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Football needs to happen ASAP, people. Why? Because right now the media will jump on anything for a story.
The latest? Gary Patterson's conversation with the Fort Worth Star Telegram that apparently led to some pretty interesting sound bites.
It has some people up in arms, while others are hopping up on moral/ethical soapboxes.
For reference, here's the story in it's entirety. You'll notice the conversation about Hill isn't even the main focus of the article. I've pulled out the portion under suspicion below.
Gary Patterson said he won’t leave Devonte Fields’ two-game suspension up to a vote from his teammates. Fields was suspended after violating unspecified team rules in the spring.
"My whole team would vote Devonte to be back on the team because they all want to win," Patterson said. "That doesn’t teach life lessons."
Patterson said he took the LSU vote as a sign of respect, noting that he doubted the players would have been involved if the Tigers were opening against a lesser opponent. "I’m sure if it was some opponent they’d beat by 100 points [the players] wouldn’t have a vote. It’s not my worry. I’ve got to play whoever they put on the field."
As for Fields’ chances of starting against LSU if, for example, he was appealing the suspension with the school and won, Patterson was unsure.
"I don’t know," he said. "I don’t think so. He’s doing everything he has to. He’s been embarrassed quite a bit for three months. That’s one of the reasons I did it, so I could change him. It’s really not my call."
This has led to other articles, such as Sports Illustrated's "TCU coach Gary Patterson slams LSU's Les Miles over player discipline," and FOXsports.com's "Gary Patterson rips Les Miles over letting team vote to reinstate player."
Is this for real? People need to take a Zanax or something. This is a non-story.
I'm sure G-Pat is upset that a kid who pleaded guilty to simple battery, after he cold-cocked a guy, and previously pleaded guilty to "carnal knowledge of a juvenile" due to a relationship he had with a 14-year-old when he was 18, has a chance to play without being suspended for a single game.
Would Patterson have treated this situation differently? I think it's safe to say yes. Patterson is known for being extremely hard when it comes to team discipline. I'm all for that, and I'm glad he's working to create young men out of these players.
However, if we look at the track record of Les Miles, it's not like this is anything out of the ordinary either. Miles is known for being extremely lenient with his players, many would say to a fault, and this falls right in line with that.
Right or wrong, Miles is, at the very least, consistent.
Now as far as the quotes are concerned, I think this was just a simple Q&A after a practice, and wasn't meant to stir up any bad blood. Patterson, as he does so often, was simply speaking his mind. So, for all the LSU fans taking this the wrong way, let it go. Or, keep pointing fingers at the drug bust from last year, and Pachall's DUI.
That's fine.
Just remember that Patterson did what Miles wouldn't have done. Pachall got a second chance the right way. Brock, Yendry and Co. got a swift boot out the door and were told not to come back.
There are two pretty clear sides to this issue, and people have jumped all over it, but I say let's all just have a beer and relax. Football is back soon. Just not quite soon enough.