This was brought up last night when it broke and people had an inability to discuss it without going over the boundary to what was more proper for West Mall type discussion if that is what it is called over there. So keep this on topic and respect individuals involved and all is fine. I think discussion is needed as long as it is on topic discussion.
All I can say is I am glad I don't have to deal with issues like this. On one hand you can take the zero tolerance stance and on the other you realize the reality of the situation. I think Texas probably did the right thing here but you hate to see a kid kicked off the team for something he probably is really sorry for. If he wasn't sorry I would bet he is today. Horrible situation any way you look at it.
He would have gotten his *** kicked in the locker room anyway. Mack probably did this for his making the comment AND for his own safety.
He is very sorry for this and was instantly. His actions beginning early yesterday are heart wrenching. His remorse is genuine and he knows fully why he had to leave the team as much as it hurt. I think the concern now is more legal and whether or not something lke that is coming down the pipeline. That and his personal safety as well as others around him should something happen from some jackass. The young man made a huge mistake and his leaving or dismissal, however it really played out is the right thing. If so much as one player had a problem, vocalized or not with this and did not believe his saying he is sorry you can have a divided locker room for a long time coming. He is a top notch student and a good person who made a very stupid mistake and about as bad a time as one could choose. He will pay for this probably for a good amount of time in the future. This is something that may follow him all of his life if he stays in football. Could he get into Law School (if this is even a goal) over something like this?
I don't know this kid, but I think he got the punishment he deserved. The chemistry of a team is delicate, and racial tension will disrupt it faster than just about anything. Mack Brown must keep the team together emotionally and racial ******** like this causes disharmony. Having said that, if the team voted to let him back on, I'd also have no problem with that. But it has to be a vote of the team, and since probably more than half of the players are black, I don't know that this would happen. I can't consider this as the same thing as a spoken remark just blurted out in the heat of the moment. He had to take the time to turn on his computer, log on to the site, and then type the words. IMO, it was a deliberate action and as such reveals how he truly feels. It was a stupid thing to do. I know he must regret it. I wish young people would just once stop and think about how their actions today can have serious ramifications on their future.
We also don't know if Mack kicked him off the team. From what I have read it says he has left the team. This means he chose to leave. Surely he knew what was coming and knew this would be an eventuality. Maybe it was a case of "You can't fire me because I quit" or Mack and Co. giving him that chance to bow out gracefully. But he has been in touch with the coaches every step of the way and this is the best result given the actions he took. Great point Texanne. He had to take deliberate actions with many chances to think about how wrong this would be regardless of intent, especially on the internet. He chose not to refrain. He chose poorly. We all make poor decisions in our lifetime of varying impact. They almost always have a reaction. Buck's is coming back at him in a huge way. Good luck, kid.
It should be a team policy that all players are not allowed to have a myspace or a facebook. Nothing good can come out of that publicity. This is an unfortunate incident and I hope he recovers well from this. Playing football at this level is a privalige, therefore sacrificing being part of a 'online community" isn't too much to ask.
Preface by utterly agreeing with the discipline handed out so far. “He had to take the time to turn on his computer, log on to the site, and then type the words.” Not so fast. Kids today use apps today like we use to talk in the hallway between classes. (Pre cell phone days.) I regret that he isn’t with the team anymore. No opportunity for his ex teammates to kick his *** (drill wise) and remind him daily of our shared humanity. Instead of him walking away, this could be confronted and overcome by the offender and the offended in the team setting. I hope the team takes him back if that's an option.
I think a vote would have been nice, but I dont blame Mack for showing him the door. It just had to be done. I like someones idea of not allowing the players on facebook. I dont know if you guys have accounts or not, but some of our players say some fd up crap on there. I wont name the player, but on that same night he said something completely assinine and just as rascist as Buck. When I went back to print screen it yesterday it was obviously gone and he deleted it from his history. Just dont allow them on it period. All it is is trouble. People talk **** to players for dropping game winning int's and then that person comes back and on and on. Facebook = trouble (for players, not morons like me lol).
i was disappointed in getting texts like the ones he got. i got some from black friends too. it's ******* stupid. i didn't vote for obama, but i'm glad he won. i believe in him and pray for him.
I think that would be not only something impossible to enforce but an overreaction. But I get your point and agree. The better thing is to once again remind them of the importance of being mature, responsible and having COMMON SENSE. That they are under the watchful eye of oodles of people both friend, fan and hater. There will be people jealous of you, the University of Texas or just unhappy that would love to see you take a fall. They would love to give UT a black eye. Those people are out there, this is yet again proof. How many times in the recent past do we hear of somebody not getting a job or into trouble over something said in Facebook or Myspace? You would think that people would figure it out now. You would hope that they would realize that if an inch can be taken a mile by people online, it will and then some. The hope is that maybe now, finally, after all the above has gone on around the country and even with this team before that they learned a lesson. But damage had to occur before. Experience is the best teacher but only a fool learns by no other means.
I do not condone his actions, but we have reached a sad day in america when someone is kicked off a team for a facebook comment. I will also add it is a sad day when free or different thought (again I'm not saying his beliefs are right) is not allowed. I thought we had progressed to point where people were not fired for their views or beliefs, apparently we have not.
Generally, I would agree with you, htown. On a team, however, there is no room for anything that negatively affects team chemistry. Football players have to rely on the guys playing beside them. If they can't trust a teammate, they can't play beside a teammate.
When your thoughts suggest a threat against the POTUS then it is a little bit different than just a joke or a little thought.
The decision for Buck to leave the team was the absolute right decision. This is a very unfortunate circumstance that hopefully can be put behind us quickly. I do not condone any actions such as what Buck did but as a Christian and one who has studied & practiced other religions as well, it is right to forgive him his actions as well (e.g condem the sin, not the sinner). The team must come first. Buck's actions were selfish, uncalled for & uncaring, so for that alone he must go. I pray that he will use this experience to better himself as a person. I hope the team finds it within themsleves to forgive their now former teammate and learn a valuable lesson in the meantime.
Htown, No can can punish Buck -- or anyone else, for that matter -- for what he is thinking. The problem is that he expressed it in a public forum and jeopardized the greater good of his team. I don't know why some people have difficulty understanding the difference between thought and expression.
Mack was right to remove him from the team. However, Mack should also remove any player, yes any player, who violates a law like DWI or drug possession.
From what I understand he did not write the remarks but just posted something someone else sent which absolutley does not make it right. However everyone makes a mistake and should be given another chance. Not saying it should be at Texas but I would let his team mates decide and vote on reinstatement in the spring. I would also make the vote have to be unanimous to let him back on the team. If one player voted no he would be gone. This may have already happened but we will probably never know. I trust Mack and his decisions.
First of all, Buck made a very bad mistake and one that he'll pay for long after his football days are over. But anyone that doesn't think racial awareness hasn't been heightened in the past few days is living in a cave. I am 99% sure this was probably some attempt at humor that fell horribly short and it flat out sucks that this kid's future will be impacted so much because of this. One of the consistent reasons players come to Texas is because the program is run like a big family. I think the best ending this story could possibly have would be for the black players on the team to collectively go into Mack's office and say that while Buck messed up, he deserves a 2nd chance and that they want him back. For that to happen, they would obviously have to believe that Buck's actions were out of character. (or have I seen "Rudy" one too many times?)
