Blog 10: The Players' Side of Things

I've done some thinking and decided that I wanted to discuss the role the three players more. These three players who have pointed the finger at Dodge and his coaching staff have created quite a media storm and all the while they have said very little. I've realized that right or wrong, the burden of proof is on Dodge and his coaching staff and not the players who have created the situation. They just get to sit back and let the coaches' take the hard hits.

I know this is the case because during the time last week when I spoke to the class, one female student said she knew two of the players. She said they were bragging about how they had created this mess and how it really wasn't such a big deal to them. This shocked me as I genuinly hoped that the players had filed a complaint because they felt wronged, not because they were too immature to accept the reality that they were kicked off the team, as stated by several of the current players who said these three players were jokes.

The three players haven't said much since they made their initial complaints. You would think they would want to get the word out as often as possible about their problems and give detailed, lengthy examples of the series of recurring hardships they have had to endure. Other than a very brief FOX 4 interview that mentioned friction over a team rule regarding hats and a few handpicked, thin interviews in between, the three players haven't been seen nor heard. Dodge, meanwhile, has had to suffer the brunt of the issue. The vast majority of Mean Green fans, especially through online message boards, support and believe Dodge. Many have even gone as far as to say that these three players are unfairly playing the race card.

Joseph Miller, who is biracial and like the three players, also plays defense (meaning he is quite familiar with them), emphatically told me on the record last week that these players need to accept the reality that they're no longer on the team and move on with their lives. He said there is no truth whatsoever to their claims.If what Dodge says is true is indeed true, then things are gradually going down the right path for him. However, if what the three players say is right, then they need to get the lead out and make up some ground.

They should want to be believed, but right now the consensus among the fans and the general support is in Dodge's favor.Once all the information is gathered and all parties have told their side of the story, a resolution can be made. Until then, closure will be withheld for all involved.One thing is for sure. This will unquestionably go down as an increasingly unforgiving season for Dodge, who is learning the hard way that the old college try is not good enough in college football.