The legal process has to run its course for Dwayne Beckford. And then Dwayne Beckford has to go.
The fact that Beckford is even back in this position, quote-unquote guilty or not, while on probation by both courts and coach, tells us he should have played his last game as a Boilermaker.
Look, I'm not trying to pile on here, not that it's not justified in Beckford's case. But we all know that after the linebacker's fourth arrest in the span of a year, with him possibly facing felony charges stemming from repeated substance-related issues, it's time for Purdue to cut ties with a player it's bent over backwards for and been repeatedly burned by.
Enough is enough here: Beckford has been afforded due process by being just suspended and not getting cut immediately in the wake of yet another transgression. It should just be a formality. This is just like Kelsey Barlow. For as long as he hung on by the skin of his teeth, you kind of knew that call was going to come one day.
This isn't just about Purdue washing its hands of a player who's not responded to punishment before, despite the lip service paid to him since his last suspension was lifted.
This is about drawing a line in the sand and making the decision that's best in the big picture for a program that should be above any one player, about setting a tone for how this program is going to operate moving forward. There have been too many arrests, too many ugly headlines in the past year.
Give Beckford yet another chance and your culture is at stake. All those underclassmen are watching. Their behavior in the future can be guided by what happens to Beckford.
So too might be the reputation for your program and in a round-about way, the university, fair or not.
These are easy points to make any time an athlete gets in trouble, but bear repeating in this case. Everybody deserves a second chance. Very few should get a fourth.
Yes, Beckford is an athlete and draws disproportionate scrutiny because of it, fair or not. But that's just all the more reason to stop getting arrested.
Maybe he has a problem. All the more reason to take football away and the entitlement that sometimes comes with it and the absolute focus it demands and allow him to concentrate on things that are more important. The pattern that's been shown here illustrates a problem that goes far beyond the standard college-kid stupidity most of us - myself very much included - are guilty of.
So what if Beckford is probably your fourth- or fifth-best player on a defense that Purdue needs to be good if it's going to be good? So what if he's the best player it has at a position where viable options are perilously thin, to the point Beckford's loss could trigger schematic changes, not just personnel changes? (Hello, nickel defense.)
This is bigger than football.
Of course, Purdue might not even have a say in the matter. If Beckford goes to jail, then Danny Hope and Morgan Burke don't have jurisdiction anymore anyway.
But for the time being, they will have the right of first refusal.
Use it.
Copyright, Boilers, Inc. 2012. All Rights Reserved. Reproducing or using editorial or graphical content, in whole or in part, without permission, is strictly prohibited. E-mail GoldandBlack.com/Boilers, Inc.
This post was edited on 8/28 10:25 AM by Brian_GoldandBlack.com
This post was edited on 8/28 10:30 AM by Stacy_GoldandBlack.com
This post was edited on 8/28 10:34 AM by Brian_GoldandBlack.com
