Damien Alford Grad Transferring to Utah

[CA Monk]

Let's not go overboard on either side, while an ongoing requirement to a specific church or implied punishment isn't right, going twice as a group to religious services isn't torture and not close to being waterboarded either. Sit there listen respectfully and get out of it what you wish. Not a big fan of the dogma of religion but what religious services being required of me as an adolescent opened up alot beneficial pursuit of questions about higher powers, higher thought, meaning of life, how do I want to live my life, do unto others, how do I want to be perceived, my guiding principles. And a few things I saw I didn't like also.
All deep moral and personal exposure to self insight and analysis which benefits us all.

A reasonable, lucid person with the long view. Please tell me there are more of you...wherever it is you come from.

 

[Sudano]

A reasonable, lucid person with the long view. Please tell me there are more of you...wherever it is you come from.

Amen.

 

[donniesyracuse]

5:36 mark. Michael Johnson said “we all go to church together”. Nothing in the interview inferred that it was mandated, I’d have to assume that the person who told you that was misunderstanding as that would be a civil rights violation.

Big difference between kids who want to go to church voluntarily going with their HC, and kids going under compulsion. Not being argumentative but it is a huge difference and a really big accusation.

As long as the people who choose to attend the services are not held in higher regard. That is where it can be tricky.

 

[TexanMark]

All he said is that they attended church as a team twice. That it was a requirement was told to me by someone else. That is why I stated "if what I was told was correct". I don't know it for a fact.

So speculation...Best to leave it unsaid.

 

[SUDadx2]

The work Coach Fran is having done in the community isn’t just the players. This picture was posted on social media last week. I don’t think there is one player in the picture. Coach Fran, some of his assistant coaches and several support staff were out in the community last week. I believe they were picking up trash and shoveling snow (sidewalks and driveways?).

Coach Fran appears to walk the talk. His actions seem to align with his beliefs and values. I am glad he is leading the young men on this team.

He is a new head coach and he may make some missteps along the way, but I’m fairly certain he will learn from any misstep.

I am looking forward to see how this program evolves.

 

[JRHEETER]

View attachment 237921

The work Coach Fran is having done in the community isn’t just the players. This picture was posted on social media last week. I don’t think there is one player in the picture. Coach Fran, some of his assistant coaches and several support staff were out in the community last week. I believe they were picking up trash and shoveling snow (sidewalks and driveways?).

Coach Fran appears to walk the talk. His actions seem to align with his beliefs and values. I am glad he is leading the young men in this team.

He is a new head coach and he may make some missteps along the way, but I’m fairly certain he will learn from any misstep.

I am looking forward to see how this program evolves.

exciting to not only see this team grow, but how Coach Fran will grow too

Exciting times at Syracuse University

 

[baggerbob]

View attachment 237921

The work Coach Fran is having done in the community isn’t just the players. This picture was posted on social media last week. I don’t think there is one player in the picture. Coach Fran, some of his assistant coaches and several support staff were out in the community last week. I believe they were picking up trash and shoveling snow (sidewalks and driveways?).

Coach Fran appears to walk the talk. His actions seem to align with his beliefs and values. I am glad he is leading the young men in this team.

He is a new head coach and he may make some missteps along the way, but I’m fairly certain he will learn from any misstep.

I am looking forward to see how this program evolves.

The world needs more leaders like Fran and his staff.

 

[CuseLegacy]

 

[All4SU]

I see nothing wrong with community service requirements. It's character building.

The thing that made me a little uncomfortable, if what I was told was correct, was that the players as a team were required to attend church services. They have done this twice now as a team according to an interview by Coach Johnson. Attending religious services should be a personal choice not a requirement.

Unless the coach makes it clear when he is recruiting the player. If he says, “My team goes to church.” Then that’s fine. If you do t want to go to church, that’s your choice - at a different school.

 

[richmondcuse03]

Unless the coach makes it clear when he is recruiting the player. If he says, “My team goes to church.” Then that’s fine. If you do t want to go to church, that’s your choice - at a different school.

honestly they could all go to Scientology classes but if they win and develop good people, I don’t care all that much. And I say that as a devout agnostic individual who was raised in an extremely catholic household. I used my time at church as a kid to realize that being a better person is what matters and that both religious and non religious people suck. Your religious affiliation shouldn’t define you.

Be a good person and leader. If religion helps so be it. If taking care of stray animals does it, whatever. Just be a good person and treat each other with kindness. Plenty of religious people are awful to each other. I try not to use religion as a judge of anything about a person. It’s not a reliable barometer.

 

[dasher]

honestly they could all go to Scientology classes but if they win and develop good people, I don’t care all that much. And I say that as a devout agnostic individual who was raised in an extremely catholic household. I used my time at church as a kid to realize that being a better person is what matters and that both religious and non religious people suck. Your religious affiliation shouldn’t define you.

Be a good person and leader. If religion helps so be it. If taking care of stray animals does it, whatever. Just be a good person and treat each other with kindness. Plenty of religious people are awful to each other. I try not to use religion as a judge of anything about a person. It’s not a reliable barometer.

!00% agree. But being told to go to church services should not have anything to do with playing on a football team. I would have a real problem with that at Syracuse. A school that has Religious ties. No problem. Especially if you were already here. If you were told during your recruitment, I guess that would be one thing. If you were here 3 years and suddenly, you have to go to church services. Not right.

 

[SUforme]

!00% agree. But being told to go to church services should not have anything to do with playing on a football team. I would have a real problem with that at Syracuse. A school that has Religious ties. No problem. Especially if you were already here. If you were told during your recruitment, I guess that would be one thing. If you were here 3 years and suddenly, you have to go to church services. Not right.

Exactly.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

 

[Sudano]

!00% agree. But being told to go to church services should not have anything to do with playing on a football team. I would have a real problem with that at Syracuse. A school that has Religious ties. No problem. Especially if you were already here. If you were told during your recruitment, I guess that would be one thing. If you were here 3 years and suddenly, you have to go to church services. Not right.

OMG what a terrible thing, it will rot the brain and make robots of us all.
What's worse religious zealots or anti-religious zealots? They are the same because they are both zealots.
Being exposed to new ideas should not scare anyone. I'm pretty sure it's the standard non-denominational service they had at Hendricks Chapel when I went there. Pretty basic be a good person, pray to whomever you want, there are bigger ideas out there than being a selfish kid kinda stuff. I don't think it's the Spanish Inquisition...

 

[Millhouse]

Community service is a reflection of character, rather than a character builder, imo. Forcing guys to go plant flowers in a park, or whatever, is unlikely to lead to any personal development. But I’ll digress.

If there is truth to the religious stuff, then yikes!

Forced conversion is always an effective strategy...

This is going to be a mess

 

[sufandu]

Community service is a reflection of character, rather than a character builder, imo. Forcing guys to go plant flowers in a park, or whatever, is unlikely to lead to any personal development. But I’ll digress.

If there is truth to the religious stuff, then yikes!

It's both. It builds character when you see people in situations different than what you see in your own everyday life and how serving them affects their well being. As people mature it reflects the character built through time and experiences.

I've heard lots of adults talk about about how performing community service as kids through various organizations helped to shape their character.

 

[anomander]

I see nothing wrong with community service requirements. It's character building.

The thing that made me a little uncomfortable, if what I was told was correct, was that the players as a team were required to attend church services. They have done this twice now as a team according to an interview by Coach Johnson. Attending religious services should be a personal choice not a requirement.

I believe there may be, or certainly have been in the past (None of my business) muslim players on the team. That wohls be...akward...and certainly shouldn't be a requirement, or pushed on the kids unless welcomed.

 

[donniesyracuse]

Being exposed to new ideas should not scare anyone.

They should all go to a drag show too.

 

[All4SU]

I think it’s great.

 

[HeaterCuse22]

Can one of the admins just nuke this freakin thread.

 

[mark79]

It's not. They are also on a scholarship and many with NIL deals. I don't think it's unreasonable. And anyone who has come here since Fran has been the HC, it should not be a surprise at all. Guys here before Fran the portal is right there as well. He's been rather straight forward about what his expectations are.

Don't like it leave and his approach certainly isn't for everyone and that's fine. His approach is unique, I think he's the type of gut that you either love playing for him or you won't because I don't think he's going to waiver much. If he wins, he will be loved, if he doesn't just another approach that didn't work.

And again, I am all in because whatever we have been doing the last 24 years has been a failure for the most part other than 2-3 seasons, it's worth a shot.

Well said

 

[Atlcuse44]

I highly, highly doubt anyone is being forced to attend church services. And they shouldn't be. That said, I think it is great that those who do believe on the team go to services together. An important part of Christianity is fellowship with other believers. It is holding each other accountable and being there for each other in good times and bad. Serving those in need is another big part.
Do you need to be a Christian to do any of that? No, but in my opinion, it doesn't hurt.

Now, Coach Fran and the staff would probably get into a lot of trouble if he was pushing Christianity or any religion on the players. I doubt that is happening. But if a player who believes wants to join in Christian fellowship with other players and coaches freely, all the power to them.

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

I’d like to pile my uninformed opinion here before the lock.

Fran counts community service toward the allotted practice time, yes? If so, fair play.

If he’s asking these guys to do community service on top of the grueling schedule of a D-1 football player, then that’s lame as hell.

Okay, carry on.

Might be outside of allowed team activities time. Once practices start will likely be less.
Also a way to fill what may otherwise be “down” time, when trouble could brew. (College boys doing dumb things type of trouble.)

 

[Chip]

This thread mostly sucks.

(except for my posts).

 

[CuseLegacy]