Am I a bad person for being OK with this? -
needle - 09-28-2012
Quote:Four-star offensive tackle Matt Beyer (San Antonio/Reagan) had been mentally preparing for two weeks, but that didn't make the news any easier to take.
Beyer said he was told Tuesday by Oklahoma offensive tackles coach Bruce Kittle that his scholarship offer to Oklahoma will not be honored, Beyer confirmed to SoonerNation on Thursday night.
http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/8435611/oklahoma-sooners-says-recruit-matt-beyer-struck-spinal-condition
If he hasn't signed yet, I guess I don't see any moral obligation for a school to provide a four-year commitment. If he had signed and then told he couldn't play for medical reasons, then, yes, I think a school should honor the scholarship.
Also of note:
Quote:On Thursday, California Gov. Jerry Brown announced he signed a bill that will mandate financial protections for student-athletes who suffer career-ending injuries at the four universities that receive more than $10 million annually in sports media revenue -- the Pac-12's USC, UCLA, Cal and Stanford. The schools will have to give academic scholarships to students who lose their athletic scholarships if they are injured while playing their sport. They also will have to cover insurance deductibles and pay health-care premiums for low-income athletes, among other provisions.
http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/8435611/oklahoma-sooners-says-recruit-matt-beyer-struck-spinal-condition
Re: Am I a bad person for being OK with this? -
Farm93 - 09-28-2012
On the California one the answer is yes.
SC, Stanford, UCLA and UCB show very little evidence of walking away from athletes that get hurt while on their watch. If this is an issue anywhere it is with the very programs that are not covered by the bill. If one wanted to make a difference the bill should protect all athletes that get injured while playing or practicing at for any CA university in any sport, not just the FBS AQ 4.
BTW - What exactly is a "career-ending" injury? After years of NCAA ads I am now confident that, "Most of us go pro in something other than sports," must be true. With that in mind, if a 4 year practice squad guy majoring in accounting gets a torn MCL and can no longer run fast enough to even serve that function for the team is that really a "career-ending injury"? Laugh if you must, but at some point somebody will sue for damages.
Re: Am I a bad person for being OK with this? -
Hank 91 - 09-28-2012
Stanford performed admirably in a situation like this not too long ago. Many of you will likely remember the story of Joe Kay, the volleyball player who suffered a fluke injury which led to a stroke after he was mobbed after dunking at the buzzer of a high school basketball game in Arizona. The injury was on February 6th of his senior year, so I don't think he would've signed a letter of intent. Stanford honored his (half) scholarship. Here are two articles, the first from Stanford Magazine when Kay was 19, a year after the accident, and the second from the L.A. Times three years later as Kay was preparing to graduate from Stanford. A great story.
http://alumni.stanford.edu/get/page/magazine/article/?article_id=34625
http://articles.latimes.com/2008/jun/17/sports/sp-crowe17