friend whose dad kicked my ass. That man is 86 years old, and I kiss him and thank him every time I see him.

 

[Pheasant]

have you ever driven over the speed limit? rolled a stop sign? because THAT IS ILLEGAL. PERIOD... look, about ten years ago, i got popped on campus with some herb, and literally got a TICKET. yes, technically, i was under arrest, but they didn't even take my picture or fingerprint me... yes, what he did was illegal, but only for the simple fact that the Gov't cannot regulate a substance that you can grow in your kitchen... stop comparing what he did to felonious behavior, because what he did, according to the eyes of the law, was as serious as driving 80 in a 65... actually, not even as serious, since he won't get any points on his license... he will be fined $100 for minor misdemeanor (he'll probably get it reduced to a Disorderly Conduct) and will get it expunged from his record after one year... stop blowing this out of proportion...

concerning the fact that news gets out so fast now, the internet is a double edged sword, no? BTW, did you know that campus Police used to have Coop's home phone number on speed dial, so he could go bail his players out and hush it up? yup, it's true... part of the reason that we hear about every infraction now, is that when Tressel first got to Ohio State, he told the cops that he didn't want them to call him, because the public humiliation that comes with thousands of people calling you a dumbass mere moments after you get caught, is a bit of a deterrent...

The state of Ohio actually considers pot to be more serious than speeding. A minor misdemeanor drug conviction carries with it a mandatory 180 day driver's license suspension. Also, I think people are "blowing it out of proportion" because of the stupidity involved in this incident- both coming on the heels of Skeete and that he was smoking outside in front of a dorm.

 

[Oh8ch]

I have to say something about this...joint busts, yeah, OK, but every DUI has a chance to kill someone, so that's 12 chances, which is way, way out of the league of joint busts, because other innocent people are in danger.

Lion - couldn't agree more, and I want to take this chance to make a clear distinction.

As I see it the issue at hand for this board is whether OSU has a 'problem' with team discipline and behavior. Part of that jugement is a fair comparison to other programs. I would argue that any group of 105 testosterone driven men of this age group are going to create a ton of problems. I am not convinced those problems are any worse at OSU than anywhere else (except maybe Yale). I further believe that the problem is largely a cultural problem and is not readily solvable by Jim Tressel. He should be attacking it, but it is unreasonable to expect him have measurably greater success than the parents, teachers, pastors and HS coaches who delivered these kids.

That said, I lost a close friend to a drunk driver when I was 12. Cut him clean in half as he was walking on the side of the road not 200 yards from my house. I wouldn't want anyone to think I condone driving under the influence of anything. That is simply a different issue than judging the relative extent of such problems within the OSU program.

(BTW - Over 600,000 people were charged with possession last year.)

 

[Pheasant]

I have to say something about this...joint busts, yeah, OK, but every DUI has a chance to kill someone, so that's 12 chances, which is way, way out of the league of joint busts, because other innocent people are in danger.

I'm not calling you out at all Oh8ch, and I know you were totally just making a point, and I know I am more sensitive about this than other people...all I can say is that there's a reason I'm sensitive to it, so I had to say something.

OK, no more soapbox.

How do you know Haw wasn't about to get in his car and drive somewhere? He put his life in danger, and he could have put others' lives in danger had he decided to drive. Before people start having seizures because pot doesn't cause people to have accidents, remember what DUI stands for. Driving Under the Influence. You can get one being high as well. Also, did he grow it himself? Could there have been PCP, Cocaine, Formaldehyde or some other substance in the weed he bought? As a general rule, I'll agree that driving drunk is more serious than smoking pot, but there are exceptions to that. Thankfully this wasn't one, and hopefully he'll learn from it.

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

How do you know Haw wasn't about to get in his car and drive somewhere? He put his life in danger, and he could have put others' lives in danger had he decided to drive...

It was pretty clear from the police reports that Haw was just hangin' wit a couple of his homies and had no intentions of going anywhere. If we were to use your argument, then anyone who drinks an alcoholic drink needs to be hit with a PDUI (Potential Driving Under the Influence) charge, because hey, if I'm on my couch at home with a cold one what's to say that I'm not gonna hop in my car later to go get another six pack?

 

[lvbuckeye]

The state of Ohio actually considers pot to be more serious than speeding. A minor misdemeanor drug conviction carries with it a mandatory 180 day driver's license suspension. Also, I think people are "blowing it out of proportion" because of the stupidity involved in this incident- both coming on the heels of Skeete and that he was smoking outside in front of a dorm.

my license was not suspended... then again, i plead Not Guilty to the possession charge (i didn't actually have anything on me- it was in the car that i was about to get into) and the Judge offered to reduce the charge to Disorderly Conduct if i would plead Guilty to that, and i figured that it would be in my best interest to take him up on the deal... Haw will probably get a similar offer...

 

[Pheasant]

It was pretty clear from the police reports that Haw was just hangin' wit a couple of his homies and had no intentions of going anywhere. If we were to use your argument, then anyone who drinks an alcoholic drink needs to be hit with a PDUI (Potential Driving Under the Influence) charge, because hey, if I'm on my couch at home with a cold one what's to say that I'm not gonna hop in my car later to go get another six pack?

I didn't mean to suggest pre-emptive arrests by the police....I was simply trying to point out that smoking a joint isn't necessarily harmless, and shouldn't be summarily dismissed as a minor incident. I used a poor illustration, and wound up saying something I didn't intend to.

 

[NorthShoreBuck]

Lighting Rod

I have two kids, young, but it is something I worry about all the time. I live close to New Orleans so the opportunity to experiment will be great. The oldest one if she did it we would never know. The youngest will do it and probably tempt fate by not being so discreet.

I also have quite a few older friends, my age 45, that still partake but have kids in high school and college. My question to them is how can you do this and turn around and tell your kids not to do it? The same can be said of tobacco and alcohol although those are legal, for the adults.

It sounds like you did the best you could. I also tip my hat to you.

I played college ball a long time ago at a not so large college.
We had guys get busted for drinking and smoking all the time. Some was covered up, some was not. We had two guys get into a brawl with campus security after being caught smoking. It was dealt with internally but we did not have the internet or the publicity tOSU is under. Our coach used to get up at 5:00AM and jog no matter what the weather. You got in his doghouse you paid the price on the field, in the classroom and through the streets with his little jogging exercise. It wasn't a hard or fast run but he knew you were up, sober and he had a good 30-45 minutes to chew on your ear.

You also had an athletic dorm where you had to live until you were a junior and you could only get out if you had good grades and a clean record. Married with kids also got you out.

That is discipline from long ago. I am not sure what will work with these kids today.