Good Call

College football coaches are constantly required to make difficult calls. Whether it's deciding between defensive formations or personnel groupings, making "the right call" can mean the difference between success and failure.

To say that Mike Riley made some difficult -- arguably controversial --calls during the off season would be a gross understatement. Over a period of six months Riley saw seven players arrested, a slew of bad press and many in Beaver Nation calling for his head. Amid this hullabaloo nothing drew more controversy and heat than Riley's call to reinstate defensive end Joe Rudolph.

Rudolph was charged with fourth-degree assault, harassment and disorderly conduct stemming from an altercation with Staff Sgt. Gabriel Sapp outside the Headline Cafe in November. Rudolph pleaded guilty to the assault charges in February and now faces a week in jail, community service and anger management counseling. During the legal proceedings Rudolph was suspended indefinitely from the team, which resulted in his missing the remainder of the season.

Despite Rudolph's guilty plea and the public outcry calling for his expulsion, Riley made the best coaching call of his career and allowed Rudolph to rejoin the team.

I have always believed that punishment serves a purpose; it helps an individual to understand the mistake and hopefully acts as a deterrent to repeating the mistake. Riley's critics claim the punishment was too minimal.

Wouldn't dismissing Joe from the team; however, serve the opposite purpose of punishment?

If Joe was no longer allowed to don the black and orange his options would be limited. Transferring to another D-1 program would reduce his eligibility. And his criminal record would complicate matters further. The other option, returning home, would thrust him into a dangerous and precarious environment less than conducive for his success. Football provides structure in Joe's life that he desperately needs. Therefore, I cannot see that kicking Joe off the team could serve as punishment if it affords him no opportunity to rehabilitate and learn from his mistake.

If jail time, community service, suspension from team activities and anger management counseling wasn't punishment enough, Joe faces constant scrutiny and unwanted attention every time he steps into public. It is difficult enough as an African American in Corvallis without suffering the public ridicule and scorn that Joe brought on himself through his mistake.

I am sure that most of you reading this have, at some point or another, gotten drunk and done something stupid that you regretted the next morning. Lord knows I have. And I think most of us can agree that one drunken mistake where no one was seriously harmed should not haunt the remainder of our lives. Joe's childhood dream of playing D-1 college football should not evaporate due to one drunken mistake. We have all made them.

Take James Newson for example. His acrobatic catches and uncanny moves remain legendary among the Beaver faithful. As a senior, Newson earned first team All-Pac-10 honors and finished second in the Pac-10 and third in the nation for yards per game. Newson left Oregon State with the top two single season receiving marks in school history. His football legacy is firmly established in the OSU record books.

What many people overlook is Newson's criminal legacy. As a redshirt freshman, Newson and teammate Robert Prescott were involved in an altercation, similar to Rudolph's, at a fraternity party. Newson and Prescott's transgressions were enough to warrant a three game suspension, court mandated community service and counseling.

Newson's situation offers a perfect lesson for why Joe Rudolph should receive a second chance. Had James been expelled from the team, his life could have easily taken a different, perhaps less positive, turn; not to mention the obvious waste of his talent
Joe has expressed sincere remorse for his actions publicly and privately. He is deserving of the public's forgiveness.

As a friend and teammate of Joe's I can tell you that he has enough talent and determination to become the same type of impact player in the Pac-10 as James Newson.

But if Joe had been expelled, his talent and potential would have been wasted because of one bad call.