It has been a rough week for athletes between Lance Armstrong admitting doping to the whole Manti Te'o drama. Heck, it's been a rough week for us sports fans who follow them!
I don't really know what to believe, or how to get the truth. What I do know is that the Notre Dame football program found out on December 26th (22 days ago) that their star player had been tricked into believing he was dating a woman, that the woman had died, and then (on December 6th) found out she was not dead.
And, under pressure from an article exposing everything, the school finally talked.
Like I said, I am not an expert, nor do I have any ties to the story. But what I do know is that the only reason Notre Dame commented at all is because a third-party source released the story. I also know that the information the school shared - painting Te'o as a victim - is not enough, given they have apparently been investigating the situation for over three weeks.
So I've been trying to wrap my mind around the whole situation, and I just. I don't know. I think we need to demand more.
I think that a program, and a school, that thrives on money spent by football fans, needs to do everything they can to get answers. I think that they need to not draw conclusions as to what happened unless they have solid evidence as to what occurred, who knew what, etc.
I think that it's time for fans to demand that athletes act like the role models they become when they step on a field. I think that the expectations should be honesty, integrity, and transparency, with the understanding that when you're a public figure, your every move is scrutinized. I think that young men should be taught that, pardon my Harry Potter, with great power comes great responsibility.
And I think that when you know something shady is going on, it is your responsibility as an athlete or as a person in a position of authority to come clean about it BEFORE the expose article does.
But maybe that's just wishful thinking. And maybe in the coming weeks and months, the story with shake out and Te'o really is the victim. It just doesn't all add up.
Thoughts?
I had a really long comment typed out, but I think I can sum up my thoughts on your post via:
ReplyDeleteThere's a serious problem in society if our role models are people who excel at throwing and catching.
Totally agree with Adam, but the sad truth is, that is who a majority of Americans look up to. Not scholars, not musicians, not artists, but athletes.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I agree with you. Notre Dame needs to notify authorities and start a REAL investigation that has no conflict of interest in covering it up. In my opinion, the only reason they AREN'T is because they know the truth. Manti had a hand in it. Why else would they just "move on" and not pursue the person behind this deplorable act?
PS Any blog that quotes Harry Potter is a great blog in my book.
Truth. Check out this Washington Post blog that talks about Notre Dame's response to Lizzy Seeberg's accusations of sexual assault and eventual suicide. It's the same thing. I think even if Te'o had WANTED to come clean, Notre Dame would have kept him quiet.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/she-the-people/wp/2012/12/04/why-i-wont-be-cheering-for-old-notre-dame/
Also, that is not a Harry Potter quote. That is Spiderman. I am saddened.