First of all, I think we need to realize what we are upset about. Are we upset that a young man is "throwing his life away" and "can't stay out of trouble", or are we upset that our basketball team is missing a piece that could help us get a few more wins? For most of us, I think it is the latter. Therefore, I think a lot of the anti-Royce remarks made by posters are spoken out of some sort of selfishness in wanting to see our team do well. I do admit, at some times, that I fall in this group as well.
However, I feel the blame for this entire situation is plentiful for all involved parties. And, unfortunately (at least to me), it sullies the reputation of each of these parties.
Royce White
I think we all have a very good idea of the mistakes that Royce has made.
Joel Maturi/Tubby Smith
99% of us have no idea what is said behind closed doors, but the wait-and-see message given to the public by our AD and HC has caused as much of the anger out there, regarding the suspensions, as anything else. Was he at practice? Is he practicing now? Why wasn't he attending the game? Will he play against OSU? There was a ton of ambiguity and no real answers from the people in charge.
In today's Star Trib article, Tubby
"said Monday that he never expected White to play this season, even after allowing him to resume practicing." Perhaps this message should have been conveyed to the public rather than the rigmarole being spewed by those at the top. And, more importantly, to Royce, as he seemed unaware that this was the case.
UMPD
I have a ton of respect for those that risk their lives every day for our protection. BUT, the UMPD definitely dropped the ball on this one. First of all, they acknowledge that Royce White was a suspect. Why? What happened to due process? Immediately, everyone assumed Royce was guilty.
Secondly, they took several months to investigate a relatively minor case. Unable to make a strong enough case for a felony charge (I could be wrong, but I believe that a theft of $500 or more calls for a felony), they charged Royce, and only Royce, with 3 counts of trespassing?
Due to the length of time it took for this investigation, I am going to imagine that there were a few hundred man-hours spent on the case--all for a stolen laptop. What a waste.
Media
In the age we live in, I guess it can be expected. However, the local media reporting on every one of Royce's tweets, Facebook statuses, and YouTube videos was borderline at best. Imagine if everything you thought and said at 18 was reported on in the news. I would imagine that 1. most people's egos would be inflated and 2. you might say or do something that you might regret later.
I also have a very tough time stomaching the fact that Royce's potential involvement in the laptop case was reported. If he's charged, go ahead and write a story. Don't find him guilty in the press.
Paul Shirley's
writings about the Haiti tragedy opened my eyes once again to the lack of empathy that some people have towards other's situations. Please do your best not to judge Royce, no matter the outcome. Watching the team interact in warm-ups before the MSU game, it is clear his teammates have not.