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Winning vs Morality

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College Football has reached an all-time low on the morality compass. If you haven’t heard already D.J. Durkin was fired on the night of Halloween, a day after he was reinstated by the school board of regents. The leaders of The University of Maryland failed their football program, fans and its community.

Ask yourself this. How was  Durkin even allowed to step foot on that campus again? Especially, after one of his players died on his watch… Is this what college football has come to?

Winning has become more important than a young man life. Sadly, we are witnessing winning vs morality!

Sadly, you are watching what college football coaches are willing to do for fame, money, and yes WINS! This above all else has become the mandatory requirement in the college football world.

Win at all cost.

Never mind the protection of innocent boys from molestation at Penn State.Never mind the multiple reports of sexual assault allegations swept under the rug at Baylor. Or how about when a head coach allows his assistant to stay on his staff even when he knows he abuses his wife at Ohio State.

You should recognize the pattern here. College football has created a toxic environment that involves lies, scandals, drugs, sexual assaults and many more things. Following the death of Jordan McNair, boosters were backing for Durkin to keep his job. Powerful people behind closed doors who pay and want to see their program succeed honestly felt Durkin did no wrong. “He represents the University well and brings the right kind of culture,” said John Lapides a proud booster, in an interview with the campus newspaper, The Diamondback. It’s laughable that a booster could make that comment in the aftermath of McNair death.

Boosters and Board of Regents members make this type of commitment to coaches who are winning. Winning sells and the bigger the wins the bigger the dollars.

Ohio State University is living proof of the hypocrisy that stands tall across college football. Ohio State suspended head football coach Urban Meyer for the first three games of the season, after the evidence had appeared that he knew about his assistant coach Zach Smith, physically abusing his wife. Meyer should’ve been fired. No other way around it.

Yet again you see Universities twisting its ethics beliefs to satisfy its boosters. Yet again you see college football making the point that wins are more impactful than integrity and character. No W in the win column is more important than a young man's life.

It’s a shame when the public outcry, and backlash is what ultimately leads to the right decision. “I am deeply troubled by the lack of transparency from the Board of Regents, and deeply concerned about how they could have possibly arrived at the decisions announced yesterday”, said Governor Larry Hogan of Maryland in a public statement released via twitter. Numerous times we have seen Universities and football programs change their tune when they get caught.

As of Wednesday evening, DJ Durkin is gone. Guess who else is gone? Jordan McNair, 19, kid who loved the game of football. A kid who under DJ Durkin protection, swore to his parents in their home that he could keep their boy safe.

Often times we hear coaches say “It’s about the kids.” That day it wasn’t about the kids. Unfortunately for Maryland and the rest of college football, winning triumphs morality.