Major Wingate Suspended

#1
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mattvols

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#1
Tennessee junior center Major Wingate has been suspended from basketball team activities because of a violation of team rules and university policy.

Vols' coach Bruce Pearl would not comment Sunday on the specifics of the suspension, but he confirmed Wingate will be disciplined internally this summer.

Pearl said Wingate is not expected to miss any games next season. Wingate will begin work with the Boys and Girls Club this week.

"Major has done so many wonderful things this year, on and off the court, it pains me to have to do this,'' Pearl said. "But at the same time, there's a culture that has been allowed to exist that can't be tolerated.''

Wingate, named Friday a Lowell Blanchard Award winner as one of the Vols' most improved players at the annual awards banquet, averaged 10.6 points and four rebounds a game last season, helping the Vols to a 22-8 record and the SEC East division championship.
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might have been one too many visits to the dope man
 
#2
#2
(volsfan711 @ May 8 said:
might have been one too many visits to the dope man
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Nip it in the bud.

I think Pearl just said something to the rest of his team.
 
#3
#3
1 visit is 1 too many.... Recind his scholarship and send his boney butt back wherever he came from, let him make 8 bucks an hour for awhile and we'll see how long it takes this underacheiver to realize hes 6'10''....this kids has had his butt powdered ever since hes been in Knoxville.....bout time we started seein some return....past time.
 
#4
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(dan4vols @ May 8 said:
1 visit is 1 too many.... Recind his scholarship and send his boney butt back wherever he came from, let him make 8 bucks an hour for awhile and we'll see how long it takes this underacheiver to realize hes 6'10''....this kids has had his butt powdered ever since hes been in Knoxville.....bout time we started seein some return....past time.
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Yes, Pearl needs to be blunt.
 
#8
#8
Where does it say he was doing dope?

Did I miss something.

Until it's confirmed, don't we want to wait to see what the nature of his suspension is?

Wouldn't that be fair?
 
#9
#9
Typical message board stuff . . . Take the story and run with it. For all we know, he was caught writing in magic marker on the locker room walls.
 
#10
#10
Is that what the suspension is for?


1 visit is 1 too many.... Recind his scholarship and send his boney butt back wherever he came from
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Just FYI, if you kick every person off the football and basketball teams that catch a buzz once or twice during their college years then you would be booting 50% of them off the teams and that is probably a conservative number! We wouldn't have a national championship in '98 and probably would never be much above a .500 team because we honestly couldn't compete if you were to kick them all off the team. I am just giving a realistic view about it.


I know of several players on that '98 championship team that smoked the tree and that is coming from someone living 200 miles away, but will not name any of them for obvious reasons. We all know that our two stud running backs have both had drug issues since being in the NFL (Lewis, Henry). There is two studs off the team right there unless you think they didn't do it in college and just picked it up after going to the NFL. The reason why I am naming those two is because it is already public knowledge.


All I am saying is that we honestly could not compete if we booted everyone who smoked pot once (or many times) during college! We would be Vanderbilt as far as the major sports go.


To the best of my knowledge, this is the first time Major has been in trouble. It sounds like Pearl is handling it properly (depending on what rules he broke). It sounds like he is coming down firm, but not going too far and is letting it be known that things will not go unpunished.
 
#11
#11
(dan4vols @ May 8 said:
1 visit is 1 too many.... Recind his scholarship and send his boney butt back wherever he came from, let him make 8 bucks an hour for awhile and we'll see how long it takes this underacheiver to realize hes 6'10''....this kids has had his butt powdered ever since hes been in Knoxville.....bout time we started seein some return....past time.
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Come on dan. You want to ruin a kid's life after one mistake? It sounds to me you want him gone mainly because he hasn't played up to his potential so far. This has been the first time in 4 years Wingate has gotten into trouble. By reading the article, you can tell Pearl wants to send a message to Wingate and the team that this type of stuff will not be tolerated. But obviously he's not going to take away his scholarship for what he did. (And I have a pretty good idea of what it was). Trust me, it was not worth him being kicked off the team.

Wingate is a good kid who, like everyone else, makes mistakes. He is also an improving player. I look forward to seeing him be even better this upcoming season. Coach Pearl is the best thing that has happened to him.
 
#12
#12
Hey Bill... if you have a pretty good idea of what it was, why don't you let us know? Or is that top secret info?
 
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#13
Isn't it amazing? CPF suspends a kid for making his first mistake in over 4 years and people on this board call him soft and gripe about him. CBP suspends a kid for his first mistake in 2 years and people give a pass. I am a huge CBP fan but how about some consistency.
 
#17
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(VolBeef88 @ May 8 said:
Isn't it amazing? CPF suspends a kid for making his first mistake in over 4 years and people on this board call him soft and gripe about him. CBP suspends a kid for his first mistake in 2 years and people give a pass. I am a huge CBP fan but how about some consistency.
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IMO CPF is suffering from what happened last year with the 19 or so infractions. When college football fans on the web start a "Fulmer Cup" to reward the team with the most NCAA infractions an imaginary cup in your name, I thinks its safe to say you have an image problem in this area. Its gonna take a couple of years of good conduct by the team to play that down, its not going to happen overnight.
 
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(oklavol @ May 8 said:
IMO CPF is suffering from what happened last year with the 19 or so infractions. When college football fans on the web start a "Fulmer Cup" to reward the team with the most NCAA infractions an imaginary cup in your name, I thinks its safe to say you have an image problem in this area. Its gonna take a couple of years of good conduct by the team to play that down, its not going to happen overnight.
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very good point oklavol
 
#19
#19
and I was crucified for trying to start an all Vol Thug Team? :dunno:
 
#20
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(crimedawg12 @ May 8 said:
and I was crucified for trying to start an all Vol Thug Team? :dunno:
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I know . . . As much as I disagree with it, at least you were using proven allegations. This is crazy.
 
#21
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(TNVolunteers23 @ May 8 said:
Hey Bill... if you have a pretty good idea of what it was, why don't you let us know? Or is that top secret info?
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Because I wouldn't be able to say it with 100% certainty. If it is what I think it is, it is not anything "major." I'll just say it has been a bit of a problem with the basketball team the last few years, and Coach Pearl is doing the right thing by sending a message. But again, Major has not been in trouble before, so he should only get a slap on the wrist.
 
#22
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(Bill Walton @ May 8 said:
Because I wouldn't be able to say it with 100% certainty. If it is what I think it is, it is not anything "major." I'll just say it has been a bit of a problem with the basketball team the last few years, and Coach Pearl is doing the right thing by sending a message. But again, Major has not been in trouble before, so he should only get a slap on the wrist.
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I understand... and it sounds as though Wingate won't be missing any ball games next season.
 
#23
#23
while it is true my remarks may be too harsh for a 1st time thing, and that just being an allegation without the all the facts on the table as far as we know, IMO hes been a heck of a dissapointment and that had something to do with my opinion. However even if most on here think he doesnt deserve the critisism I do. He's had 4 years to realize and work towards improving, its not like he doesnt know what his goals should be, then throw in that with the time and $ thats invested in him, he like many scholar athletes dont get it even after hes an upper classman that his off the court conduct reflects on the team. He may not be guilty as accussed but he may be, and I think he is to a degree...underachievers seem to behave the same in schoolwork, social situations the same as they do on court. You know a tree by the fruit it bears.
 
#24
#24
If anyone could understand Major's infraction....it would be Bill Walton.....well atleast the real Bill Walton....he did experiment quite a bit himself..... But If I remember correctly we got Wingate because alot of folks backed off of him due to him being a bit of a project. He did real well early in HS, then faded a bit, but he defintely improved towards the end of last year, so there is hope and the scholly is already pretty much spent. Also he was very outnumbered in the paint last year with no BIG help, he could be a very valuable player next year. I do believe he is a very good kid and does deserve the chance to right his wrong.


Peace Cross
 
#25
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(dan4vols @ May 8 said:
while it is true my remarks may be too harsh for a 1st time thing, and that just being an allegation without the all the facts on the table as far as we know, IMO hes been a heck of a dissapointment and that had something to do with my opinion. However even if most on here think he doesnt deserve the critisism I do. He's had 4 years to realize and work towards improving, its not like he doesnt know what his goals should be, then throw in that with the time and $ thats invested in him, he like many scholar athletes dont get it even after hes an upper classman that his off the court conduct reflects on the team. He may not be guilty as accussed but he may be, and I think he is to a degree...underachievers seem to behave the same in schoolwork, social situations the same as they do on court. You know a tree by the fruit it bears.
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I understand what you are saying, even though I don't agree with you. I think his first two years he was a dissapointment as a player, but I think alot of that had to do with the fact that he didn't have a coach who was able to help him improve. I think this past year he improved tremendously, especially his two tournament games.

As far as you saying he doesn't deserve another chance: I think a guy like Ricky Williams, who constantly ignores drug policy and has gotten chance after chance, should be out of here. Or if he was a Daniel Brooks or Tony McDaniel type who like to get in fights. That is not Wingate at all. In fact, if you knew him, you would know that he is one of the nicest, most laid back guys around. I think that has actually hurt him some on the basketball court.

As I said before, we finally have a coach who can get through to players on a completely different level than our last coach. If Pearl were to kick Wingate off the team, as you think he should, what message would that send? You make one mistake, that alot of people in college make, and you're gone. Just like that. It would not be fair at all. Like I said, if he were the type of guy to continually get into trouble, it would be a different story. But he's not.

I look forward to seeing Major improve even more next season.
 
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