Lane Kiffin signs recruit who helped rape a relative

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Yikes, I understand giving someone second chances, especially for someone who was a juvenile delinquent, but that is a tough sell to the boosters of a program. I would gladly lose 3 scholarships for grades, than have to explain a story like that all the time.
 

Big Ten schools kick kids off the team for raping someone. Meanwhile the SEC welcomes rapists to the team.
 


Read the story before judging, headlines can make people sound pretty bad.

This guy committed the crime when he was 13 and Tenn received a letter of approval from the victim.

The headline sounds ridiculous but the story is of a young man who overcame his mistakes
 


Read the story--A mistake?

You call it a "mistake" when a 13 year old assists in some way when a 14 year old has her wrists and ankles tied and duct tape put over her mouth so, presumably, she could not scream while she was raped?

A "mistake" to me indicates a negligent act or an unsafe act, or a lapse in judgment about an insignificant event--this is not a mistake, it is simply a brutal crime.
 

I do not disagree it is a brutal and terrible crime, but I think ESPN's article title and this thread's title are a little harsh for those who just read it and judge the SEC/Lane Kiffin
 

In my world a 13 year old boy who assists in a rape forfeits his right to a college athletic scholarship forever, and also spends some time in a juvenile detention facility. When I was 13 I am fairly certain that I understood that rape was a bad thing to do to another person. On his Sunday radio program Jim Souhan said that Maturi will probably come to regret hiring Brewster over Kiffin. I don't think so.
 

READ THE STORY

I was actually talking about this with a co-worker over lunch who is a UT fan. We both read the article in the Tennessean (Nashville newspaper) and both came to the conclusion that UT would get all kinds of negative press since most people will go by word of mouth and headlines. It's actually a good story on a messed up kid turning his life around. It's hard to be against the kid when the girl he attacked is one of his biggest supporters.
 



Chadypu said:
I do not disagree it is a brutal and terrible crime, but I think ESPN's article title and this thread's title are a little harsh for those who just read it and judge the SEC/Lane Kiffin
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How is the title of this thread harsh? What part of it is not factual? Should he have softened it and said "Lane Kiffin has a heart and gives kid who is sorry a second chance"? Chadypu, would you want your daughter/wife/mom living on the same floor in the dorm as this kid? I mean, come on, he is sorry that he duct taped and brutally raped his cousin.
 

UpnorthGo4 said:
In my world a 13 year old boy who assists in a rape forfeits his right to a college athletic scholarship forever, and also spends some time in a juvenile detention facility. When I was 13 I am fairly certain that I understood that rape was a bad thing to do to another person. On his Sunday radio program Jim Souhan said that Maturi will probably come to regret hiring Brewster over Kiffin. I don't think so.
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So, let me get this straight. You screw up once when you're not even old enough to legally drive, and you're prohibited from getting a scholarship? That's rich. Those are EXACTLY the kinds of people who should be getting scholarships - those who would not otherwise have access to a quality education, and thus the ability to help them discern right from wrong.

Are you the same person you were when you were 13? I sure as hell know I'm not. Don't get me wrong - this was a heinous act. But it's not something for which he should be locked up and have the key thrown away. He was barely even a teenager, for Christ's sake!
 

I would not want him to be a Gopher and I agree the crime was terrible. My opinion of the story is that Hood has become a better person since his heinous crime. The victim did give written approval of Hood.

Again, I would not want him on the Gophers but I am not sure I agree with how ESPN frames the title of the article or that ESPN even deems this 'national sports news'

The root of this is I guess I am just frustrated to how 'The World Wide Leader' is often more interested in giving you negative off the field info instead of covering more sports.
 

Rape is not a "mistake" or a "screw-up". It is an INTENTIONAL and brutal crime of the worst kind. There should be long term consequences for anyone involved in the rape of another person. Thirteen year old boys should not be exempt from those consequences.
 



I usually agree with UpnorthGo4

But in this case, I don't. The difference in the maturity level for 13 Y-Os is so great, that one can't be sure if he was aware enough to know the consequences. That is the reason he was in the juvenile system, not the adult system.

As I read the article, his mistake was hanging around with a violent 17 year old, and not being able to react to the violence being done to the victim.

By all accounts, Hood has made a 180 in his life. He deserves a chance. That is what the juvenile justice system is about.
 

UpnorthGo4 said:
In my world a 13 year old boy who assists in a rape forfeits his right to a college athletic scholarship forever, and also spends some time in a juvenile detention facility. When I was 13 I am fairly certain that I understood that rape was a bad thing to do to another person. On his Sunday radio program Jim Souhan said that Maturi will probably come to regret hiring Brewster over Kiffin. I don't think so.
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Kiffin will have to live with the consequences if the kid screws up, end of story.
I'm interested in what Souhan had to say about Brewster. Did he have some reason for saying Maturi would regret hiring Brewster.
 

In a black and white world things are pretty easy. Unfortunately we live in a gray world, and I'm going to side with the victim on this one. I hope the guy understands that she has given him a second chance on life and he capitalizes on it.
 

How about this guy who will apparently attend Oklahoma?

2840 said:
You call it a "mistake" when a 13 year old assists in some way when a 14 year old has her wrists and ankles tied and duct tape put over her mouth so, presumably, she could not scream while she was raped?

A "mistake" to me indicates a negligent act or an unsafe act, or a lapse in judgment about an insignificant event--this is not a mistake, it is simply a brutal crime.
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http://www.lvrj.com/sports/44517092.html

To have 4 felonies originally charged, and to be punished with 3 years probation is quite a deal in my book.
 

Wow...if this is a vote...I vote for her

:( I hope that she can have some anonymity and that her identity/life will not have to be brought up over and over again, because of this. IMHO, I guess I still see her as the true victim here...
 

Flatfoot - read the article

By voting for her what do you mean? She's publicly come out and 'voted' for this young man. What more do you need?
 

I remember when GopherGod said he wished we would have hired Kiffin, and a major part of his dislike of Brewster was the character of the man and how he represented the university.
 

Well, regardless of the age and situation, Kiffin just seems to gather scandal and mischief and I don't see that changing any time soon. So for those still wishing he was at the UofM, you could expect this for quite a while here as well. He reminds me of a coaching version of Jeff George. Though talented, he wants to have his attitudes, issues and methods and expects every to just be all right with it regardless of what he does.

He just does not get. He almost makes me want to side with Al Davis.
 

Ski U Mah Gopher said:
By all accounts, Hood has made a 180 in his life. He deserves a chance. That is what the juvenile justice system is about.
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Agreed. There's no guarantee that he'll be flawless - but there's no guarantee that anyone else will be flawless, either. Sounds like this kid has done what's been asked of him to rehabilitate himself. What's the point of rehabilitation otherwise? And, as others have said, if the victim has signed off on giving him a second chance - I say give him a second chance.
 

tjgesquire said:
By voting for her what do you mean? She's publicly come out and 'voted' for this young man. What more do you need?
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Well I guess that disproves the theory that rapists are better off killing their victims. Turns out their victims just may end up fans of whatever SEC team they play for.:rolleyes:
 

This guy Kiffin grew up in Bloomington? I don't care how old this kid was he committed that horrible crime and gets an SEC Scholarship?

This is absolutely pathetic and ESPN did no wrong with that headline.

Makes me think of R Kelly and his victims and how they support him after he preys on them.
 

I'm all for giving people second chances. It's a lot cheaper to rehabilitate people then keeping them in the system for life. Forgiveness is a good trait.

However there is zero chance I would allow my daughter to stay under the same roof as this guy. They're going to have to be very careful with him.
 

dpodoll68 said:
Those are EXACTLY the kinds of people who should be getting scholarships - those who would not otherwise have access to a quality education, and thus the ability to help them discern right from wrong.
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An education has nothing to do with discerning right from wrong, its a conscience. You could grow up in a remote jungle and still know right from wrong. That being said, I do believe people deserve 2nd chances
 

I'm not fan of Tennessee or Lane Kiffin. I admit the crime itself is horrible and the PR hit they're taking for this is tremendous. But I would like to say this young man, who committed this horrible crime at a very impressionable age, has paid for it. He's been given a second chance, reformed his life and committed to making something of himself. A lot of young people in the very same situation in this country don't do what he did: accept the consequences of his action and change themselves for the better. Yes, this will always be hanging over his head and it's something he'll live with every day of his life. He will get the benefit of the doubt from no one (and probably shouldn't) so that line he walks will be that much tougher. But I think he's done enough (and considering the victim was supportive) to deserve a second chance.
 


The Truth said:
I'm not fan of Tennessee or Lane Kiffin. I admit the crime itself is horrible and the PR hit they're taking for this is tremendous. But I would like to say this young man, who committed this horrible crime at a very impressionable age, has paid for it. He's been given a second chance, reformed his life and committed to making something of himself. A lot of young people in the very same situation in this country don't do what he did: accept the consequences of his action and change themselves for the better. Yes, this will always be hanging over his head and it's something he'll live with every day of his life. He will get the benefit of the doubt from no one (and probably shouldn't) so that line he walks will be that much tougher. But I think he's done enough (and considering the victim was supportive) to deserve a second chance.
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"Hood's case went through juvenile court, where he was found delinquent and ordered into a rehabilitation program at the Mountain View Youth Development Center in Dandridge. While in state custody, he enrolled at Knoxville Catholic High School."

How did he exactly "pay for it"? By having to go to a Catholic high School? IMO, the punishment by far did not come close to meeting the brutality of this cruel, INTENTIONAL CRIME!
 

dpodoll68 said:
So, let me get this straight. You screw up once when you're not even old enough to legally drive, and you're prohibited from getting a scholarship? That's rich. Those are EXACTLY the kinds of people who should be getting scholarships - those who would not otherwise have access to a quality education, and thus the ability to help them discern right from wrong.

Are you the same person you were when you were 13? I sure as hell know I'm not. Don't get me wrong - this was a heinous act. But it's not something for which he should be locked up and have the key thrown away. He was barely even a teenager, for Christ's sake!
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I have to admit, I'm having a hard time understanding this reasoning. So because he committed a crime, he should get a scholarship so that the school can teach him right from wrong? College isn't going to teach him right from wrong either. And quite frankly, it isn't a school's job to teach that either. College is about higher education. Higher education does not make sure the kid understands "this is wrong and this is right." If they haven't figured that basic stuff up by now, there's a much bigger problem.

Also, the fact that he was "only" 13 doesn't wash. I don't care if he was 9, 10, 30, or 100, individuals know the difference between right and wrong. This wasn't a case of smoking pot or even drinking some alcohol for the first time. This was a brutal assault on somebody else. Has he turned his life around? Maybe. But both he and Kiffin more than deserve the extra scrutiny.
 

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