BENch notes

According to a report from the Daily Herald, a dozen players were suspended from the Everett High School basketball teams. This brings up an interesting issue with the code of conduct. Everett Public Schools has followed the conduct appropriately by suspending the students from athletic activities for the infractions, which was for the illegal consumption of drugs or illegal drugs and being in the presence of others using illegal drugs or alcohol.

There are lots of angles here, but the newsroom was most interested in a few. The first is the responsibility of the paper to hold young people accountable. The Herald chose not to publish the students’ names, which holds to the Everett school district’s policy. At times, the Record has chosen to print student-athletes’ names when involved in off-campus incidents. At others, the Record chose to let kids remain anonymous.

Another issue is that of parents who are inevitably fighting to reinstate their children. Parents should protect their kids, and more than a few coaches have shared their philosophies of working with players who get in trouble rather than immediate dismissal. Where’s the line between being too harsh and holding a player accountable?

Finally, the thought of Richard Sherman’s recently won appeal with the NFL for allegedly testing positive for Adderall. Sherman, the Seahawks’ starting cornerback, appealed his suspension on the grounds that the test was not properly administered and won. Even as a Seahawks fan, I was concerned that it sent the right message to the NFL to do its due diligence and sent the wrong message to young people that the rules can be averted.

What are your thoughts?