April 18, 2005
Southern Miss offers scholarship to convict
Southern Miss president Shelby Thames (Shelby.F.Thames@usm.edu) sat down with the man who plead guilty to his role in the beating death of a high school student. The talk went so well, Southern Miss will offer the convict a football scholarship and a "second chance".
LB Marcus Raines plead guilty to involuntary manslaughter for his role in the fatal beating of Christopher O'Leary at a May 19, 2000, party in Palmdale, CA. After a confrontation, Littlerock QB Richard Newton hit O'Leary, knocking him to the pavement. Future Golden Eagle Raines kicked him in the head "like a football" as O'Leary's girlfriend tried to revive him. O'Leary would die from the wounds days later.
Raines served one year in a juvenile institution and two years in a boot camp before enrolling at Pasadena City College. Raines committed to Kansas State in December, but the scholarship offer was rescinded after booster backlash resulting from Raines's criminal record.
Following the meeting with Southern Miss, Raines announced that USM had extended the scholarship offer:
"They believed in my character and decided to scholarship me," Raines said of Southern Miss by phone Monday from Pasadena, where he is still attending junior college. "They asked me a lot of questions, but they believed in me."
Southern Miss athletic director Richard Giannini (Richard.Giannini@usm.edu) confirmed as much.
"He didn't hide anything from us," said Southern Miss athletic director Richard Giannini. "He deserves a second opportunity. He's dedicated his life to being a positive mentor, helping people like him."
According to CBS SportsLine.com, Raines will sign a scholarship agreement with Southern Miss that does not bind him to the school until he enrolls.
I'm all for second chances. Maybe Southern Miss should look into giving Christopher O'Leary a second chance. Oh wait, they can't. Marcus Raines kicked him in the head like a football and he died.
Southern Miss - wake up and pull this scholarship offer right now.
Comments:
posted on April 19, 2005 10:57 PM — link — abuse?Kevin Donahue said:
Well, Oregon didn't do the same thing, IMHO. You're referring to Rodney Wood's second chance.
Here's the difference, and again, this is just little ol' self-rightous, non-BCS hatin' me: Woods didn't take part in beating a man to death. Woods was involved in a fight (not the fight) the same night that Christopher O'Leary was killed, but he didn't touch O'Leary. He didn't kill a man.
Does Woods deserve to play on an NCAA field? Nope. I wish Oregon had the guts two years ago to pass on him. But it is NOT the "same thing" by any stretch.
To be frank, I think you're asking questions in the wrong direction. Don't question me for pointing it out, ask USM what the hell they're thinking.
Since when did the standard at Southern Miss become, "Would it be OK at [insert school name here]?" Southern Miss had/has a chance to make a stand.
If you're a USM fan, I would think you would be up in arms for them even considering this guy. And if you're not, what isn't OK at USM?
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Me said:
posted on April 19, 2005 10:37 PM — 70.23.17.223 — link — abuse?So, where's your post condeming Oregon for doing the samething? Or do you save your self-righteous indignation for the non-BCS schools?