Andre McDonald moves away UPDATED 1/20: Enrolling at UW-River Falls

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jaymil said:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Tonight at 10:45: <a href="https://twitter.com/DarrenWolfson">@DarrenWolfson</a> sits down w/ ex-<a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Gophers&src=hash">#Gophers</a> WR Andre McDonald. He admits to cocaine use. Very apologetic toward coach Kill.</p>— KSTPSports (@KSTPSports) <a href="https://twitter.com/KSTPSports/statuses/435225111302393856">February 17, 2014</a></blockquote>
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Ouch. Sobering times, but it looks like he may be getting his life back together. Every good man should get a second chance and he appears to be leaving a positive mark with the team he let down, even if he's leaving the program. It's this kind of guy you get behind to cheer on to succeed, even if it's w/o the Gophers.
 

jaymil said:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Tonight at 10:45: <a href="https://twitter.com/DarrenWolfson">@DarrenWolfson</a> sits down w/ ex-<a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Gophers&src=hash">#Gophers</a> WR Andre McDonald. He admits to cocaine use. Very apologetic toward coach Kill.</p>— KSTPSports (@KSTPSports) <a href="https://twitter.com/KSTPSports/statuses/435225111302393856">February 17, 2014</a></blockquote>
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wow...
 

jaymil said:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Tonight at 10:45: <a href="https://twitter.com/DarrenWolfson">@DarrenWolfson</a> sits down w/ ex-<a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Gophers&src=hash">#Gophers</a> WR Andre McDonald. He admits to cocaine use. Very apologetic toward coach Kill.</p>— KSTPSports (@KSTPSports) <a href="https://twitter.com/KSTPSports/statuses/435225111302393856">February 17, 2014</a></blockquote>
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I don't have access to a TV. Does anyone know if this is on-line?
 


I hope this kid turns it around. I've heard a bunch of people, who seem to know him, reference that he's a really good kid who is just immature and had a tough go of it. He sounds like he has taken responsibility for his issues and he's trying to move forward in life. Coach Kill sounded like he was really pulling for Andre.

I imagine he doesn't have the grades to get into the U at this point but it'd been nice if he could have stayed at the U and stayed around the football team. He should have lost his scholarship, but it's a shame to see a kid like him waste his potential. Who knows, maybe he can get his grades up at UW-RF, transfer to the U and walk-on back with the program. He is a terrific athlete. I'm sure that ship has sailed.
 


From what I have read he seems like a kid who wants to do the right thing. He has toxic parents however which doesn't help. I sure hope he can get it together at UWRF.
 

diefirma said:
From what I have read he seems like a kid who wants to do the right thing. He has toxic parents however which doesn't help. I sure hope he can get it together at UWRF.
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Getting away from the lime lights is a good thing for someone who was immature and seems easily influenced by bad elements. He seems like a good kid at heart that needs guidance. His friend at UW River Falls is helping him keep on the straight and narrow path.

His life experiences maybe similar to PSTD. Something therapeutic in life to undo all the hardships and heartaches that one experienced is needed. The hope is that he does not suffer a relapse. Take it from someone who've experienced alcoholism and mental illness in the family. I hope that he discovers the magic of self direction.

He is mending fences with his biological family, and is trying to build a life after college.

It is what it is. You have to accept the good and the bad and move on with life. We cannot chance the past, but we can make the future better.

Credit Coach Kill for looking after his interest. You never know. Maybe he has an outside chance of downing a Gophers uniform again. But, then I think that staying at UWRF might be the best thing for him.

Coach Kill is very stern about kids in his program staying clean and being upright citizens in addition to being a student first and athlete second.
 

AO54 said:
maybe if you're from the east coast that be your perception of D3, but if you're from Minnesota you should know better as the MIAC is the D3 attendance leader with a 3400 average. Games involving Bethel, St. Thomas or St. John's will be around 10,000. The Northern Sun averages 2600. All that said, River Falls is rarely competitive and will need more than a four star receiver to get over .500
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I think you are overestimating the SJU, Bethel, and USTd attendance. SJU will usually get 7-8k on any given home game, but USTd and Bethel numbers are nowhere near 10k - probably around 3-4K. The MIAC attendance is skewed by SJU. The mean is much higher than the median. The only home game that USTd gets 10k for is the Tommie-Johnnie game but that is because there are 6K SJU fans there.
 

Stark comparison between Andre and Barker or Royce White. Andre seems willing to acknowledge his problems, work on them, and apologize to those affected. Royce and Barker both want to blame everyone else for theirs.
 





It's hard not to like and pull for a young man like that. I hope he ends up in a good place.
 

zman said:
It's hard not to like and pull for a young man like that. I hope he ends up in a good place.
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Agreed, and who amongst us hasn't done a few stupid things. He appears to have a strong desire to get his life together. I'm pulling for him.
 



SJUgopher said:
I think you are overestimating the SJU, Bethel, and USTd attendance. SJU will usually get 7-8k on any given home game, but USTd and Bethel numbers are nowhere near 10k - probably around 3-4K. The MIAC attendance is skewed by SJU. The mean is much higher than the median. The only home game that USTd gets 10k for is the Tommie-Johnnie game but that is because there are 6K SJU fans there.
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I meant the games where 2 of those 3 teams are playing, not every home Bethel game. The bethel vs st. Thomas game this year drew 10,000. The Cobbers also draw very well up in Moorhead. You don't become the best attended conference based upon only one team. The point remains that D3 in the Midwest is very well attended with great media coverage. You can make it to the NFL from D3.
 

Too bad your Johnnies have not been relevant for about 7-8 years otherwise the attendance might be even better.
 

goofygopherphan said:
Too bad your Johnnies have not been relevant for about 7-8 years otherwise the attendance might be even better.
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Burn. They have won the conference and have been to the playoffs within the last 5 years.

Too bad your Gophers haven't been relevant for 50 years.

Also, there hasn't been a significant drop in attendance during this minor rough stretch.
 

SJUgopher said:
Burn. They have won the conference and have been to the playoffs within the last 5 years.

Too bad your Gophers haven't been relevant for 50 years.

Also, there hasn't been a significant drop in attendance during this minor rough stretch.
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Thanks for the update about Andre! We appreciate the things you are doing for this board.
 

Wish him all the best. I went to UWRF for my degree and its a very small town atmosphere. Only 12,000 people live in the town. And because it is only about a half hour from the cities it doesnt have much as far as retail or anything like that. UWRF has a very good elementary education program and also has a very strong Agriculture program (known as Moo U to other schools in the conference) They were very weak when I was there all four years, getting One to Three victories a year. (2011 graduate) However they did hire a new coach after I left.


I hope the small town atmosphere and when the lights are not as bright he can build himself and his reputation back up. And I will be watching my Alma Mater a little closer now that they have DI talent in a DIII setting.
 

Andre was taken off the River Falls roster a couple days ago. Perhaps someone from River Falls can get a copy of the police beat in the local newspaper and explain what happened.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/ThatGuy_Drizzy">@ThatGuy_Drizzy</a> Saw RF Journal police report. Help yourself. Make better choices. Succeed at football, graduate from UWRF.</p>— Don Richards (@royamrf) <a href="https://twitter.com/royamrf/statuses/501179207544999936">August 18, 2014</a></blockquote>
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AO54 said:
Andre was taken off the River Falls roster a couple days ago. Perhaps someone from River Falls can get a copy of the police beat in the local newspaper and explain what happened.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/ThatGuy_Drizzy">@ThatGuy_Drizzy</a> Saw RF Journal police report. Help yourself. Make better choices. Succeed at football, graduate from UWRF.</p>— Don Richards (@royamrf) <a href="https://twitter.com/royamrf/statuses/501179207544999936">August 18, 2014</a></blockquote>

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Some people just can't shake drug problems.
 


Further info from the author of the tweet I posted.

"McDonald is gone. Had 2 police citations since June: the first for underage drinking, the second for pot paraphernalia which he admitted to owning, discovered by police when they were called to his apartment a couple weeks ago because of a loud party and a fight, not featuring McDonald."
 

AO54 said:
Further info from the author of the tweet I posted.

"McDonald is gone. Had 2 police citations since June: the first for underage drinking, the second for pot paraphernalia which he admitted to owning, discovered by police when they were called to his apartment a couple weeks ago because of a loud party and a fight, not featuring McDonald."
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That's the mayor or former mayor of River Falls, and a prominent alum. Not sure why he felt he should chime in.
Really too bad about McDonald. I'm an alum at UWRF and know firsthand how easy it is to find booze/trouble/fun there for an athlete, especially a football player. The party culture is an easygoing smalltown one where the law basically picks and chooses when to crack down on certain individuals or houses. Likely the call to his apartment wasn't the first.
 


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