The DGB gamble
Look, I know how this deal with Oklahoma and Dorial Green-Beckham goes.
As a Sooner fan, I'm supposed to type up some apologia on the nobility of second chances and redemption, right? Maybe talk about trusting Bob Stoops' judgment, or try to build some house of cards on technicalities surrounding DGB's alleged transgressions.
Or would you prefer some self-flagellation, complete with a rebuke of the Oklahoma administration for setting aside principles to let the second coming of Randy Moss catch passes in crimson and cream?
When it comes to passing judgment on a 20-year-old I’ve never met, I’ll decline. (Ditto for taking the moral high ground over a bunch of college students I only know from TV.) I think I've always been consistent on that.
Fans indulge in fairy tales about student-athletes who never miss a class, have great attitudes and spend all their free time in soup kitchens. I could posit any number of theories as to why buying into the “Saintly Coach X only recruits good kids” bullshit rap comes so easy, but it seems to be as much a staple of fanhood as smack-talking and irrational optimism. There’s also the corollary of “Insert Rival School will do anything to win,” which is equally delusional in so far as it implies your favorite team is swimming with the same sharks, but not snapping at the same chum.
Does it send a bad message to other players to let him on the team? I personally don't think an 18-year-old's mind works that way, but I'm definitely willing to listen to opposing points of view.
The one thing that I do think we can say with certainty in this case is that while he’s a generational talent, DGB stands to lose a decent chunk of NFL money if he stays fucking up. The default route for players in that position is usually dropping down a level to play immediately or taking a year off to prepare for the draft. If he wants to prove he’s not toxic, he’s doing so in about the most visible way possible by enrolling at OU.
There are countless fans across the country right now–who’d secretly love to see him suiting up for their teams in the fall–dismissing DGB as a knucklehead of the highest order and blasting OU for giving him another shot. Botch this opportunity, and he’s proving them all right. I suspect that's why this particular bet will pay off for both.