VTTW Board Index

These guys are killing us!


http://tennessee.247sports.com/Bolt/Vols-Pearson-named-suspect-in-alleged-rape-36947880?utm_source=247Sports+Newsletter&utm_campaign=034ec0789f-150424_Tennessee+Volunteers&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b5300ae947-034ec0789f-224370573

Definitely makes it hard to lose the stigma we have that we recruit thugs as much as anyone in the country. Of course no high school coaches would ever lie about their guys character. But in all probability, if the kid can play these college coaches just look the other way when recruiting them and hope they don't screw up. It is a crap shoot.

I wasn't aware that was a stigma we were trying, or needed, to shake. To my knowledge, no one affiliated with UT is claiming moral high ground in recruiting. Recruiting is what it is. Too many of these guys come from neighborhoods and cultures that make them susceptible to trouble. I suppose in a perfect world, every kid we recruited would be a Josh Dobbs but I don't know if that's possible unless we move to the Ivy League.

I don't have a problem with coach's recruiting when their players screw up, as long as they didn't have a history. AJ Johnson, for example, was a player of impeccable character, by all appearances, anyway. Who saw his incident coming? If a coach takes a gamble on a kid that is known to have behavioral problems and that gamble backfires, then the egg is on the coach's face.

Too bad about Pearson. He could've definitely helped this year.

Recruiting juco players is a real gamble to begin with.  There is a reason prospects have to go the juco route, and most of them aren't good. 

I'll still wait until some manner of facts csn be established, before making a call. Anyone can make an allegation, and those made well after an alleged event deserve extra scrutiny.

Made well after an alleged event? 

The alleged incident took place between 3-4 AM.

The police were called at 6 AM. 

That's "well after" an alleged event? 

Pearson has been a time bomb waiting to explode since the day he got to UT. 

I wasn't (and still am not) aware of any details. I was just stating my approach to allegations.

"Details" aren't hard to find on the interwebz in this day and time.  The story was released by local and national media sources yesterday afternoon.

I sense a case of Orangecoloredglassitis from you, MV.   

I have other things to do than read about the legal issues of 20 year-olds. I was aware something happened, but hadn't read stories.

My approach to any manner of allegation is the same at work, with public figures, Bama football players, random relatives, UT students, or anyone else.