Zero Tolerance

[WolverineSteve]

Stolen from a freind of mine....

So Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio has decided that Chris L. Rucker can go right from the jail cell back to the football team.

Wasn't it Dantonio that proclaimed "ZERO TOLERANCE" for misbehavior after 20% of his team went after engineering students at Rather Hall at the end of last season (a scene right out of Revenge of The Nerds)? Rucker was one of those guys and although Rucker did not assault anybody - it was terrible judgement on his part to be involved in that stupidity in the first place and it got him in enough trouble to put him on probation.

We've been down this road before if you remember. Last season another Spartan player, Glen Winston got right out of jail (for a vicious unprovoked assault that resulted in a broken skull for a hockey player outside a dorm) and got right back onto the practice field and right back into action. Glen Winston was one of the ringleaders of the Rather Hall incident. Winston was kicked off the team along with another moron and that's when Dantonio proclaimed ZERO TOLERANCE.

I am not so angry with Rucker actually. College kids do stupid things - if they are an athlete or an academic. It's the coach that has failed here. Sorry, ZERO TOLERANCE means you screw up again (like drink and drive) and you are gone - or at least suspended, right? Well, I guess not. First of all someone got his charge withered down from D.U.I. down to Reckless Driving. Think you'd get a break like that? But now Dantonio has sent a clear message - if you are a starter - you can violate the rules. If the team is having a great season - you can violate the rules. Dantonio had the opportunity to firmly put a stamp on this and to show current and future players - break the law and tarnish the program and you put your college playing career in jeopardy. Sure, it might have hurt Chris Rucker, sure it might have pissed off a few teammates and fans - but you couldn't say he wasn't warned - remember the coach said ZERO TOLERANCE. I guess it doesn't count when you are 8-0 and playing a big game against Iowa.

Now Dantonio can never ever claim ZERO TOLERANCE again.

Dantonio is a liar and a fraud.



.

[MgoBlue-LightSpecial]

Rucker was suspended, and missed the Illinois game and practice time. He was serving his 8 day sentence when the Northwestern game was played, so I guess he wasn't technically suspended for that one, though I do believe he would have been. So your friend is misinformed on that point.

In my opinion, Dantonio made two mistakes:

#1 He never should have said "zero tolerance." Many would assume zero tolerance means automatic dismissal from the team, even after the slightest transgression; but even the most angry, agenda-driven WolverineFan would likely agree that every incident should be treated on a case by case basis, and examined reasonably so as to make the best decision for the player as well as the program. The sum total of what Rucker's done doesn't warrant dismissal, and certainly others have received less punishment for worse actions.

Dantonio put a huge onus on himself, and going forward people (namely, media and Michigan fans) will expect him to follow through on actions that would seem too severe and unreasonable, simply because of what he said. He handled the Rather Hall incident properly, and should have simply kept his mouth shut after that. There was no need for the tough talk.

#2 He should not have re-instated Rucker this week. Perhaps next week or the week after. It remains to be seen if Rucker will play, but he shouldn't get on that bus regardless.

[M Club]

wholly agree. not sure how long he should be suspended but he shouldn't be kicked out of the program. what good would that do considering he'd probably just go drink a few whiskeys before deciding there were some aholes in some other frat he wanted to beat up. the frat, obviously, would be far enough away that he'd drive himself over to do the job.

two games for drunk driving but hey we need you for iowa seems a bit lenient, though. and really, the only reason he sat in a jail was because he violated his probation, so it's not like guy fucked up this once and this is his wake up call. not throwing stones here either because dickrod should have come down on grady just as hard.

bottom line, dantonio probably made a mistake here. it's too early in his tenure to let this shit slide. i know it's case by case, but for some reason he has a reputation for running a tight ship even though most of his recruiting trips are to the county jail. i know the ann arbor version of this is the reason for your name, mgo, but people should at least stop pretending dantonio's about doing things the right way, or whatever he meant by "zero tolerance."

[TheJON]

I don't know much about the story, but how did he get 8 days in the slam for drunk driving? Since when do people get more than a night in jail for that unless they're habitual offenders?

I know Dantonio is in a bad spot here, but I think the right thing to do is keep him out at least for the Iowa game. I've seen far too many times coaches give these star players a break that they would not give a 3rd string fullback, and that player ends up being a repeat offender because he thinks he can get away with anything. These star athletes have big egos and by going light on them, you're essentially telling them that you can get away with anything and this is a poor life lesson.

[MgoBlue-LightSpecial]

two games for drunk driving but hey we need you for iowa seems a bit lenient, though.

1-2 games is pretty standard for OWI. Essentially, Rucker backed into a parked car at a 7-11. Didn't Stonum only get a game after speeding down a street after a few pops?

[TheJON]

two games for drunk driving but hey we need you for iowa seems a bit lenient, though.

1-2 games is pretty standard for OWI. Essentially, Rucker backed into a parked car at a 7-11. Didn't Stonum only get a game after speeding down a street after a few pops?

I don't know the specifics of either guys (though, they just said on local radio that this is not Ruckers first alcohol related offense), but do you really want to compare your coach's integrity to DickRod? DickRod is a mediocre human being. I don't think you want to compare what a guy like that is doing to punish his players. If you're doing the same thing as DickRod, you're probably doing it wrong.

[The Seer]

You missed the fine print..."zero tolerance only if NOT protecting an unbeaten record"...It's in there, you just have to look for it.

[Felix]

You missed the fine print..."zero tolerance only if NOT protecting an unbeaten record"...It's in there, you just have to look for it.

:D

[Dinsdale]

You missed the fine print..."zero tolerance only if NOT protecting an unbeaten record"...It's in there, you just have to look for it.

:D

RACK!

Sin,
Byron Hout

[M Club]

two games for drunk driving but hey we need you for iowa seems a bit lenient, though.

1-2 games is pretty standard for OWI. Essentially, Rucker backed into a parked car at a 7-11. Didn't Stonum only get a game after speeding down a street after a few pops?

i don't remember stonum's gig, but that too, i suppose. coaches will dress their players in pink to "raise awareness" for breast cancer but only send them to a corner for 15 minutes for drinking and driving. it's the wrong message to send regardless of which team you root for.

[Felix]

You missed the fine print..."zero tolerance only if NOT protecting an unbeaten record"...It's in there, you just have to look for it.

:D

RACK!

Sin,
Byron Hout

he was punished "internally" (whatever the fuck that means)

but honestly, do you think it was necessary for him to be on the field for the Miami of Ohio game (a 48-0 steamrolling)?

[Dinsdale]

he was punished "internally" (whatever the fuck that means)

You missed the fine print..."zero tolerance only if NOT protecting an unbeaten record"...It's in there, you just have to look for it.

A whole bunch has come out about him dropping N-bombs on Blount (which came from BSU players, not Oregon players, and Blount won't discuss it, but doesn't officially deny that's what set him off... and you'll note Petersen's jaw dropping after Hout's comments to Blount after the game, and he jumps in before Blount even reacts... kind of backs up the story... way to go on the stereotypes, Idaho).

Fine player, but despicable, IF TRUE. And no, it wouldn't have æffected the season's result in any way.

[Felix]

despicable, IF TRUE.

lots of speculation about what was said, but if dropping n-bombs were true, Hout should have had his scholarship pulled and summarily been kicked to the curb

to be honest, I can't fathom anyway that petersen would keep him on the team if such exchange had occurred....Boise State has 18 linebackers on their roster, and while Hout is definitely an impact player, he's not that valuable

[Mace]

despicable, IF TRUE.

lots of speculation about what was said, but if dropping n-bombs were true, Hout should have had his scholarship pulled and summarily been kicked to the curb

to be honest, I can't fathom anyway that petersen would keep him on the team if such exchange had occurred....Boise State has 18 linebackers on their roster, and while Hout is definitely an impact player, he's not that valuable

Hard to believe that the story is true, imo, unless Hout is simply stupid.....which would not be an uncommon trait for a college football player. When you have African-American teammates, dropping the N-bomb against an opponent would be extremely stupid and could easily cause a lot of problems for your own team. That's something that most any coach would have dealt with very harshly, imo, so I have to doubt the story.

[Dinsdale]

IF TRUE (it's been kicked around the internet, the RUMOR being that even BSU players have confirmed it), Hout owes one hell of a debt of gratitude to LaGarrette for keeping his mouth shut.

I think you'd have a hard time finding anyone who isn't appalled by that.

But until the involved parties go public, we'll never know.

[Mace]

I have no way of knowing if it's true, but if it is, I would have kicked Hout off the team. Of course, nowdays, he'd also have to attend sensitivity training and anger management. :roll:

[Dinsdale]

Of course, nowdays, he'd also have to attend sensitivity training and anger management.

What would that actually consist of in Idaho?

"Son, it's quite inappropriate to call an African American a 'niqqer.' The next time you have ill-will towards an African American, try 'porch monkey' or 'jigaboo' instead... they really hate that."

[Mace]

Of course, nowdays, he'd also have to attend sensitivity training and anger management.

What would that actually consist of in Idaho?

"Son, it's quite inappropriate to call an African American a 'niqqer.' The next time you have ill-will towards an African American, try 'porch monkey' or 'jigaboo' instead... they really hate that."

That might suffice in Idaho, I don't know, but I doubt his teammates would see it that way.

[FLW Buckeye]

Of course, nowdays, he'd also have to attend sensitivity training and anger management.

What would that actually consist of in Idaho?

"Son, it's quite inappropriate to call an African American a 'niqqer.' The next time you have ill-will towards an African American, try 'porch monkey' or 'jigaboo' instead... they really hate that."

It's a regional thing...

In C-bus, I've heard they're faster to anger if you refer to them as a "stupid fugging Somali."