What do U think?

**Shipwreck** · 10-24-2006, 12:04 PM

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.

**samskara** · 10-24-2006, 06:34 PM

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.

**jpruett79** · 10-24-2006, 07:08 PM

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.

**Baldy** · 10-24-2006, 07:45 PM

Typical liberal puke...

**tony pasley** · 10-24-2006, 08:23 PM

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.

**Shipwreck** · 10-24-2006, 09:18 PM

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)

**tony pasley** · 10-24-2006, 10:36 PM

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.

**scooter** · 10-24-2006, 10:58 PM

Originally Posted by tony pasley

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

**-gunut-** · 10-24-2006, 11:52 PM

Originally Posted by samskara

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..

**tony pasley** · 10-25-2006, 06:31 PM

Originally Posted by scooter

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.

**scooter** · 10-25-2006, 07:03 PM

Originally Posted by tony pasley

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??

**tony pasley** · 10-25-2006, 08:10 PM

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."

**jpruett79** · 10-25-2006, 09:45 PM

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.

**tony pasley** · 10-26-2006, 08:58 PM

Originally Posted by jpruett79

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?

**Shipwreck** · 10-27-2006, 06:03 AM

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.

**jpruett79** · 10-27-2006, 07:36 AM

Originally Posted by tony pasley

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.

**Mr. P** · 10-27-2006, 10:37 AM

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.
.

**Shipwreck** · 10-27-2006, 11:23 AM

Originally Posted by Mr. P

No one missed practice unless they were absent.
.

What U said is pretty funny

**Mr. P** · 10-27-2006, 11:34 AM

Originally Posted by Shipwreck

What U said is pretty funny

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?

**scooter** · 10-27-2006, 12:58 PM

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

**tony pasley** · 10-27-2006, 09:03 PM

Originally Posted by scooter

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.

**Shipwreck** · 10-27-2006, 09:09 PM

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...

**tony pasley** · 10-27-2006, 09:43 PM

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.

**Shipwreck** · 10-27-2006, 10:00 PM

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.

**tony pasley** · 10-28-2006, 01:50 PM

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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