But the two guys are not from the same background, which was what was disputed. I'm sure that Miles will, in fact, still be there for TM. TM needs that, perhaps, more than an RGIII, who has a more stable parental set-up. I see it all of the time as a teacher. My kids from unstable homes truly do NEED me more than the kids from stable homes. TM probably needs Miles more than Eric Reid does, etc.
I can agree with that, Stacey....but the minute you start making excuses instead of owning up, you lost the battle. My dad used to tell me that all the time...and it was years before I really believed him. TM has no excuse...he just had a bigger hole to crawl out of.
That's pretty harsh dude. Addiction is a powerful thing. I don't know if he is truly addicted, but if he is, to call him a self serving idiot is disingenuous at best, and at worst blatantly ignorant. His dad is in prison for murder. I doubt he sees him very much. By your own words, his excuse is he had a much bigger hole to crawl out of. None of us knows the whole story. To come on here and grandstand about how selfish TM is would seem to me to be a rush to judgement on our parts. CLM certainly did not seem to take any pleasure in releasing TM. Why should we?
There is no excuse at all for putting yourself before the team when you're on the #1 team in the nation poised to win the national championship. He knew the rules. He broke the rules. Why? Because it was all about him and he put himself first. That's the definition of disingenuous....insincere....false...devious. But he's excused because he came from a disadvantaged, inner city background, It's not his fault. He's an addict and he couldn't help himself. Please.
Steve, I don't think anyone is trying to make the case that he is excused.....not the fans and surely not CLM and that's why we are discussing here on the aftermath, right? TM f''d up but his contribution on the field the past 2 seasons was enormous. I am not willing to tear everything down from his image because of this. Let's not even go places to compare him with RP and CC and such thugs that made it on the team (and really hurt us). We shall see how much of an impact he was to the team when football commences in a few weeks. As of now, F it. This is spilled milk. Time to clean up, wish the kid good luck and hope the team keeps the positive aspects of TM's presence lingering and filter out the garbage.
I think I'm being misunderstood and it's probably my fault so let me summarize how I feel. 1) I think he was selfish by knowing the rules, knowing the consequences, and breaking the rules. He was "poison" only in the locker room....for the team. I think that as much as Miles loved him, he was justified for kicking him off the team...in order to maintain discipline and unity. Basically, he got fired for violating company policy....it happens. You can't cry about it, you just have to man up, move on and change for the better. 2) I really like Matthieu. I'm a fan. He seems a likable guy and I bet that if I ever got to know him personally, I'd like him. My comments about him taking ownership of his problem are really out of concern for him. I don't think he was an addict or anything, but weed is hard to quit. I quit myself and it was difficult and involved falling off the wagon lots of times. I never went to a 12 step program (probably should have) but I heard that (one of) the biggest step(s) involves taking ownership of the problem and not making excuses for it. I had post traumatic stress after a head on car crash that knocked me out of dental school and I started abusing alcohol and weed. (It was a LOT of fun). I only was able to quit when I got married and started having kids...It wasn't all about me any more. I was real self centered and it took me a long time to snap out of it. 3) I think someone else should have his number this year, not to punish Matthieu, but to send a message to the rest of the team that everyone is replaceable and no one is above the rules. I am probably a bigger fan of his now because I can relate to what he's going through. No excuses though.
"I think someone else should have his number this year, not to punish Matthieu, but to send a message to the rest of the team that everyone is replaceable and no one is above the rules." I agree 100% Steve! In fact, I was going to ask whether another "red flagged" playmaker should wear the #7. Heck, this might be a new tradition such as the #18 wear. Nice writeup on your position to the matter. Thanks for posting.
