# What do U think?



## Shipwreck (Jan 26, 2006)

*School Reinstates Blood-Giving Football Players*

POSTED: 8:28 am CDT October 24, 2006

WILLIS, Texas -- Several players kicked off the Willis High School varsity football team after giving blood have been reinstated, but they lost their starting positions, KPRC Local 2 reported Tuesday.

Six football players said head coach Mack Malone kicked them off the team after he found out they had participated in a school blood drive on Monday.

"The first thing (the coach) said was, 'You're off the team. Your career at Willis High School is over,'" football player Phillip McKenna said.

The players said they went to their lockers to get ready for practice, but they were told to leave.

"We were all ready for practice," player Jeff Chachem said. "We were going out to practice and all of our stuff was taken out of our lockers and we were told to go home, that we were done playing football."

Malone apologized to the players and their parents on Tuesday but issued a punishment to the players for missing Monday's practice.

"We did lose our starting positions," Chachem said. "We do have to work and run to get them back. It's still showing that we're being punished."

The players will also not be allowed to participate in the team's next game on Friday.

Parents said their children should not be punished for giving the gift of life.

"I don't think they should have to earn their positions back," parent Theresa Scott said. "They worked all year to get that position and now they're going to take it away. I feel like they're still being punished."

The players said they are happy to be back on the team but wish things could return to normal.

"I'm not going to be able to look at him the same way," player Garrett Scott said. "The way he treated all six of us wasn't fair at all."

Some of the players are seniors, and the final three games of the season were their last chance to try to secure a college scholarship.

"I haven't missed one practice," player Jason Olner said. "Even when I was injured, I was out there trying to get better. It's been my life."

Football is not just another sport in Willis. Parents said the games are the highlight of their week and their children's dreams.

"I just want to play my last three high school games as a senior," Olner said.


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## samskara (Jul 19, 2006)

Thats grade a bullshit. I think its great that highschool kids would want to donate blood. They should be rewarded not punished. I donate blood and encourage all of yall to do so too.


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## jpruett79 (Sep 23, 2006)

I want to know what in the world a coach could use to justify that. If he is worried that his players wont be at 100% some body just needs to beat him up side the head and tell him lives are more important than a football game.

The fact is most of the time the football players have alot of infulence over the students in a school and by them donating blood alot more students would do it to.


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## Baldy (Jun 21, 2006)

Typical liberal puke...


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## tony pasley (May 6, 2006)

would like to know the full story, what the team rules are, how long theblood brive was, to many other questions without answers in this item. I see stories like this and wonder what is left out of the story that could change the entire statement. let me know when there is a full story.


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## Shipwreck (Jan 26, 2006)

Well, I had to scan it a second time to see that they are really in trouble for missing practice - and apparently, the coach wasn't happy with their excuse. (of donating blood)


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## tony pasley (May 6, 2006)

That is a different story, and this makes the coach right. Say you decided to go give blood and not show up to work then go in later , what would a boss say? The coach is trying to teach a life lesson. "There is a cost to your actions" and that is a great lesson for them to learn.


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## scooter (May 9, 2006)

tony pasley said:


> That is a different story, and this makes the coach right. Say you decided to go give blood and not show up to work then go in later , what would a boss say? The coach is trying to teach a life lesson. "There is a cost to your actions" and that is a great lesson for them to learn.


sorry I disagree, the cost is someone DIES cuz the hospital needs blood


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## -gunut- (May 8, 2006)

samskara said:


> Thats grade a bullshit. I think its great that highschool kids would want to donate blood. They should be rewarded not punished. I donate blood and encourage all of yall to do so too.


What I was thinking! Why would the coach have a problem with it? Then punish them for missing practice on the day they were let go?

I guess you cant define crazy..


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## tony pasley (May 6, 2006)

scooter said:


> sorry I disagree, the cost is someone DIES cuz the hospital needs blood


Why didn't they get premission first? There are proper ways to do things.
The players should have thought threw what they were doing.


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## scooter (May 9, 2006)

tony pasley said:


> Why didn't they get premission first? There are proper ways to do things.
> The players should have thought threw what they were doing.


Probably true,BUT did YOU think everything thru when you were a kid??  :mrgreen:


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## tony pasley (May 6, 2006)

No I didn't but I learned from paying the price when I was wrong. Today excuses are excuses when you commit to doing something and fail to live up to that commitment there is a price to pay. Some lessons are hard and they should be but it is a learning process. Maybe next time they will remember what happened to them and not make the same mistake again. The news is full of people who did not think before doing something and some just get hurt and some die. I know a young lady who is very smart but she thinks the world revolves around her wants, she has lost 6 good paying jobs,been kicked out of 2 colleges and wonders why every body is so mean to her.
a simple law of science" every action has a reaction."


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## jpruett79 (Sep 23, 2006)

Its about choices and what is more important to you football or making a difference in countless lives. If the only time i could do it and i had that conviction then screw football practice and if that meant i couldnt play football then so be it. cause at that point its not about the game anymore anyway.


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## tony pasley (May 6, 2006)

jpruett79 said:


> Its about choices and what is more important to you football or making a difference in countless lives. If the only time i could do it and i had that conviction then screw football practice and if that meant i couldnt play football then so be it. cause at that point its not about the game anymore anyway.


But would you cry to the paper because you were called on your choice?


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## Shipwreck (Jan 26, 2006)

Parents probably contacted the press initially...

Now-a-days w/ all the stupid decisions school boards across America make, that's the only way to deal with them. Otherwise, they won't change their minds on any issue (kids are always getting expelled or suspended for stupid reasons now).

So, while I don't like the press, if I had a kid that got in trouble for somethinG I disagreed with, I'd call the press too. Otherwise, U have no weapon to fight back. They must be shamed into changing their opinion.

Now that is on a side note - I'm not necessarily saying what happened in this case was right or wrong.


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## jpruett79 (Sep 23, 2006)

tony pasley said:


> But would you cry to the paper because you were called on your choice?


I think i would want the public to know the prioritys of the coach. I personally dont call that crying to the press i consider that informing the public.

Plus im with shipwerck too many of the schools have this our way or else and the only way to get your point across is to have a public outcry. The days of them listing to reason is over.


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## Mr. P (Sep 16, 2006)

I agree with Tony on this.

Jocks should have no exemption from rules because they are starters or are looking for that college scholarship or selection, regardless of *their* excuse outside the rules.

I had a coach in HS and his rule was if you were at school, "You will only be excused from practice if you are in the hospital or have a death in the family" end of story. No one missed practice unless they were absent. 
.


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## Shipwreck (Jan 26, 2006)

Mr. P said:


> No one missed practice unless they were absent.
> .


What U said is pretty funny      :smt046


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## Mr. P (Sep 16, 2006)

Shipwreck said:


> What U said is pretty funny      :smt046


Ok, I'll rephrase it. If you attended school on any school day, you damn well better be at practice on time. How's that?


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## scooter (May 9, 2006)

I love this thread FN football is more important than human lives


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## tony pasley (May 6, 2006)

scooter said:


> I love this thread FN football is more important than human lives


Never said that , but the players had rules to follow and they failed to do so and got punished by the rules. You and everyone else have rules in life to obey. Not learning to obey rules can get you DEAD in a hurry. Now I am much more concerned about youth learning that following the rules in life is much more important than doing what ever you want when ever you want. As for the blood donation they gave it could have been used many different ways or thrown out because it expires.


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## Shipwreck (Jan 26, 2006)

Well, I Must say that giving blood is a hell of a lot better excuse than all the other stuff they could have been doing. But, they could have given blood many other times.

I do think the initial response of being thrown off the team was excessive. But, I can see other punishments...


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## tony pasley (May 6, 2006)

Shipwreck how many times have you seen or heard of bad tings happening because some one didn't follow the rules they were to follow? When you lessen a punishment you teach that these rules aren't really that important.
In May of 1999 I took my youngest daughter to the viewing for a girl that she had been friends with for 4 years, she didn't thing that skipping school to go swimming with her friends would hurt anything. She fell 60' over a waterfall and died. Teaching the rules are there for a reason and to be obeyed is the job of parents,teachers,coaches,preachers,ect.


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## Shipwreck (Jan 26, 2006)

There are different scenarious. I for one do not believe in these zero tolerance policies, however. I think each situation should be looked at upon the facts.

A girl with a tylenol in her purse is not the same as someone w/ crack. To deal with it the same is ridiculous. How many stories have we all seen in the news where the school's position is just ludicrous. 

I stand by my prev post. I think there should have been some consequences. And I think they could have given blood some other time. But its not the same as some kid who cut practice just to do it.


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## tony pasley (May 6, 2006)

Yes there are differences scool is required sports is not. They said they we are committed to practice and play by your rules and they did not. The coach or school made the rules and I don't think that the rules changed mid season so they knew the rules. They chose to break the rules. Now they cry because they are being punished by the rules. I for 1 think the coach did the right thing by enforcing the rules as they were stated and not making exceptions just because of ..... yes it is a hard lesson but maybe just maybe they will learn from thier mistakes and grow into mature adults.


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## jpruett79 (Sep 23, 2006)

I personally believe that what we need to teach kids is when to break the rules and when not to. If we never give the kids a chance to make their own choices then they will never know how. Then what happens when they grow up and the rules are not there anymore? Now what these kids will learn is that football and sports are more important than making a difference in people’s lives. So when they grow up they will have the attitude that no matter what the need someone has they can’t help them because there are too busy. Yea maybe there was another time they could have donated blood or maybe there was not we don’t have that info.

Maybe it’s just me but I truly believe that the only impact we have in this world is what we do for others. If all I worry about is me then when I am dead and gone nothing I will have done will matter. However by helping others you can make a difference in people’s lives for generations. If a coach or a boss has a problem with that oh well there are other jobs and other sports. And yes I would "wine" to the press or whoever else will listen because by don’t that it may not change the coach’s mind but it may change the opinion of the people hearing the story and then maybe they will be inspired to help others to.


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## Vom Kriege (May 5, 2006)

How many people responding here played high school ball? I know that we rules that we had to abide by such as coming to every practice. However, I do believe that if any of us had asked to go to a blood drive we would have been allowed and even encouraged to go. We wouldn't have been kicked of the team for going to such an event, but I can guarantee you that we would have run laps or gassers to make up for missing or being late for practice.


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## tony pasley (May 6, 2006)

There is proper times and proper ways of doing things. No I do not believe that all rules are to be blindly followed, but when you decide to break the rules then you decide to accept the punishment at the same time. Martin Luther King jr. was the best example he would protest the laws and go to jail for it. He knew what would happen and was willing to pay the price, and accepted he would. That is where I stand on this, when you know the rules you either obey the rules or accept the price of not obeying the rules.


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## Mr. P (Sep 16, 2006)

tony pasley said:


> There is proper times and proper ways of doing things. No I do not believe that all rules are to be blindly followed, but when you decide to break the rules then you decide to accept the punishment at the same time. Martin Luther King jr. was the best example he would protest the laws and go to jail for it. He knew what would happen and was willing to pay the price, and accepted he would. That is where I stand on this, when you know the rules you either obey the rules or accept the price of not obeying the rules.


Cassius Clay did that too.

I thought he was wrong but he stepped up and paid the price for his choice.
I have the utmost respect for the man today because of that.


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## tony pasley (May 6, 2006)

Mr. P said:


> Cassius Clay did that too.
> 
> I thought he was wrong but he stepped up and paid the price for his choice.
> I have the utmost respect for the man today because of that.


I fully agree, I respect anyone who accepts the price of thier actions. I cannot, nor will not abide anyone who cries, whines or runs away.


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