Archie Williams game forfeited due to Piner High’s disarray over captain’s Cornell 7 views
It seems from news stories and comments:
- Piner’s QB and captain posted on his personal instagram “Free Cornell 7”
- School/coaches were not going to hold him accountable, upsetting hundreds of student body including players that staged a walkout of school
- School administrators suspended many of the students, including players
- Team then no longer could field the team with enough players, leading to forfeit
My take: that was a boneheaded post but teenagers including him should be allowed to make mistakes and learn from them. Protesting students are brave. I fear for both sides now because this athlete has a lynch mob going after him and at the same time the protesters have a permanent mark on their record with a suspension that could affect college applications.
I would want adults in this situation to have more courage and use it as a teaching moment. Perhaps let the one protest slide and have a conversation with the student body about responsible social media and reactions to posts that may offend you. Perhaps suspend the one player for a game and help him address it with teammates and classmates about how he has learned from it. I know it is hard to do, but blanket suspensions and having the coaches lie to the media about injuries seems to lack imagination and not consider what is best for the kids. I’m not impressed with the adults in the room.