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From Kate's Blog entry in DMN:

Samuel Willis on campus
As I left today's weekly press conference with SMU coach Phil Bennett at Ford Stadium, I spotted Justin Willis' dad, Samuel, being interviewed by one of the local television stations.

Samuel Willis is on campus to defend and support his son, who has been suspended pending further investigations into an altercation with another student.

The alleged victim told police that the incident was a hate crime.

Samuel Willis took the week off from his job as a manager at a Wal-Mart distribution center in Sanger so he could be in Dallas each day with his son.

"It's about his life," he said. "And football is not his life."

Willis, who has been outspoken about the matter since I interviewed him at his home Sunday afternoon, said SMU's investigation is not going quickly enough.

"I don't think it's been handled properly, and I don't think it's been handled timely," he said.

Word is still out on when or if Justin Willis will be reinstated. Bennett said that Corey Slater is his starting quarterback as of now.

go dad go

This is going badly.. I am very disappointed in SMU. Way to stick up for your QB..

it makes me sick

I will also be very disappointed in SMU if (another) up and coming quarterback is lost, and due to this type of incident, if the facts that I have heard (mainly from this message board) are correct. Very sad.....

Pathetic!!!!!

smu needs to back our qb

What exactly are we backing him for. Assault?

A complete travesty. No reason to drag this thing out. What is gained by delay? I want to reiterate to the Willis family and any other football players or their families that this alumnus, season ticket holder, Mustang Club member, and supporter of SMU is outraged that Willis hasn't been reinstated. He made a mistake; no one was seriously injured; he was punished; he apologized; and it's time to move on. Let's stop blowing this late night fight out of proportion. Not sure what is driving it, but shocked that a minor fight where no one gets seriously hurt can cause such a circus.

yes - assult on a creep that deserved it.

I am proud of him.

Why does Beard have to make this a HATE CRIME???

Sure, Willis called him the 3 Letter F word, but Beard knows in the back of his mind it was not because he was gay.

Willis was harassed.

None of us know what happened. Everyone quoted in the paper including the QB and his father have an ax to grind. Let the school do what it should do investigate and try to to protect itself as well as Willis. We are jumping to conclusions with out any real facts other than what the press has reported. We all know that the press slants what ever it reports to serve its own prurpose don't we? The school and Willis will be better off if the school does a through job with the investigation instead of a quick look just to reinstate Willis. Having conducted investigation in my other life, a good an through fact finding mission takes time.

Baloney

This is obvious now - it does not take time. Everyone involved is guilty. The creep deserved a beating. The starting quarterback deserves a pass - not that big a deal - no permenant damage done.

Reinstate and end the soap opera.

Look, it is like my friends who have disassociated themselves from the program under Pye have said, "SMU doesn't want a first class athletc program", "someone is behind this and no one should support SMU or the SMU athletic program until someone comes clean with those involved and those they have asked to financially support the school!" The school has had 20 years to get things right, and they are still screwing around, pretending to do so!

This is pretty sad and I really don't know how to express my anger other than to part with the program.

Mexmustang wrote:"SMU doesn't want a first class athletc program",

This is pretty clearly true. They want the benefit of having a team, without all the trappings of a winning team. Keep taunting us with new coaches and token gestures, a winning or close to winning season will generate enough momentum to last about 6 years before they fire the coach and restart the cycle of lies. It wouldn't surprise me if someone put Beard up to it.