In Save It for Later you’re getting a brief run-down of each week's stand-outs from my Diigo "Read Later" list, Pulse News, Twitter, and Pinterest
FAMU Marching 100
Wednesday, Florida A and M University President, James Ammons, announced he is resigning after the hazing death of university drum major,
Robert Champion, in November. There is a
lot to this story and I wasn’t aware of it until this morning when I watched
E:60 on ESPN.
Briefly, Robert Champion, a drum major in the FAMU marching
band, was hazed to death by band mates on the band’s bus—Bus C, to be exact—a bus
known for passengers being hazed if they chose to ride on it. Seems the band director knew hazing was going
on, but thought it had stopped. However,
in an interview shown on E:60, he claims he did not know it was going on, at all.
Also on Wednesday, the family of Robert Champion filed a wrongful death law suit against FAMU. Of course
the president is stepping down. It’s not
timely; it’s what is done once the law suits start coming in. In my opinion, he should have been gone in
November when the incident happened.
The band was banned from performing this fall—a fitting consequence. Thirteen band members were criminally charged
in the ordeal (11 face felony hazing charges, two were charged with
misdemeanors). However, some, including the
victim’s family, want the band to march again in the future.
I feel the days of FAMU’s Marching 100 should be over.
Forever. Someone is dead. Others before
him were injured and the university knew about it. Just days before Champion died, CNN reports,
campus police recommended FAMU stop the band from marching or at the very
least, suspend the upperclassmen.
On Tuesday, HBO's Real Sports will air an interview with Rikki Wills, one of the defendants in the upcoming hazing trial. Don't miss it.
On Tuesday, HBO's Real Sports will air an interview with Rikki Wills, one of the defendants in the upcoming hazing trial. Don't miss it.
Freeh Report
Much has been written about the Freeh report since its
release on Thursday. Much has been said
as well. ESPN should stop airing interviews
with Jay Paterno, son of Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, and Matt Millen, a former Penn State football player. I
agree with the views on both of the aforementioned in the below
links, the first from Ta-Nehisi Coates of The Atlantic, the second from Rob Raissman of the New York Daily Times. Click them. Read them. Stop being afraid to read and talk about the child sexual abuse scandal at Penn State.
Another post about the Penn State scandal, specifically
about the role of iconic, former football coach Joe Paterno, came from Ashley over at The Dose of Reality. She was gentle yet strong in
her voice and I enjoyed reading it. Not
because I love the topic---I hate it and it sickens me. But because she provides for us an example of
what we should be doing—talking about it. Make sure you read Silence is Not an Option, including the comments. There is important conversation happening. Don't be afraid to join the conversation by
leaving your own comment. Then, if you
are a blogger, go to your own space and blog about it.
The Other Joe Paterno
Matt Millen’s biased defense of Joe Paterno
on ESPN indefensible
Another post about the Penn State scandal, specifically
about the role of iconic, former football coach Joe Paterno, came from Ashley over at The Dose of Reality. She was gentle yet strong in
her voice and I enjoyed reading it. Not
because I love the topic---I hate it and it sickens me. But because she provides for us an example of
what we should be doing—talking about it. Make sure you read Silence is Not an Option, including the comments. There is important conversation happening. Don't be afraid to join the conversation by
leaving your own comment. Then, if you
are a blogger, go to your own space and blog about it.
And if you are part of the NCAA, please consider giving Penn
State’s football program the death penalty.
Do all who come after the Sandusky child sexual abuse scandal at Penn State deserve to suffer by not having football? No. Players can play football someplace
else. If Ohio State got in trouble for
some players selling belongings in exchange for tattoos, if FAMU’s Marching 100
is no longer marching because they killed a person…umm…you see where this is
going. It is a rule of society that the actions, or wrong-doing of one has impact on all--even the privileged. We will fail to learn this rule unless big powerful institutions feel the consequences, until we feel the consequences. The only fitting consequence for
Penn State is NO MORE FOOTBALL.
My favorite sportscaster, Dan Patrick, was on vacation last week. I am looking forward to his return tomorrow morning to The Dan Patrick Show to hear his commentary on the Freeh report. I am hoping to hear something like what he said last November when the scandal at Penn State broke:
photo credit: divinemisscopa via photo pin cc
My favorite sportscaster, Dan Patrick, was on vacation last week. I am looking forward to his return tomorrow morning to The Dan Patrick Show to hear his commentary on the Freeh report. I am hoping to hear something like what he said last November when the scandal at Penn State broke:
“Joe Paterno has lost the right
to be the head coach of Penn State.”
~Dan PatrickI hope I hear Dan say, "Penn State has lost the right to have a football program." And after, I hope he takes down that poster of Kate Upton that is hanging behind him. It's still crushing my morale.
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