mthoopsfan said:
Contrast this treatment to what Crews got and did.
Challenge accepted: We will do this eGriz game preview style.
Action:
Miller - from Miller's perspective he was returning a teammates firearm to him upon request (at least that is what the article suggested)
Crews - made a social media post that included culturally insensitive language.
A point for Miller as his actions, separate from the rest of the incident, were benign
Intention:
Miller - returned a borrowed item
Crews - deliberately made the comment on the internet for the whole world to see
Point for Miller
Awareness of possible negative results:
Miller - had to understand the danger of a firearm & that it was possible to be used for physical harm. However, the possession of firearm, by itself, is not necessarily an indication of bad intent.
Crews - Probably was naive to the resulting firestorm of a few words could create, but a high school senior should understand that he would offend many people with his word choice.
I'll give this one to Miller
Result of insistent:
Miller - shooting death
Crews - people's feelings got hurt
Clear distinction in severity - one point for Crews
Timing:
Miller -
Crews - could not have picked a worst time in life to make this mistake. Applying to a D1 program is full of scrutiny, where every team is trying to pick through social media to weed out the bad seeds.
Point for Miller
Legal consequences:
Miller - none, as he was not charged. But the potential was/is there with a change in interpretation.
Crews - none, spoken words, including ugly words, are generally not illegal due to the 1st amendment.
toss up
Social consequences:
Miller - the deaths so close to his circle of friends and family has to have had a significant effect. Added to that the comments on social media (kind or otherwise) must weigh on him.
Crews - Lambasted online & possibly in person. Had his preferred football team reject him over the issue.
Both of these consequences are heavy. Toss up.
Potential $$$ consequences:
Crews - retained his scholarship (presumably.) It's unclear if the incident will affect his draftablity, but it certainly won't help.
Miller - lost the opportunity for a scholarship, but is going to get to play D1 football
I am going to give this point to Crews as he definitely has received less than was anticipated prior to the event.
Score:
Four points for Miller
vs
Two points for Crews
Two are toss ups
Summary:
Miller was peripherally involved in a horrible, violent event. According to info in the referenced article, Miller had no intention or little possibility of prior knowledge of the events that would unfold.
Crews had the intention of saying unkind words publicly. They were just words, but are words with a long history of evil acts associated with them. The football team simply had no obligation to accept Crews into the fold, thus the consequence were not so much as imposed as merely the result.
. In short, the Tide is above God and Country in Alabama. If this kid played for Auburn, he’d be charged as an accessory.
