Editorial: Double Standard/Higher Standard - WSFA.com: News Weather and Sports for Montgomery, AL.

Editorial: Double Standard/Higher Standard

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By Collin R. Gaston - bio | email

  • Editorials

  • Thursday, May 23 2013 7:20 PM EDT2013-05-23 23:20:04 GMT
    Anyone who takes advantage of one of Alabama's most treasured assets – the elderly – should face swift and steep consequences.  Thanks to a bill passed in the final hours of most recent legislative session that
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  • Tuesday, May 21 2013 7:20 PM EDT2013-05-21 23:20:08 GMT
    The horrific tornadoes that ripped through Oklahoma this week bring back all too familiar memories for Alabamians as memories of April 27, 2011 are still fresh in many minds. When Alabamians were in need
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  • Thursday, May 16 2013 7:20 PM EDT2013-05-16 23:20:04 GMT
    In my editorial on Tuesday I chided our legislators for being the last state to pass a no-brainer  bill legalizing home brewing.  Today I want to challenge them to be one of the first states to pass another no-brainer;
    In my editorial on Tuesday I chided our legislators for being the last state to pass a no-brainer  bill legalizing home brewing.  Today I want to challenge them to be one of the first states to pass another no-brainer;
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MONTGOMERY, AL (WSFA) -

Let's replace the current double standard in college athletics with a higher standard.  Let's focus for a moment on the athletes that are considered the "best of the best" - the scholarship athletes. 

When there has been a brush up with the law with one of these exceptional athletes have you noticed how most programs handled?  The answer is – it depends and it's not consistent.  From the outside looking in one could surmise it all depends on how important that young man is to the program and what they mean or could mean to a team's success on the field of play.

Criminal activity in college sports is nothing new and has occurred in all divisions, all conferences and in all states – but hasn't the time come where we put a University's academic credibility and student body safety above points on a scoreboard or ticket sales?

Would a university deal with a situation regarding criminal activity from a high profile professor in the same manner it would from a high profile quarterback?  I think we all could agree that it would not.  One ouster would affect a classroom the other a 100,000 seat stadium.

It's high time to end any special treatment for student athletes who break the law.  Let's continue to raise the bar of excellence and expectation for these student athletes on the field and just as important – off.

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