OT: Dorial Green-Beckham Is A Sooner

Submitted by phork on

I always liked Stoops, but this is disgusting.  Apparently Dorial Green-Beckham has joined the Sooners.  I'm all about second chances but isn't their another kid who deserves that scholoarship more?

redwhiteandMGOBLUE

July 3rd, 2014 at 3:49 PM ^

Dorial Green-Beckham enrolling at Oklahoma, eligible in 2015

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/eye-on-college-football/246061…

"UPDATE (2:00 p.m. ET): That was fast. Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops announced that Dorial Green-Beckham will enroll at Oklahoma and join the program immediately. According to NCAA rules, he won't be eligible until 2015.

“We are pleased to welcome Dorial to the University of Oklahoma, where he is excited to continue his education and resume his playing career,” Stoops said. “Dorial understands the privilege and responsibilities of representing the Oklahoma Football program. He is a talented young man who is eager to get to work with the rest of our team in the classroom and on the field.”

However, Jason Kersey of The Oklahoman is reporting that the school is pursuing a waiver to make him eligible for the 2014 season."

Yeezus

July 3rd, 2014 at 3:48 PM ^

Yeah, you must think Cam Newton is the biggest piece of shit as well.

I hope DGB fixes whatever is wrong with him and succeeds.

Yeezus

July 3rd, 2014 at 4:26 PM ^

Yeah because young men who have issues (likely due to being adopted) and are suddenly thrust into the spotlight should be condemned for the rest of their lives.

I will applaud Stoops if he gets this kid on the right path.  

FreddieMercuryHayes

July 3rd, 2014 at 4:34 PM ^

Just because a young man has issues, and DGB has certainly faced some unfortunate family issues in his young life, doesn't mean he should go through life near consequence free.  He has multiple arrests, and most recently forced his way into an apartment and pushed a female down the stairs (no charges filed though).  Only after that was he dismissed from Mizzou, and has seen no major legal consequences through all of this.  No one's 'condeming' him; he's not going to jail for the rest of his life, even if OU didn't pick him up.  But this just re-enforces to him that as long as he's a big time athlete he can do whatever he wants with very few consequences to his actions.  That's a wrong message to send as well.  Either way, I do hope he gets his life on track.

GoBlueInNYC

July 3rd, 2014 at 5:17 PM ^

It should probably be noted that charges aren't being filed because the victim feared becoming a target due to DGB's high profile:

I asked Drayton why she no longer wanted to go ahead with prosecution and she stated that she was afraid of the media and community backlash since Green-Beckham is a football player...Drayton stated she was afraid of being harassed and having her property damaged just because she was the victim.

This is taken from the incident report, LINK.

WolvinLA2

July 3rd, 2014 at 4:52 PM ^

Don't make excuses for him.  He's 20 years old, not 14.  He should know right from wrong at this point.  Lots and lots of kids his age who have had as bad or worse upbringings learn how to stay out of trouble.  

And no one has suggested he be condemned for the rest of his life.  But life has consequences for those who screw up over and over.  I just don't think he should get to play college football anymore.  

redhousewolverine

July 3rd, 2014 at 7:30 PM ^

Although he is 20 and not 14, he is still a young man, making plenty of mistakes. Plenty of young men make mistakes at that age. I believe most males don't fully mature until their mid-twenties (and even then plenty of people make really dumb decisions). Lots of kids his age who grew up in as bad of, if not worse, environments end up in far worse situtations or doing far worse things. 

You're right that life does have consequences. However, he has already had to face some of those in being dismissed from his team of choice and university of choice in Missouri. As for screwing up over and over again, he has two marijuana possession charges that were dropped (with one being someone else claiming owernship-granted they could have just been falling on the sword) and a forced entry and battery. Yes those actions constitute breaking the law and are bad rather than good; however, the first two do not really shed that much light on his character (emphasize the that). Marijuana use and possession is quite prevelant in the United States, especially in Ann Arbor which includes the Michigan athletics. The vast majority of the time it is recreational and non-violent in nature, much like general alcoholic consumption. To draw a comparison, would you be as mad if he was caught possessing a 6-pack of beer or with beer in the car (without having drank any of it because DUI's are a whole other story). 

Now, the forceful entry and battery situation represents a whole other story. It does tend to show a sense of entitlement or possible tendency towards violence. However, if we start condeming people based on one incident of that nature, we are going to have even more people in prison than we already do (which is a lot). As noted above, he was punished by Missouri by being kicked off the football team and losing his scholarship. Granted OU swooping in and offering him a scholarship tends to negate the punishment, but he still has to make a transition to a whole new school with people he does not know. If any of us had to transition to a whole new school as we entered our junior year, that would probably throw off our educational progress and thoroughly damper the college experience. Does that amount to sufficient or proper punishment? Probably not. However, DBG sounds like a kid who could use a degree and the stability of a college degree. I also hope that his time at OU helps provide him a little better direction. Edit: after reading the entire incident report, it does seem like battery/assault might not have been the first time something like this happened. As such, I am really hoping OU gets proactive in getting him into some other rehabilitative activities like counseling, community service, or other activities to get him to understand more about the consequences of violence against women, rather than just throwing him back out on the field.

All that being said, it seems a lot of the negativity really comes from the fact that Stoops and OU probably are not doing this out of altruistic notions but rather because they want an elite WR. Applying for the waiver doesn't sound like they really have DBG's best interests at heart but OU football's, which is quite frustrating. No reason to apply for the waiver. Give DBG a year to stay out of trouble, practice with the team, make new friends, and get back on track with school (obviously I'm assuming he is interested in this part, but I like to be optimistic). If Stoops gets him on the right track, then we really shouldn't be mad that OU gets the benefit of him at WR. After all, isn't this whole college football supposed to be a mechanism to allow kids to create better futures for themselves. I also hope DBG does well and avoids causing any more harm.

WolvinLA2

July 3rd, 2014 at 7:11 PM ^

I could live with that.   But sitting out "at least a year" is probably the same, since he's draft eligible in a year.  And if college football is the only thing between this kid and a life of crime, then he needs a lot of help (which may be the case).

redhousewolverine

July 3rd, 2014 at 7:25 PM ^

Some other type of rehabilitative activities would definitely be in order. Counseling, community service, attending seminars on the effects of violence against women, or maybe even some type of probation (would entail a criminal conviction which could further hasten his decline). Something to get him to wake up to his immaturity and thoughtless actions. You're probably right in that a switch to OU isn't going to do the trick, especially if he gets the waiver.

Sidenote: props to Missouri for being willing to take some action at the expense of the quality of football team it puts out this season.

Don

July 3rd, 2014 at 5:42 PM ^

His issues are far more likely to stem from having no father and a drug addict mother than from being adopted by his HS football coach and his caring and welcoming family that took him in.

Considering what they did for him, he's basically spit in their faces with his actions and behavior since he went to college. Sort of reminds me of Rumeal Robinson in some ways.

WolvinLA2

July 3rd, 2014 at 7:13 PM ^

I'm not sure why you keep using that word condemn, since no one is saying that but you.  I think the consensus is that there should be some punishment beyond "you can't go to Missouri, you need to go to Oklahoma instead."  A year of JUCO ball to work his way back up would be good, as would sitting out a year to think about things.  Kinda like what happened with Everett Gholson from ND.  Spend a year away from major college football so you can see how your actions have consequences.

WolvinLA2

July 3rd, 2014 at 7:35 PM ^

I'm of the assumption that once he's draft eligible, he's bolting.  That's not because of his character, but because of his talent.  Most kids jump at the first shot they have at the NFL.  

So when I say he shouldn't get another shot at playing college football, that's because I feel he shouldn't get a shot at it "this year" which is his last year (I assume).  If he sits out this year, and instead of going pro, he decides to stay in school, then I am absolutely in favor of him playing football as well. 

bronxblue

July 3rd, 2014 at 8:49 PM ^

You can absolutely help a kid "overcome his issues" without giving him a starting spot on a major program's roster.  Stoops doesn't give a crap about Green's troubles because he's a good football player; add half a second to his 40 time and nobody would have even heard of him or even try to help.  That's the problem here - he's a getting another chance (likely) not because anyone really will try to help him fix his very real social and judgment issues, but because they need a guy who can catch balls and help them win. 

redhousewolverine

July 3rd, 2014 at 7:00 PM ^

Michigan does and has had numerous players that use and possess marijuana. I can't think of Michigan accepting any transfers like this, but Michigan makes plenty of compromises to get talent out on the field. Need I remind you that Frank Clark was arrested and charged with second degree home invasion for stealing a laptop between his freshman and sophomore year. If I recall, the case was lingering in court, almost went to trial, and then was dismissed. Since then, I think Frank Clark has done a great job avoiding any other trouble and has been a great contributor to the Michigan football team.

Granted Michigan doesn't accept a lot of transfers so my comparisons is slightly different. Also, I think your biggest frustration is that it seems Stoops is just trying to boost the quality of his football team without really caring whether DBG is actually making progress towards refraining from any criminal activity. I think it would be properly stated that I hope Michigan doesn't make such a blatant talent grab without any care or consideration for whether it is the right move to make for the team, the university, and the Ann Arbor community. It will also be doubly frustrating and unfair if he gets the waiver and Ty doesn't.

bronxblue

July 3rd, 2014 at 8:51 PM ^

I think the difference here is that Green has a history of these issues, and one school kicked him out for them.  UM might give a guy already in the system more chances because they feel they have a better sense of the situation and how to remedy it, but I doubt you'll ever see a team like UM accept a transfer from a kid with this type of rap sheet.

redhousewolverine

July 3rd, 2014 at 10:00 PM ^

You're exactly right about the transfer situation. I doubt Michigan would take a transfer like this situation. I would hope Hoke and all future coaches don't look to capitalize on tough situations like this. However, for players that the coaches already know and who are already in the program, the coaches will probably strive to give them as many chances as reasonably possible. All in all, I hope the situation has gotten DBG to recognize how he can change for the better. But we will see how it plays out.

JBE

July 3rd, 2014 at 3:50 PM ^

Eh.

If Stoops wants to take the risk, and thinks he and his staff can provide mentors for the young man, more power to him.

tasnyder01

July 3rd, 2014 at 9:26 PM ^

How many second chance people have we at michigan taken in?  More importantly, how man have we kept in?

Who's our 5th year punter? a guy caught smoking weed so many times he's on his third chance

Who's our glorious top-ten pick? A guy who perhaps kept a girl from talking about rape/sexual misconduct.

Do you have a family member who has smoked weed twice in their life?  Should that person be disallowed from doing the thing they are best at in life?  "Yes" say you.  "Why the fuck?" say I.  

Judge not, lest ye be judged.  And I'm a life-long fan of michigan, so please, don't try this.  "Oh, he's bad because he hit a girl."  Without a doubt, that's wrong.  Guarantee ou still like Lewan.  Guarantee when the initial report about Gibbons came out, you said "it's just alleged, there's no proof."  Well, same thing here: there's no crime on DBG's part except smoking.  He hasn't been charged. And you and I both know this list on michigan players could go on.

I really think this guy has made huge mistakes (I honestly think he also hit the girl, too).  But jesus fucking christ, get off your high horse.  You had plenty of players in front of you to scream about, yet you chose to not say a word.  Yet, this occurs to a team that you don't root for, and lo and behold, you cry "Blasphemy!"

I mean, I'm a michigan man too.  I know that means we scream stupd shit like "we don't do that" but. . . I think you reallly believe it.

WolvinLA2

July 3rd, 2014 at 3:55 PM ^

I hope they don't.  I'm on the fence about how I feel about the transfer rules as it is, but it's really fucking dumb if a good kid who transfers for his own reasons has to sit out but a criminal who gets kicked off the team doesn't. "What's that?  I have to sit out a year if I want to transfer?  OK, then I'll just beat up this chick and I'm good to play this fall, right?" 

Chork

July 3rd, 2014 at 4:01 PM ^

I think it's interesting that DGB committed and joined the team during the dead period.  How did that happen without talking with any coaches on staff?  That's kind of weird.  

WolvinLA2

July 3rd, 2014 at 4:03 PM ^

Do recruiting rules apply to transfers too?  I don't know the answer to that question, but it might explain it.

Follow-up:  Does Oklahoma care about recruiting rules?  I don't know the answer to that question, but it might explain it.

WolvinLA2

July 3rd, 2014 at 4:08 PM ^

So let's say he doesn't get a waiver, has to sit out a year, and then declares for the NFL draft (all pretty likely, since the NFL is pretty cool with drugs and hitting women).  Is Oklahoma then listed as his college, even though he never suited up for them?

WolvinLA2

July 3rd, 2014 at 5:07 PM ^

I'd probably split the difference on that.  He's got 1st round talent/potential, and had one pretty solid season at Mizzou.  If he sits out and stays out of trouble, I bet he's taken in the 3rd-4th round range, at least.  Most of the 1st or 2nd round WRs are total packages - talent, production, not much baggage.  But with how many WRs most teams carry, he'll get picked up once the sure things are gone.