Interesting FSU perspective on Ray Ray
Posted 10:11 a.m., March 11, 2008
This morning, I received an e-mail from someone identifying herself as the girlfriend of a former Florida State offensive lineman. Her name is Melanie Lott, and she says FSU's coaching staff made a "devastating" and "careless" decision recently by revoking the scholarship of Geoff Berniard.
With her permission, I'm cutting and pasting the e-mail here. This doesn't necessarily equate to the Ray Ray situation, because we don't have all (or perhaps even most) of the facts. But it does provide a thought-provoking perspective on the subject of coaches revoking scholarships to players who have not made the desired impact on the field.
Larry,
I just read your article on Ray Ray McElrathbey and Clemson's Coach Bowden's choice
not to renew his scholarship. This seems to be a Bowden trend this spring...
Geoff Berniard, has been an offensive lineman on the Florida State University
football team since 2004. At the beginning of spring practice this past February he
was notified that he would not be awarded his scholarship for his fifth and final
year of eligibility. In December, Rick Trickett, the new offensive line coach,
approached Geoff asking him what he was going to be doing about his final year of
eligibility. Trickett told Geoff that he would never play in his offensive scheme
and that in his eyes it was best that he quit and move on with his life. This was a
conversation that came after a year of attempting to run Geoff off the team but, at
the conversations conclusion Geoff made it clear that he was returning for his
senior season whether Trickett liked it or not. Apparently, Trickett did not like
that conclusion. At some point Trickett told Coach Bowden that Geoff decided he did
not want to come back for his senior season and they recruited as if they had an
“open” scholarship. After FSU played in the Music City Bowl in December Geoff
returned to Tallahassee and mentally prepared to endure the physically grueling
spring workouts, which include mat drills and a strict weight room regimen, as well
as his final semester as an undergraduate student. After the first day of mat drills
he was called up to Coach Bobby Bowden's office for a meeting with him. Coach Bowden
explained that he was “surprised to see Geoff” at the 5 am mat drill because he was
“under the impression that he was not to returning for his fifth year”, information
he received from Trickett. After beating around the bush and looking like a fool who
has know idea about decisions that are made for his own football team, he finally
told Geoff that due to a "number crunch" he would not be receiving his fifth year of
scholarship eligibility. This was a very unexpected and indescribable disappointment
to Geoff. He had every intention to fulfill the commitment that he made on signing
day in February 2004.
I am appalled at the fact that the coaches of these two big name programs are
sacrificing at all costs to win. Unlike Ray Ray (who seems to have straightened
himself out) Geoff has no blemishes on his academic, athletic, and social
reputations. He has a 3.02 GPA, was awarded all ACC academic honors as well as
Dean’s list for the 2006-2007 school year. The only practices he has ever missed
were due to the unexpected deaths of his grandfather and his best friend’s father.
He lost the most weight of all of the offensive linemen when Trickett demanded they
slim down, he was not involved in the cheating scandal that recently rocked our
athletic program, and he has never missed a summer of “optional” workouts. What he
has missed though are several Christmases, Thanksgivings, and other family
gatherings because his time was dedicated to FSU football and the demanding
sacrifices that come along with territory. After four years of hard work, I think
Geoff has earned himself the closure of a senior season. He deserves to walk with
his mother and father across Bobby Bowden field on senior day, put on that uniform
and run out the tunnel at the end of the season knowing that it will be his last
time, and he deserves to leave with the recruiting class that he came in with. I
understand that college football has become a business and coaches have jobs to do
and expectations to meet, but at what cost? Geoff is the picture perfect example of
what is expected of a student athlete on and off the field, but apparently, that was
not good enough.
I thought after writing the piece on Ray Ray, you would like to hear a similar
circumstance that may spark your interest….
Sincerely,
Melanie Lott
(In case you were wondering how I know this information about Geoff’s situation, I
am his girlfriend of two and a half years and I have seen first hand how devastating
a coach’s careless decision can be)
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