Assuming the account is accurate, this was particularly stupid in light of the recent publicity about Gilbert Arenas. Good riddance.
Way to go, guys...The students – John Drew, Kyle Griswould and Brandon Putnam – were members of the Duke football team, according to spokesman Keith Lawrence. They have been dismissed from the team and will not be permitted to return to campus pending the resolution of the charges.
http://www.wral.com/news/news_briefs/story/6828598/
Q "Why do you like Duke, you didn't even go there." A "Because my art school didn't have a basketball team."
Assuming the account is accurate, this was particularly stupid in light of the recent publicity about Gilbert Arenas. Good riddance.
Can't blame the prior regime for recruiting these guys. Character might not win you football games, but the lack of it can hurt the team.
This is horrible. Griswould and Putnam will not be big losses to the team. But John Drew is a huge loss! A defense that is losing a lot of seniors, is losing another starting defensive lineman. Drew had the potential from his play this year to potentialy be a all-conference lineman.
I hope these guys get their heads on straight.
While this is definitely bad news, I am glad that our coaches immediately dismissed both the star and the two lesser players, instead of throwing the two lesser guys under the bus and conspiring with the local police to make the star appear to be an innocent bystander.
This is a program with some integrity, at least.
I am sure big time followers of college football know exactly what other team I am referring to.
I am speechless. Why do kids (and some adults) find ways to wreck their lives? It truly boggles the mind how people find ways to make good situations into bad ones.
GO DUKE!
That is just about the most idiotic thing I've heard come from a Duke campus. I don't even care about the impact to our football team, I'm glad they're gone, assuming of course the report is accurate.
Hopefully this will be a big wake up call for them and they'll get their heads on straight, for their own good. They just threw away a free education at one of the best universities in the world.
Yeah, just imagine what would have happened had some kid in Hillsborough shot off a gun!
Are you serious? You're really going to turn this into some referendum on David Cutcliffe? Read the article. Three kids got a gun and thought it would be fun to shoot it off. They're 19 year old kids, and they did something stupid as hell. Now they're off the team. WTF would you want a coach to do?
I'm sure that the staff thought, and probably still thinks, that those players are suitable for Duke University. Unfortunately they made a really egregious error in judgment and are paying for it BIG TIME.
I do love the fact that you use this as a chance to pile on Cutcliffe and imply that he is actively recruiting guys who will engage in less than stellar behavior for his "system". I realize that Toby Gerhart would never do something like this, and that a Jim Harbaugh recruit would never make a mistake, but seriously... what is your point?
Why have I bothered to respond to your tripe? That's perhaps the most important question. Excuse while I go ask myself just that.
WWJDD?
no matter which side of the gun control issue you're on, it's impossible to negate the effect that guns and sports are having in college as well as the pros.
i do not understand, especially with arenas perhaps losing his entire NBA career, why ANY sane athlete would not RUN from the mere presence of a firearm.
i'm sure cut is shredded about the incident, but to try to lay any of that blame on him....sheesh...
No question about that. I'm not quite sure what legitimate use a 19 year old football player has for one on a college campus though.
Again, even if treated propelry and with respect, who . . . ?
I hope they got $600,000 worth of enjoyment out of their stupid act. Thier mommas must be so proud.
This is very disheartening (and sad) on so many fronts. As a parent of 2 teenage sons I can't help but feel for their parents. Although these young men demonstrated serious immaturity and a total lack of good judgement, I sincerely hope that this will be a learning experience for them (albeit a painful one.) I was looking forward to seeing John Drew progress as a football player because he was playing well.
FDA, just something to think about...what if this was the first incident of pretty much any kind involving these 3 players (including high school)? Do you still think this is a "black eye" for Cutcliffe? Don't get me wrong...I realize some may think it is but if their past was "trouble free", I don't agree that Coach Cut can be held responsible in any form or fashion for what they did...just my opinion of course. Now, if this sort of thing starts happening often you might have a point.
Let's keep in mind the quick condemnation of the LAX suit.
Dismissing them from the team until it is figured out seems prudent.. but let's withhold judgment on the ultimate guilt here...
If the reports are true, then one of them owned the gun, and one of them discharged it... maybe the same person... but that's still just two at most. The other one person (maybe two) of the three is likely (at most) guilty of poor judgment of hanging around while others displayed criminally poor judgment.
At least that seems entirely possible. And who knows when any of them were made aware that there was a gun in the car... possibly it wasn't known until it was pulled out and fired... I'm not ready to dismiss a kid who is riding in a car when a buddy pulls out a previously unknown weapon.
So, likely someone is justifiably dismissed from this...but it doesn't appear to me that we have enough facts to condemn all 3 or to know which of the three.
(also, I note that most everyone posting here has included that their criticisms are dependent upon the facts shaking out to show their guilt... so this isn't directed at you... but as we've seen, the pre-shakeout criticism often can't be remedied by a later exoneration.)
Well, if nothing else, this should give Duke the early lead in the Fulmer Cup.
Hi,
These young men will be suspended? Is there a chance that they will be re-instated as Duke students? It appears they didn't hit anything of value. They didn't hurt anyone. Am I missing some facts? Stupid, stupid, stupid.
What happened to playing some video games and calling it a day? sigh.
GO DUKR!
You can't have guns on campus. It doesn't matter whether they hit anything or not.
http://judicial.studentaffairs.duke..._firearms.html
Whoa Mulletman,
I don't think formerdukeathlete is saying that this should be a referendum on Cutcliffe, or that the coach did anything wrong here. He's just pointing out that it's unfortunate that it could (even remotely) undermine the trust Cut established with the administration. After all, he was given the benefit of the doubt and received more latitude in the recruiting process than previous football coaches. Now there is a pretty alarming situation that could throw some doubt on the decision to relax the standards a little bit.
Nothing may come of it, but it's unfortunate that it happens now, with players from Cut's first recruiting class...after he likely went to bat for them. Hence the term "black eye" (rather than something stronger)--it's certainly a negative situation for the program to be in. I don't see how we can debate that. Of course, I have full faith that Cut has and will continue to respond appropriately, and that the black eye will heal.