Dr.Phillips WR Chris Gallon Could Be Ruled Ineligible, On Top of Court Case.
In an already bad week for Chris Gallon per Tim:
I'd hesitated to mention a hazing incident at Dr. Phillips High school earlier this year, since there were no mentions of Michigan targets, but unfortunately, that is no longer the case. FL WR Chris Gallon is among the accused, and criminal charges may be on the way.
http://mgoblog.com/content/wednesday-recruitin-welcomes-justice-hayes
Then this was published in the Orlando Sentinel:
Dr. Phillips and Orange County Public Schools again are checking the athletic eligibility of standout wide receiver Chris Gallon due to reports that court documents show his home address is in Seminole County.
Gallon transferred as a senior from Oviedo to Dr. Phillips in a move that was red-flagged immediately and investigated by school officials.
"Orange County Public Schools did a complete and thorough residency check, including a home visit, earlier this season and concluded the residency [in Orange County] was completely legitimate," Dr. Phillips athletic director John Magrino said Wednesday morning. "As per FHSAA policy, we will do a follow-up investigation in light of his recent allegation and report our findings to the state as required."
The Florida High School Athletic Association governs high school competition for member schools. Per its policy, if an athlete is ruled ineligible, a team typically would forfeit all games in which he participated.
Chris can't seem to catch a break. I will hope the the hazing allegations aren't true. Then that the eligibility is cleared up.
November 25th, 2010 at 4:31 AM ^
The article quoted is just a report on an allegation, as a Michigan fan I'm weary.
November 25th, 2010 at 4:35 AM ^
Honestly, does Michigan even won't to bother with someone with so much baggage, whether all of it is true or not? I think not. He doesn't seem worth the time to me. Seeing as we have plenty of recent experience with no-shows and transfers, he seems like the perfect canidate for another, even if he is eligible.
p.s. the kid who was hazed at Dr. Philips is basically physically disabled for life. The severity of that situation can not be understated.
November 25th, 2010 at 5:02 AM ^
I'm assuming you meant "want".
November 25th, 2010 at 5:18 AM ^
yeah. I don't know what I was thinking.
November 25th, 2010 at 2:16 PM ^
p.s. the kid who was hazed at Dr. Philips is basically physically disabled for life. The severity of that situation can not be understated.
http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2010-09-10/news/os-hazing-attack-dr…
"Darrion was treated at Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children for a concussion, bruises and scrapes, his mother said."
November 25th, 2010 at 7:22 AM ^
November 25th, 2010 at 8:39 AM ^
Unlike the orientation weekend incident in EL, I hope the facts in this case are brought into the open and justice is done either way. If he was the person who actually did the beating, I wouldn't want to see him in a maize and blue uniform.
However, if he was just a "watcher" or "fringe participant" who went along with the crowd and didn't want to "rat" on his buddies, his main problem would be a lack of leadership. If that is the case, he could use the "leadership training" that is such a large part of the University of Michigan experience.
Then, of course, there is the chance that he is innocent here. It could turn out that he didn't actually do anything. Insurance/lawsuit malingering is a growth industry in Florida; we really have no way of knowing what is true in this case and what isn't. But, whatever the case, I hope the truth is uncovered and all involved (or not involved) get exactly what they have coming to them: good or bad.
.
November 25th, 2010 at 3:54 PM ^
Shawn Conway was nearly ruled ineligible for his entire senior season, also on a residency issue. It didn't matter.
Obviously, the Doc Phillips people care, during h.s. football playoffs. But that is peculiar to them, and does not matter to collegiate suitors, unless it impaired his NCAA eligibility, and I think it does not.
The criminal charge is a VERY different matter. Much more serious, and particularly so inasmuch as the criminal justice system might not have it worked out on a nice neat timetable like the Army All-America game, to coincide with recruting and spring football. There could be a trial, et cetera, next August.
Having said all of that, I expect that MSU will be offering him very soon.
November 26th, 2010 at 8:45 PM ^
For someone that has been a fan of Michigan and the Big Ten for years, as well as someone who lives in the Dr. Phillips area and whose children have attended Dr. Phillips, I for one am embarrassed by this entire situation and have no earthly idea why the administration at Dr. Phillips and the administration within Orange County Public Schools has not stepped up to the plate and put an end to all of this.
Everyone (players, coaches, administrators, and students) knows the football players roughed up the young man, Darion Denson, and these rituals have been happening for years. Any school official and/or reporter just needs to track down former DP football players from previous years at Dr. Phillips to hear the stories of what has gone on when any player, who is not a senior or a starter, walks through the front locker room doors. The coaches know it, administrators know it, parents know it, the players know it, and they have the rule, "what happens in football, stays in football"... only this time, the players doing the hazing got out of control and hurt someone. If the Dr. Phillips administrators and OCPS had stepped up and told the truth, punished the students who were involved, apologized and made reparations to Darion Denson and his family, and inacted new rules in the locker room to prevent this from happening again, all would be well and these students could go on with their lives. But the administrators and coaches chose the current path, which has brought more rain down upon them. Living in the Dr. Phillips area, right down the street from where Tiger Woods lives, you would have thought that DP and OCPS would have learned a lesson from Tiger. Cheating, lies and cover-ups lead to one thing, a dismal, embarrassing downfall and a loss of public support. I feel bad for Chris Gallon, being hung out to dry by the school and OCPS, while the adminstrators have known all along where he lives and what went on in the locker room that day. What cowards would put a child in jeapardy? They recruited him, just like they attracted the rest of the student players that are not zoned in the district or not currently in one of the school magnets. Chris needs to stand up and tell the truth, and hope the truth counts for something...that is what a true Wolverine would do.
Students are learning and they will make mistakes along the way, but to be guided and pushed in the wrong direction knowingly by an adult, teacher, coach and/or administrator is wrong. The improprieties taking place across college campuses, where winning at all costs trumps character development and ethics in collegiate athletic departments, have mentored high school sports administrators that winning is the key measure of success. Young men and women are learning from adults that coverup, circling the wagons with a party line is valued life lesson.
The solution is not punish Chris for his error in judgement. The solution is to tell the truth and show him the truth and valuing intergrity in athletics is what true sportsmanship is about. It is to teach him how to stand up for what is right, help him correct the situation and punish the adults for endangering the careers and lives of these young student athletes.
February 26th, 2011 at 12:23 PM ^
There hasn't been activity on this thread (or about this topic) since November of last year so I don't know if anyone will actually read this... (since I don't post on MGoBlog at all, I can't open a board post quite yet so I hope this is newsworthy to somebody. The MGoCommunity is pretty quick at updating the latest info so I usually take a back seat with posting.)
I was in a conference in Orlando, FL this last week and scheduled a towncar to pick me up at my hotel to take me to the airport this last Thursday (2/24) in the morning. I got to talking with the driver and he had mentioned that his sons used to go to Dr. Phillips. (My ears naturally perked up.) He then went on to tell me that he had to remove his sons from the school because of the hazing that was done to his youngest son, Darrion Denson. I quickly looked him up on my phone and found a few articles about it and uncovered my driver was Rev. Porter Denson.
We discussed the incident at length recapped here; he told me that a coach brought his son into the locker room and then players started chanting. They choked and beat Darrion only to later stuffed him into a trash can. He was knocked unconscious at some point in time.
Porter said that there were about 20 members of the team that were participating in this. He specifically mentioned Chris Gallon's name (though not sure to what extent he was involved) but he also said specifically that Hasean Clinton-Dix was the one that stuffed him in the the trash can. He told me that his son is still at home, receiving home care and that they also have teachers coming to the house to help continue his education. He also said that his football career is most likely over.
As you can imagine, Porter was still pretty emotional and upset about the incident. Not just because of the specific hazing though but because they don't think the case has been handled appropriately. The players got misdemeanors and can carry on with their lives while their son is still attempting to rehab at home. Here is the latest from the Orlando Sentinel for those that are interested.
Anyway, here's my contribution to this thread... only a few months late...!