I am in the camp that anyone deserves a second chance.
Whatever the school decides I will support that.
Once that is established I don't think anyone needs to ask or respond to any of this matter. It is purely a personal decision.

"Let those who are without sin cast the first stone"
Let's move on now to basket ball discussions!
That's my take!
Now Go Dukes!

-In my previous post, I tried to make it clear that I don't know whether Max should be kicked off the team or not. I see merits in all 3 of the previous arguments made by other posters & there is a definite lack of detailed information on which to base a definitive opinion.
-Christianity in general & Roman Catholicism in particular feature both forgiveness & repentance as central tenets of faith. The granting & accepting of forgiveness is between the offended victim, the offender, & God. Neither Dukes fans nor the criminal justice system, university administration, coaches, etc, have any say in that department.
-As I understand the Roman Catholic concept of forgiveness, Max will most certainly be forgiven by God. Hopefully, for both their sakes, the victim will also find the grace to forgive Max. No disciplinary action taken by the school, or not taken by the school, has any bearing on the moral/spiritual truth of this situation.
-Being forgiven & getting a second chance are mutually exclusive. =16.25pxIf Max is guilty of even the lesser charge, I would be in favor of giving him a second chance at life & his education, but not at representing the university & having the opportunity to be a role model to others by virtue of the notoriety he enjoys as a public figure.
-The university's game of CYOA, to include not taking a public stance on the moral implications of this & similar situations, falls short, for me, of demonstrating "Profound concern for moral & spiritual values."
-I strongly believe that much of the possible positivity that intercollegiate sports have to offer society at large is undermined by non-business entities acting so often like corporations; damn the results. This is at least doubly true for faith-based institutions. To quote that most sage of bumper stickers, "WWJD?"

Ouch! You have so cleverly ensnared me in a trap of my own poor logic as both I and the university have exactly the same amount & quality of information about this situation on which to base our judgements.

Anyone else notice that the charge was dropped in August, but the Trib article came out Sept. 17? With no mention of the incident had been resolved?  The Trib article seems to not be totally factual?   

NapaDuke wrote:

Anyone else notice that the charge was dropped in August, but the Trib article came out Sept. 17? With no mention of the incident had been resolved?  The Trib article seems to not be totally factual?   

Why it took a month and a half to hit his desk I can’t say, but the Trib reporter likely went almost entirely off the police report. I credit the Duke reporter for digging deeper and getting statements from both attorneys. Still, that doesn’t mean the Trib article wasn’t factual though.

I don’t think anybody denies the incident happened. He was in fact charged with simple assault. The woman did (presumably) make those statements to police. His hearing is still scheduled because the charge is still pending. It will be dismissed, at least according to his attorney, if he completes the diversion program before his November court appearance.

It’s a bad look when a college reporter is more professional than the actual professional. Perhaps that’s why his byline includes his “penchant for festivals and food.” Still, I don’t think anything in the Trib was inaccurate, just incomplete. Of course to your point, it’s been three weeks since that incomplete article, and two weeks since the writer got showed up; and I don’t believe it was ever completed.

https://triblive.com/sports/duquesne-hoops-player-could-have-assault-charge-reduced-by-completing-domestic-violence-program/

NapaDuke wrote:

Strange thing, that Trib reporter just put out an updated article just now?  But  he added that the incident occurred around 3 am.  It seems odd to me to be out at 3 am ,  on a Sat. night. This article also states the dismissal of assault charge was with the victims participation and consent (his former girlfriend)  Mind you. All this info was available in August and would have made his first article much more clear to the average viewer.   

The timing definitely is curious, but it actually is a different reporter. That makes me think even moreso it was incompetence rather than bias leaving the details out of the first article. Even more credit goes to the Duke for advancing the story and forcing the Trib to do the same.

As for the timing of the incident, I assume last call is still 2:00 AM. He and his friends likely closed down whatever bar they were drinking at and were headed home. If so, they had the good sense not to drive, but other judgement seems very impaired.

Even if the initial report was exaggerated, it is cause for concern. Coach Dru really seems to have taken Max under his wing. There’s no other reason to repeatedly and publicly back a player who while very talented, has only been marginally productive for the Dukes. Unfortunately the message doesn’t seem to be getting through. Hopefully Max realizes he is out of chances and grows up fast, whether that’s as part of the team or not.

NapaDuke wrote:

I love your post. It's true and honest. But, just think Tre Clark was dismissed from VCU, never to return to D-1 BB. He went to a CC school, because, being dismissed from VCU was a forever no one takes on this kid?  KD did?  Clark, went on to personally destroy the team that didn't stand behind him, and gave all off him for the one man that believed in him KD. . Dru believes in this man, like KD did for Clark.  I am more than certain, Dru, like KD, stands up for these kids. I have no problem believing in Dru's judgement. This is far from a distraction to this season, but instead a statement, that this coach beleives in these kids and backs them. KD did. Dru does too. All this team more than likely now believe this coach has thier backs. 

I hope this proves to be a good comparison. Tre was one of my favorite Dukes ever. I don’t think it ever came out what he was dismissed for, but he absolutely seemed to learn his lesson. In addition to starring on the court, from everything I saw and heard, he was a stand up guy off the floor.

I agree with you on Dru. The results on the court have been a little iffy, but I love everything he has said and done off the court. That quiet leadership style makes that much more of an impact when the fire comes out. Of course wins are job number one, but he seems to genuinely care about his players as more than just basketball players.

Even before this I think the team as a whole knew he had their backs, but I can’t help but wonder if that support is appreciated by Max. His on-court struggles are one thing, but Dru made one heck of a pitch to keep him on the Bluff and he entered the portal anyway. Of course he ended up returning, but that may have been because of a lack of interest more than anything else. Then this whole incident goes down. I’m trying to withhold judgement because we really don’t have much to go on as to what actually occurred that night, but I’m having a hard time with it. If it went down anything like the woman claimed it is very concerning.