Comments on: Should Figgins redshirt? http://www.dawgsonline.com/2009/05/11/should-figgins-redshirt/ Serving the Bulldog Nation since 1995 Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:15:04 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Groo http://www.dawgsonline.com/2009/05/11/should-figgins-redshirt/comment-page-1/#comment-203257 Groo Fri, 15 May 2009 17:50:49 +0000 http://www.dawgsonline.com/?p=2041#comment-203257 Ally, "without cause" was definitely a poor choice of words. What I meant was that there isn't an inconsistency because the appropriate policies actually *are* being followed, and dismissing Figgins would be above and beyond what athletic department policies call for. The difference between the Henson and Figgins cases is the difference between UGA policy and athletic department policy. Henson had two alcohol-related <strong>arrests</strong>. UGA's drug and alcohol policy calls for a one-semester suspension for any student who gets a second arrest while on probation. Figgins violations, if they were drug-related as we suspect, were not arrests but under the athletic department's own testing policies which call for a half-season suspension for a second positive test. It might seem like a minor difference, but it's two completely different policies governing the situations. Go back to Akeem Hebron - he also got nailed by the UGA policy and chose to serve his fall semester suspension by leaving the program for a year to play at GMC. Hebron wasn't kicked off the team, served his time away, and is now back on the roster. We can disagree that the athletic policy should be stronger and a second positive test <em>should</em> result in dismissal, but this was a point that was more than likely thought about quite a bit before agreeing on the appropriate level of punishment. So long as they follow the policy, and they seem to be, I don't see a consistency issue. We don't even know if the policy allows the coach to have the discretion to apply a harsher punishment (like dismissal), though I suspect it does. I agree that a pattern of inconsistency would be alarming, but it appears that the letter of the law has been followed. Ally, “without cause” was definitely a poor choice of words. What I meant was that there isn’t an inconsistency because the appropriate policies actually *are* being followed, and dismissing Figgins would be above and beyond what athletic department policies call for.

The difference between the Henson and Figgins cases is the difference between UGA policy and athletic department policy. Henson had two alcohol-related arrests. UGA’s drug and alcohol policy calls for a one-semester suspension for any student who gets a second arrest while on probation. Figgins violations, if they were drug-related as we suspect, were not arrests but under the athletic department’s own testing policies which call for a half-season suspension for a second positive test. It might seem like a minor difference, but it’s two completely different policies governing the situations. Go back to Akeem Hebron – he also got nailed by the UGA policy and chose to serve his fall semester suspension by leaving the program for a year to play at GMC. Hebron wasn’t kicked off the team, served his time away, and is now back on the roster.

We can disagree that the athletic policy should be stronger and a second positive test should result in dismissal, but this was a point that was more than likely thought about quite a bit before agreeing on the appropriate level of punishment. So long as they follow the policy, and they seem to be, I don’t see a consistency issue. We don’t even know if the policy allows the coach to have the discretion to apply a harsher punishment (like dismissal), though I suspect it does. I agree that a pattern of inconsistency would be alarming, but it appears that the letter of the law has been followed.

]]> By: Ally http://www.dawgsonline.com/2009/05/11/should-figgins-redshirt/comment-page-1/#comment-202934 Ally Thu, 14 May 2009 19:39:29 +0000 http://www.dawgsonline.com/?p=2041#comment-202934 Groo, you know i love you, but I gotta take exception to the "without cause" portion at the end of your blog post. Even though it has not been confirmed by CMR, as Mark Schlabaugh reported Figgins's 2 violations involve impromtu ncaa drug tests. That's more than enough reason to drop-kick his sorry ass out of Athens. If he'd failed 2 drug tests as simply a student, he would no longer be on campus. Also, let's revisit the Jeff Henson situation. Remember him, the snapper who got a DUI and then was busted for peeing on a brick wall downtown? Those two violations were enough for CMR to boot his butt off the team. Call me crazy but failed drug tests are a bigger concern than peeing on a wall. The issue here with me is consistency. Figgins doesn't deserve a scholarship and doesn't desrve to be on campus, quite frankly. Anything less undermines the new history of strict discipline CMR has so far worked hard to build & reinforce. Groo, you know i love you, but I gotta take exception to the “without cause” portion at the end of your blog post. Even though it has not been confirmed by CMR, as Mark Schlabaugh reported Figgins’s 2 violations involve impromtu ncaa drug tests. That’s more than enough reason to drop-kick his sorry ass out of Athens.

If he’d failed 2 drug tests as simply a student, he would no longer be on campus.

Also, let’s revisit the Jeff Henson situation. Remember him, the snapper who got a DUI and then was busted for peeing on a brick wall downtown? Those two violations were enough for CMR to boot his butt off the team. Call me crazy but failed drug tests are a bigger concern than peeing on a wall.

The issue here with me is consistency. Figgins doesn’t deserve a scholarship and doesn’t desrve to be on campus, quite frankly. Anything less undermines the new history of strict discipline CMR has so far worked hard to build & reinforce.

]]> By: Prov http://www.dawgsonline.com/2009/05/11/should-figgins-redshirt/comment-page-1/#comment-201936 Prov Tue, 12 May 2009 05:33:35 +0000 http://www.dawgsonline.com/?p=2041#comment-201936 Redshirting is certainly skirting the punishment. Redshirting is certainly skirting the punishment.

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