Saint Boseph
New member
Some of you who have been keeping tabs on the board lately may know why I’m posting this. I had a previous username in reference to Lawrence Phillips (non-negative) and apparently a number of people were offended. On top of that, I’ve held these frustrations towards husker nation for quite some time. I'm undoubtedly going to get heat for this but I really need an explanation:
My question to Husker Nation is, because I still can’t fully grasp it, why have we completely disowned Lawrence Phillips and deemed references to him as unspeakable taboo? Yes his crimes were horrid but does that mean we have to omit him when speaking about great husker backs? I think you can make a case that he is the best running back to ever play on the college level (I believe he is). Why can we not follow the same model that sports world did to Allen Iverson? Recognizing a serious on-field/court talent, and be able to distinguish that from their horrid qualities as human beings (AI had a similar crime to LP, threw his wife out of the house naked after assaulting her). I don’t condone the off-field actions, and they both deserved whatever punishment they got, but that doesn’t undo LP’s mesmerizing moves on the field that I watched as a 5 year old.
This is a complete double standard that we can celebrate Alfonzo Dennard’s on-field accomplishments (who punched a LINCOLN POLICE OFFICER) and ignore that line on a rap sheet, but can’t do the same to LP. We can separate Niles Paul urinating in public from his plays as a husker but can’t do the same with LP. Where is the consistency? I agree that we shouldn’t lump Dennard into persona non-grata category, but for gosh sake can we take LP out of that category and readmit him into the list of great Nebraska RB’s? Thunder Collins is in prison for a MUCH more serious crime, yet we have no problem fondly recalling his pitch to Mike Stuntz against Oklahoma in 2001.
This treatment of LP by Husker Nation is befitting of someone who committed crimes of Jerry Sandusky’s nature, and LP’s don’t even come close to that. Sandusky is the one who’s football accomplishments should be ignored by PSU faithful. I may never fully grasp the sensitivity of the issue since I was a small child during the LP press controversy, but it is frustrating to see articles written by Randy York of the athletic Department, the people at LJS, and OWH routinely omit LP’s name when they write about great husker RB’s. Not to mention all of the judgment I get from husker fans when I tell them Lawrence Phillips is my favorite Nebraska player of all time.
My question to Husker Nation is, because I still can’t fully grasp it, why have we completely disowned Lawrence Phillips and deemed references to him as unspeakable taboo? Yes his crimes were horrid but does that mean we have to omit him when speaking about great husker backs? I think you can make a case that he is the best running back to ever play on the college level (I believe he is). Why can we not follow the same model that sports world did to Allen Iverson? Recognizing a serious on-field/court talent, and be able to distinguish that from their horrid qualities as human beings (AI had a similar crime to LP, threw his wife out of the house naked after assaulting her). I don’t condone the off-field actions, and they both deserved whatever punishment they got, but that doesn’t undo LP’s mesmerizing moves on the field that I watched as a 5 year old.
This is a complete double standard that we can celebrate Alfonzo Dennard’s on-field accomplishments (who punched a LINCOLN POLICE OFFICER) and ignore that line on a rap sheet, but can’t do the same to LP. We can separate Niles Paul urinating in public from his plays as a husker but can’t do the same with LP. Where is the consistency? I agree that we shouldn’t lump Dennard into persona non-grata category, but for gosh sake can we take LP out of that category and readmit him into the list of great Nebraska RB’s? Thunder Collins is in prison for a MUCH more serious crime, yet we have no problem fondly recalling his pitch to Mike Stuntz against Oklahoma in 2001.
This treatment of LP by Husker Nation is befitting of someone who committed crimes of Jerry Sandusky’s nature, and LP’s don’t even come close to that. Sandusky is the one who’s football accomplishments should be ignored by PSU faithful. I may never fully grasp the sensitivity of the issue since I was a small child during the LP press controversy, but it is frustrating to see articles written by Randy York of the athletic Department, the people at LJS, and OWH routinely omit LP’s name when they write about great husker RB’s. Not to mention all of the judgment I get from husker fans when I tell them Lawrence Phillips is my favorite Nebraska player of all time.
