Things more important than FSU football game
November 17, 2008 – 8:50 amThere are more important things than who won that football game Saturday night at Doak Campbell Stadium. Things like personal character, integrity and achievement.
Missing from that football game were five FSU receivers accused of being involved in a “brawl” on campus with members of a fraternity. A woman apparently was struck in the face with a chair during the fight.
A statement on behalf of the Florida State Black Alumni Association urges those involved to take responsibility for their actions and take advantage of the opportunities offered by the university. The BAA was holding a reunion last week, in conjunction with FSU’s homecoming, as the details of the fight were beginning to become public.
The statement was sent to the Tallahassee Democrat by Rhodes Scholar Garrett W. Johnson, an NCAA national champion in the shot put, on behalf of the BAA. Johnson said the statement was written by FSU professor Dr. Billy Close of the School of Criminology and endorsed by the BAA. Tallahassee attorney Ben Crump is president of the BAA.
In other words, these are people with a message worth listening to, people whose achievements and character earned them credibility. Their words are inspiring, or ought to be if the students involved will listen. The message is not one of incrimination, but neither does it excuse bad behavior.
The facts of the fight have yet to be fully determined: how it started, how it grew and who threw the chair that hurt the young woman. It is not a matter of finger-pointing, but people must be held responsible for their actions. In the statement, the BAA says it will hold everyone involved accountable while offering “unyielding support” for each person involved. It urges them all to consider the consequences of their actions, not only for themselves but also for the university and their families.
“Is your organizational affiliation – be it athletic or Greek – more important than the hard work and sacrifices your parents, grandparents and other members of your support system have made in order to place a college degree within your reach?”
It urges the students involved to consider those who have come before them, the sacrifices that have been made and achievements that have resulted.
“If we are to continue to lead all large public universities in the country in the graduation rate of black students and continue to exceed the graduation rate of the majority population on our own campus, we must work together to pass the baton,” the statement says.
There are, indeed, more important things than the outcome of that football game.
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