Players beat the wrath of June Jones

[Charleston Pony]

so...has anyone counted the 'ships? are we over the limit now? If so, are we looking at more grayshirts to be announced?

[Horseshoe]

You really can't fault the players that won their appeals. June Jones mishandled a delicate situation. He didn't need to soil their reputations by falsely accusing them of violating team rules. It is obvious that they sucked as players and were wrongly labeled. Call them what they are, terrible football players, but don't go soiling peoples reputations by saying they violated team rules. Had Jones been up front with them, they may have been able to come to terms on an amicable release. I really hope Jones successfully turns things around at SMU. However, I know that if I were a recruit I would not want to play for an insincere coach like that, and I say that as an SMU letterman. Plus, wouldn't it be a bigger statement to say that if you don't have talent and don't produce the result needed to be a Championship team, you will not make it at SMU?

It's amazing how long people have given life to this non-story. We don't know if rules were violated or not — it has been said that they did. The players said they didn't. But Coach Jones obviously isn't going to list what rules were broken by a specific player, nor should he. The idea that this is going to somehow ruin recruiting is shortsighted and naive. Players don't get scholarships renewed at schools across the country every year — the only reason for the outrage is because we haven't done it in years past. I don't claim to know what violations occurred, and I would suspect most others here shouldn't, either, since we weren't in on conversations between players and Coach J.

No - we're not over the limit. Under it, from what I hear.

[mustangxc]

You really can't fault the players that won their appeals. June Jones mishandled a delicate situation. He didn't need to soil their reputations by falsely accusing them of violating team rules. It is obvious that they sucked as players and were wrongly labeled. Call them what they are, terrible football players, but don't go soiling peoples reputations by saying they violated team rules. Had Jones been up front with them, they may have been able to come to terms on an amicable release. I really hope Jones successfully turns things around at SMU. However, I know that if I were a recruit I would not want to play for an insincere coach like that, and I say that as an SMU letterman. Plus, wouldn't it be a bigger statement to say that if you don't have talent and don't produce the result needed to be a Championship team, you will not make it at SMU?

It's amazing how long people have given life to this non-story. We don't know if rules were violated or not — it has been said that they did. The players said they didn't. But Coach Jones obviously isn't going to list what rules were broken by a specific player, nor should he. The idea that this is going to somehow ruin recruiting is shortsighted and naive. Players don't get scholarships renewed at schools across the country every year — the only reason for the outrage is because we haven't done it in years past. I don't claim to know what violations occurred, and I would suspect most others here shouldn't, either, since we weren't in on conversations between players and Coach J.

No - we're not over the limit. Under it, from what I hear.

I fully support Jones in cutting the players that don't measure up. I just don't like it when someone isn't up front about the reason for doing so. We all know that they got cut because they are terrible football players. It is Jones' right not to renew scholarships for those players, but he shouldn't sully their reputations in the process. I don't think anyone would care if they got cut for being terrible players. Rules violations on the other hand open eyes.

[Otto]

We have no way of knowing if he is being "up front" or not. Just as nobody should sully the reputation of a player for an infraction that player didn't commit, Coach Jones doesn't deserve to have his reputation sullied under the accusation that he might have made his decision unfairly when nobody really knows. Based on his track record and the comments from so many who have played for him and worked with him, I'm inclined to believe him.

[PoconoPony]

If the Board of Directors and CEOs at AIG, General Motors, Chrysler, Citi Bank ......etc. had made critical program decisions, evaluated their products and markets, started restructuring, replaced personnel, brought in better talent, put out better products ...etc. then maybe the American tax payers would not be bailing them out. JJ faces the same issues and decision in rebuilding a football program that has been on life support for 20 years. I fully support what ever decisions he has and will make for the enhansement of this team. Some decisions are tough so you use your experience, the experience of your staff, your best judgment and move on. You simply cannot make things happen and make necessay changes without making tough decisions. Time to move on.

[One Trick Pony]

If the Board of Directors and CEOs at AIG, General Motors, Chrysler, Citi Bank ......etc. had made critical program decisions, evaluated their products and markets, started restructuring, replaced personnel, brought in better talent, put out better products ...etc. then maybe the American tax payers would not be bailing them out. JJ faces the same issues and decision in rebuilding a football program that has been on life support for 20 years. I fully support what ever decisions he has and will make for the enhansement of this team. Some decisions are tough so you use your experience, the experience of your staff, your best judgment and move on. You simply cannot make things happen and make necessay changes without making tough decisions. Time to move on.

Yea what he said!

[ALEX LIFESON]

If the Board of Directors and CEOs at AIG, General Motors, Chrysler, Citi Bank ......etc. had made critical program decisions, evaluated their products and markets, started restructuring, replaced personnel, brought in better talent, put out better products ...etc. then maybe the American tax payers would not be bailing them out. JJ faces the same issues and decision in rebuilding a football program that has been on life support for 20 years. I fully support what ever decisions he has and will make for the enhansement of this team. Some decisions are tough so you use your experience, the experience of your staff, your best judgment and move on. You simply cannot make things happen and make necessay changes without making tough decisions. Time to move on.

Yea what he said!

AMEN!

[High Horse]

Today's DMN says running back Ben Goldthorpe (Denton Ryan) won his appeal too but only got one more year. The papers keep calling Ben a freshmen, but I believe he is a red-shirted freshmen. But even so, a year won't get his degree finished. Did the others get more than one year?