I just swiped your emoticon.
The Nebraska Way
- Thread starter Army_Allen
- Start date
- Status
JJ Husker
Donor
That's "on a popsicle stick" ;-) ....and I agree.
It seems everyone is getting a little testy in anticipation of the season starting.
Denzel's line from Remember the Titans comes to mind. "If we don't come together, right here, right now..."
caveman99
New member
Where can I buy one?
shyndy
New member
wait, who was the child rapist?
Red Five
New member
Count 'Bility
Banned
I care for my own kids too. Doesnt mean i havent, and wont, make mistakes in raising them. Simply caring doesnt absolve wrongdoing. That's really the whole point of the Phillips discussion. You got some who think he did what he did wrongly to simply win games. You got others on the other extreme, who thinks he did it with literally only Phillip's best interest in mind, and nothing about the team's performance was taken into account, when in fact-like everything else in life-the answer is actually somewhere in the middle. All factors probably considered.
For the nth time, no one has argued that TO was infallible and never made a mistake.
Those of us labeled as "hero worshippers" just don't ascribe the bad intent/motives that others do to his actions. And I definitely don't think he committed felony obstruction of justice.
As to the specific Phillips case, I stand my contention that he would have handled a back up the same way. So I don't think that LP's role in the team's success was a meaningful factor.
Those of us labeled as "hero worshippers" just don't ascribe the bad intent/motives that others do to his actions. And I definitely don't think he committed felony obstruction of justice.
As to the specific Phillips case, I stand my contention that he would have handled a back up the same way. So I don't think that LP's role in the team's success was a meaningful factor.
NUance
New member
For the people who think Osborne kept LP around solely for selfish reasons, you're not recalling just how incredibly deep and talented our RB roster was back on the 1995 team. The four guys behind Phillips[SIZE=12pt]—[/SIZE]Clinton Childs, Damon Benning, James Sims and Ahman Green[SIZE=12pt]—[/SIZE]would have started on most teams in the nation that year. Ahman Green was All Big Eight and honorable mention All American in 1995, so there were only a couple of RBs in the whole nation better than him.
Tom Osborne kept Lawrence Phillips on the team and played him in the Fiesta Bowl to help get him into the NFL in the upcoming 1996 draft. He was just trying to help the guy along to his next stage in life. Osborne didn't need Lawrence Phillips to win the national championship in 1995. Heck, we beat #2 Florida by nearly 40 points. Do you think Phillips really made that much difference?
Tom Osborne kept Lawrence Phillips on the team and played him in the Fiesta Bowl to help get him into the NFL in the upcoming 1996 draft. He was just trying to help the guy along to his next stage in life. Osborne didn't need Lawrence Phillips to win the national championship in 1995. Heck, we beat #2 Florida by nearly 40 points. Do you think Phillips really made that much difference?
knapplc
Active member
Osborne's decision was not SOLELY for the benefit of Lawrence Phillips. Yes, Ahman was amazing and no, it turns out we didn't really need Lawrence to beat Florida. But that game was supposed to be more competitive, and the smart move is to get your Heisman candidate running back on the field (purely from a football perspective).
Putting Lawrence Phillips back on the team and on the field to "help him" implies there weren't other ways to help him, including counseling, incarceration, etc. Football was not the only way to help him. It just so happened that football also greatly benefited Tom Osborne.
BigRedBuster
Active member
I think TO put LP back on the field for two reasons.
a) Yes, there was an element of TO thinking he might need him in the bowl game to win an NC. LP did everything TO told him to do to get back on the field so TO put him there to help the team win.
b) The BIGGEST reason why though, I believe, is that TO was not going to allow LP back on the team the next year no matter what. However, he truly loved the kid like he loved so many of his players and he knew his only chance to have a nice life was if he would get drafted and have a good NFL career. There was no way he was going to get drafted if he doesn't play at the end of the season. So, TO wanted to expose him to the draft scouts and get him drafted and out of Lincoln.
So, yes, there was an element of trying to help the team win. However, I firmly believe TO didn't give a crap about how this would affect his image and tried really hard (right or wrong) to help him out.
Do those reasons justify allowing him to play? I can see both sides. At this point, I'm not going to bust TOs balls for doing what he did. I have read enough about the situation to know that TO and other players truly loved LP and wanted him to succeed in life but they knew he had ghosts in his closet. This was clearly evident towards the end of LPs life when all these people could have easily thrown him in the trash and washed their hands of him. But, they didn't. They kept in contact and cared deeply for the guy even while he rotted in prison.
Mavric
Yoda
It also happened to be the only option that Osborne had direct control over.
And apparently counseling (I assume) and incarceration (obviously) didn't help either.
NUance
New member
And you know that he didn't receive counseling during the months he was suspended? I'd bet dollars to donuts that he *did* receive counseling. As for incarceration, really? You'd send a 20 year old kid to jail for a domestic squabble?
I suspect that even ex-girlfriend Kate McEwen was glad that Lawrence played in the Fiesta Bowl. She sued him in civil court and settled for a stake of his NFL earnings. Not a bad payday for a bump on the head and some heated words. (Don't get me wrong, I'm not arguing that LP did no wrong. What he did is considered a crime. But I am saying that stuff like this happens all the time[SIZE=12pt]—[/SIZE]except nothing comes of it when they're poor.)
knapplc
Active member
I'm interested in knowing how many times judges have sentenced people to football after they've been involved in domestic violence disputes, and the success rates of rehabilitation vs. recidivism of the football-for-assault program.
To answer NUance above:
1. I know for a fact that he received counseling during his suspension.
2. Incarceration for domestic violence is common. I don't see why Lawrence Phillips should be any different.
To answer NUance above:
1. I know for a fact that he received counseling during his suspension.
2. Incarceration for domestic violence is common. I don't see why Lawrence Phillips should be any different.
This just makes me sad. It's hard to believe this was put out there for people to read.
Last edited by a moderator:
- Status