The Dorial Green-Beckham era at the University of Missouri – Columbia is now over and he has no one to thank but himself. Considered to be the most prized recruit to set foot on campus in years, Green-Beckham was kicked off the team for a variety of reasons. The one that stood out the most was an incident involving his girlfriend’s roommate. Green-Beckham allegedly pushed the woman down some stairs along with assaulting his girlfriend, according to the Columbia police department.
To make matters worse, a transcript of his girlfriend’s text messages to her roommate were published, showing the girlfriend trying to convince her roommate not to press charges against Green-Beckham. That was the last straw for Mizzou. Throw in the previous run-ins with the law over marijuana possession charges on two different occasions, and it was adios to Green-Beckham.
Head coach Gary Pinkel had no choice. Mizzou has had to work hard recently to maintain a certain standard for its athletes to abide by. In some cases, it has not gone according to plan. Basketball coach Frank Haith let go of a player last week because he decided to take matters into his own hands over a love triangle with a teammate. It is time to draw a line, and Mizzou thinks now is the time. I am all for it.
The athletic department bent over backwards to help Green-Beckham and the outcome came up short. Where will he end up next? Who will take him with all of his baggage? The answer? Who cares. While we all hope he learns from this, I am sure playing on Sundays in the NFL is what he is most concerned about. He has lost a lot of money due to his actions.
As for the football team, they will prosper. I commend Pinkel for his actions. He has done a remarkable job of developing young men who have ventured off into other things besides playing football. I only wish more programs would take the same approach once a player has exhausted his means of trying to be a good citizen. He has standards that have to be met if you want to play there. Sure they will miss Green-Beckham’s talent, but not the antics that come with it.
Too early to sing the Blues
Yes, the St. Louis Blues have stumbled down the stretch in a concerning manner. Supporters have started to panic and prepare themselves for another year without the Stanley Cup. It is too early to make assumptions.
Yes, they are struggling. Yes, they have their work cut out for them, for they play against Chicago in the playoffs. Consider this: they did not win over 50 games by mistake; there is time to get their mojo back. They have one of the best coaches in the game in Ken Hitchcock who should relish the opportunity to actually coach and prepare his team for the challenge. This is what coaches live for.
All is not lost here, and the Blues can salvage what appears to be a dire situation. Stay tuned and watch as the Stanley Cup is now up for grabs.
Just wondering
The opening day inclusion of African-American players in Major League Baseball is as low as it has been since 1950.
Does anyone care who the Rams draft this year? Does anyone care about the Rams? I do, and I know they put in a lot of work. When ownership leaves a city hanging, they find something else to appease them. The Rams deserve better, as do their fans.
If a Division 1 college football player were on the open market, the starting salary would be in the vicinity of $178,000 per year. There is no reason for the NCAA to pay while they can get the labor for free. Not to worry, as the NCAA is up to its elbows in lawsuits concerning matters of this nature. My advice to them? Cut a deal quickly while there is still an NCAA as we know it. Then again, that is the problem: the NCAA as we know it.
Anyone interested in seeing Floyd Mayweather and Manny Paquiao fight? Five years ago would have been great. Now as long as it’s not pay-per-view, it’s worth the watch.
Speaking of fighters, Devon Alexander, your career is calling. Pick up the phone and please fight someone before you become an afterthought.
