Player Eligibility - Who's Responsible?

[CatMom]

I posted, elsewhere, that the kid that would have been our new starting NG decided to transfer to a JUCO - for one season. I had speculated it was either grades or an overblown ego (or both). Yesterday, the local paper, in San Marcos, actually published his letter to coach Wright. Here it is.
http://smdrcatscradle.blogspot.com/2010 ... -dews.html

To Coach Wright, the Head Football Coach at Texas State University:

I, Ralston Dews, will not return to Texas State in the fall of 2010. I plan to attend Tyler Junior College for one semester, and in December 2010, I plan to be recruited at the D-1 [FBS] level.

Coach Wright, I love Texas State but the coaching staff does not stand behind their players.

When SMU left me out in the cold, my dad stood behind me, when I needed the coaching staff to help me, no one was there.

Coach, back in May after my finals, I had a 58 on one final, I needed a 60 that would get me over the top. My instructor said to have one of the coaches to come see him and then he would help me, because I am an ODS [Office of Disability Services] student. But the coaching staff only said there is nothing we could do.

So I got an F.

I needed 18 credits, the F gave me a negative credit and when [Texas State Assistant Athletic Director of the Athletic Academic Center] Dave [Flores] failed to drop a class for me that gave me another negative credit.

Dave [Flores] instructed me to go to Tyler Junior College [for summer school]. The same class I failed at Texas State, I got a B at TJC.

Coach Wright, I did every thing you and the staff asked of me. I worked hard all year looking forward to being the starting nose tackle for Texas State in the fall.

Coach Wright, when Dave [Flores] gave me the news that I would not play football in the fall, this was a great disappointment for me. Coach, as of today, you still haven't called me.

My dad is the only person who has my back.

Coach Wright, when you told the team, “If you would like to go to the N.F.L., well, you are at the wrong school.” Now I believe that.

I would like to get my degree and someday have a chance to play in the N.F.L. This is my dream.

Thank you for everything,

Ralston Dews

In following posts I will quote some responses from folks at BCF.

[CatMom]

In light of the release of the entire letter Dews wrote to the coaching staff, allow me to say a few things here...

First off, Ralston Dews is WRONG. All this letter does is prove to me that he's a kid who couldn't keep his grades up. He didn't take care of his business in the calssroom, and was looking for someone to come in a clean up his mess.

Hey Raltson, don't go blaming the coaching staff and the academic advisors for NOT doing YOUR job. If you can't stay eligble, that's YOUR fault and no one else's. That fact that he had the RIDICULOUS expectation that Coach Wright should go talk to the professor and beg for his grade to be raised (WITHOUT EARNING IT, BY THE WAY) is exhibit A of why this kid shouldn't be on the team. Don't go blaming the advisor for NOT dropping a class FOR YOU. DO it yourself like every other college student, idiot. I don't need someone who's habitually looking for others to fix his mistakes.

Also, Ralston, the reason why you got a B in the same class a TJC is BECAUSE YOU WERE TAKING IT AT TJC!! It's a JUCO school for crying out loud.

I don't care how good Ralston was, if he thinks he's going to coast through school without doing the work, he's sorely mistaken. This whole letter sounds like a "woe is me" pity party. Be a MAN! Handle your business and you'll achieve your goals. You will NEVER achieve your goals as long as you're waiting for people to stand over your shoulder cleaning up your mistakes.

I am ALL on the side of Brad Wright. He probably got tired of coddling this kid, as did the rest of the advisors. For Ralston's sake, I hope he figures out how to be a functioning adult on his own.

[CatMom]

Three cheers to Brad Wright...if anything, this letter is a case study in how these issues should be handled...we all know a lot of other coaches would have handled it the wrong way...my hat is off to Brad Wright and Texas State!!!

I have to admit that Coach Wright did the right thing here. Dews has to realize that ACCOUNTABILITY is one of the the major things that separates the men from the boys.

It's unfortunate that the letter was published, unless I'm missing something the letter makes things look worse for Ralston and not Texas State.

While I can feel for Mr. Dews, did this have to be published? Obviously he struggled in this class long before the final exam. Why didn't he reach out for help earlier? Why didn't he get a tutor or approach his professor or, at the very least, ask someone what to do?
The coaching staff can't be held responsible for 85 guys and all their classes. That is the responsibility of the student

I hope that things work out for Ralston at TJC. I was looking forward to seeing him on the field next year but I think that coach Wright handled the situation in an appropriate manner. It's unfortunate that this letter had to be published, I feel as though this letter makes things look worse for Ralston then it does for Texas State.

[CatMom]

Seems to me this kids ego and lack of maturity and sense of who was responsible for him is out of whack. I have to agree with posters that say he is blaming everyone but himself. The grade he got at the JUCO school, for the same class, is a joke. It's a JUCO!

Thoughts?

[Col Hogan]

While his loss may not help Texas State at that one position, I think the school and team overall are better off whith him gone...

Obviously, he wants stuff handed to him...as someone said, accountability...

And if he thought publishing his letter to the Coach would get him some sympathy...that back fired...

[SumItUp]

CatMom, it's tough to lose a starter due to grades, but the responsibility falls on the player. IF a professor actually asked for a coach to contact them about a player's grades, the coach would be entering dangerous territory by discussing grades with that professor. There are more than a few professors across the country that would like to give their football program a "black eye".

The idea of making this letter public casts a shadow over the player. Finger-pointing victims generally do not get sympathy for an extended period of time. He probably is not getting any. Hopefully, the player uses this opportunity to grow and realize he is responsible for his own actions.

[CatMom]

As has been stated, yeah, he seems to have wanted a free ride. He was getting a top notch education and blew it off. Now he is going to a JUCO and then plans to be re-recruited? To where? An FBS school? That puts him right back into the academic situation he just failed at.

TXST has the 3rd toughest entrance requirements in TX, behind UT and Tech. Good luck getting into any FBS after being at TXST, then a JUCO, because you were unmotivated to stay on the team.

Had one poster over at BCF that said he had a class with Dews, last summer, and that the kid was there once the whole semester. Guess it was too much to ask to be pulled away from parties and tubing on the river to attend to such mundane things as trying to stay academically eligible.

We had this same issue, back in January, when Mishak Rivas left. Rivas came from the Valley as a big fish in a little pond. Here he was a little fish in a big pond. Yeah, he was a RB in HS but he would have to be 3-4 inches taller and about 30-40 pounds heavier/stronger to make it in college ball at that position. (he's 5'7"/155)
The coaches played him where they needed/wanted him. He was the 2nd WR behind Luke in 2008. We got more players at that position in 2009 so he didn't get the same amount of reps.
He had a big ego that wasn't being fed and he also wasn't making his grades. Now he's at a DII school.

Guess you can never really tell, when you're recruiting, if these kids feel entitled or if they are that egoistic. In any case, reality sets in fairly quickly, I would imagine.