Andy, it seems that behind every great story is an equally strange and/or bizarre one. After Boston College upset No. 5 Duke on Sunday night, it was reported that Sean Williams was arrested on campus for violating a restraining order. New York's examiner.com reports that Williams was invited on campus by the BC assistant coaches for the big Duke game. Later today, New York Daily News blogger Julian Garcia wrote that Skinner "invited" Williams to attend the game after he asked to attend. The NBA was off for the All-Star break and Williams wanted to attend the game for his alma mater. It is still unclear why Williams has a restraining order out on him in the first place, and Skinner confirmed it does not have anything to do with his dismissal from the basketball team. While Skinner didn't formally invite Williams to the game, he did give a "Sure, why not?" answer when he asked the coach to attend.
So what do you make of all this? Surely Sean Williams has had his run-ins with the law and Boston College in the past, but did he really deserve this?
Andy: This whole situation is a mess. We are all aware that Sean Williams had his problems on campus in the past, but in this instance it is unclear if he is to blame. If Skinner and the coaching staff were aware of the restraining order then they should not have invited or consented to Williams visit. If the restraining order comes from an incident that didn't involve the basketball program then Williams should have known better than to only check with the coaching staff when returning to campus. Either way, it has been a difficult year for Williams. He is a talented player whose attitude and off-court problems continue to plague him. Before the beginning of this season, when he should have been competing for the starting job, Williams volunteered to give up playing time to Brook Lopez. His lack of determination led to his demotion to the NBDL.
So, Brian, who do you think is ultimately to blame for all this?
Brian: All the dots don't seem to be connected at this point with this story. It is all still very unclear. There appears to be much more behind the story than has originally been reported. My gut reaction is that Sean Williams is to blame for this incident. If he knew that there was an existing restraining order out on him that prohibited him from setting foot on campus, then he should have known better. But then, from the examiner article, I read that Williams had "guarantees [from the coaching staff that] he wouldn't be bothered." If that is true, then that seems to imply to me that the coaching staff was aware to some degree that there was a restraining order out on Williams. Of course, Al Skinner reportedly pleaded ignorance on knowing about the restraining order, so we are stuck in an awkward he said-he said situation. I ultimately don't know what to believe at this point, but as you said Andy, Sean Williams has taken his lumps in both his college and pro career and probably didn't deserve this treatment. You have to remember that he is only 22 years old and we should all be able to learn from our mistakes.
But if you are the school and the Athletic Department, I guess there is no such thing as bad press, right? This story as reported in the New York Daily News, however, seems to put a similar damper on the Eagles upset of Duke as the Jags-Gene incident placed a damper on the upset of No. 1 North Carolina. Sounds like in both of these cases, things could have been handled better by the school.
So, Brian, who do you think is ultimately to blame for all this?
Brian: All the dots don't seem to be connected at this point with this story. It is all still very unclear. There appears to be much more behind the story than has originally been reported. My gut reaction is that Sean Williams is to blame for this incident. If he knew that there was an existing restraining order out on him that prohibited him from setting foot on campus, then he should have known better. But then, from the examiner article, I read that Williams had "guarantees [from the coaching staff that] he wouldn't be bothered." If that is true, then that seems to imply to me that the coaching staff was aware to some degree that there was a restraining order out on Williams. Of course, Al Skinner reportedly pleaded ignorance on knowing about the restraining order, so we are stuck in an awkward he said-he said situation. I ultimately don't know what to believe at this point, but as you said Andy, Sean Williams has taken his lumps in both his college and pro career and probably didn't deserve this treatment. You have to remember that he is only 22 years old and we should all be able to learn from our mistakes.
But if you are the school and the Athletic Department, I guess there is no such thing as bad press, right? This story as reported in the New York Daily News, however, seems to put a similar damper on the Eagles upset of Duke as the Jags-Gene incident placed a damper on the upset of No. 1 North Carolina. Sounds like in both of these cases, things could have been handled better by the school.
Andy: Sean Williams was one of the most exciting defenders to come through BC. I hope that puts his talent to use, acts smarter when he's off the court, and becomes the solid NBA player that he is capable of being.
1 comment:
Free Sean Dubb AKA Andre 610.
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