Redshirt freshman Jermaine Doster was suspended for the entire season by coach Bobby Johnson for violation of team rules, stemming from his arrest two weeks ago for disorderly conduct and two other misdemeanors, Mo Patton from the Tennessean reports.
I'm a little surprised by the harshness of the punishment, but there's no doubt Doster got the message. Johnson holding Doster accountable for his actions should also send shockwaves through the rest of the team to remind them that playing D-1 football is a privilege, and unruly behavior of that magnitude that reflects poorly on the team will not be tolerated.
What do you all think of the suspension? Too harsh? Just right?
Friday, August 1, 2008
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4 comments:
While Doster's actions were certainly out of line and should never be tolerated, all I can say is...
WOW.
An entire season? He's a 20 year old kid who let his emotions get the best of him for a brief period of time. Everybody makes mistakes, and this incident seems like it was a spur of the moment type of thing. If he had been violating the law for a long period of time and had time to mull over his actions, that is a completely different story, but that was clearly not the case.
I know that Vandy takes pride in doing things the right way and having the most disclipined team in the SEC. That being said, I don't think that one bad moment should ruin Doster's entire season. I think that a four game suspension and a stern talking to would certainly do the trick.
I think the season-long suspension is appropriate. Vanderbilt generally has a no-tolerance policy and I wouldn't have been surprised to see Doster dismissed from the team entirely. This incident was more than a "spur of the moment type of thing." He kicked in the back window of a cop car!
However, I'm glad that Johnson and the university decided to give Doster a second chance. Hopefully he comes back to the team next season a better person, not just football playr.
I don't think it is too harsh. We are just used to coaches going so light that it seems harsh. Harsh would have been not letting him come back or revoking his scholarship. That would have hurt Doster. This way, they get to see how serious he is about his future.
You never know, his family may have had some input into this.
I wonder if Petrino or Fulmer is paying attention to this? I hope they are ashamed of the soft stance they take on issues. But that would be asking a lot.
While i think it is appropriate, look at South Carolina where Stephen Garcia is coming back now after i think 3 DUIs and isn't missing a game as far as I know. I understand that Garcia is a big part of their team while Doster probably wasn't gonna play this season, but still. There is a difference between Vandy's program and the rest of the SEC. I bet that one of our big name players would have been suspended for at least the first 6 games for something like this, if not the season as well.
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