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I think 2 things are true. He was a public ass, and the University completely threw him under the bus and destroyed his future. Does he have a case? I dunno. Maybe this will bring the double standards to light. I never was on his side, but I also thought he got a really harsh "justice".
Hate speech is generally protected by the first amendment, so UGA can't get rid of a student for hate speech as long as it doesn't drift into incitement/harrasment. The added layer of complexity comes from the fact he wasn't expelled (correct me if I'm mistaken) but was kicked off the baseball team. Do athletic scholarships from public schools have the same level of constitutional protections? No idea, but I think it's irrelevant since reasonable people would assume his speech would provoke an altercation which is not protected by the 1st amendment.
How was he thrown under the bus? Would he still be here if it wasn't for Justin using Sasser's racism to get a waver? Could be. We are learning everyday that there has been a hushed society of systematic racism in colleges, not just UGA. UGA just seems to be trying to change that. I dont see that as throwing someone under the bus, especially if it was that person's actions that got the bus moving in the 1st place. Also, I dont see anything wrong with hateful people excusing themselves from being included in an inclusive environment and being escorted out.
Because of Covid, this years draft was only 5 rounds as opposed to the usual 40. Was he a top 150 player? Maybe, but with limited picks teams were probably not looking for controversy.
I'm surprised he wants this story to hit the news again. Would be better served interviewing with GM's and explaining that he made a mistake instead of blaming others. He obviously has some talent. I would be surprised if he wasn't given a chance if he can truly fall on his sword and ask for forgiveness.
I only did a quick search of "speech" in the student handbook, it just referenced they follow the constitution's right to free speech. Saying a no-no word doesn't constitute hate speech according to our country's laws. You'd have to incite violence or lawlessness to be considered hate speech.
It’s not my area of expertise but it sounds like a lot of his beef with the school has to do with the process they followed. According to the complaint, the school didn’t follow the process correctly. So it could be a situation where the school wasn’t wrong, but went about the process incorrectly. It’s an interesting question.
I had the same thought. Definitely doesn't look contrite now
Hate speech is different from incitement of violence.
Universities can write in their bylaws what is acceptable and what isn't. This can go beyond The Constitution in its 0 tolerance stances. You have freedom of speech, but if you walk into a random class and just start interupting it with your speech, you at the very least will be suspended for a while. You can conceal or open carry a handgun legally at 21 with a license in the state of Georgia, but if you bring it on campus you will go to jail. Not sure if he was suspended or if he had a student tribunal, but The Constitution does not protect all of your rights on campus.
For clarification, he went undrafted in 2019, while 1,217 other players were chosen. He then failed to secure a free agent contract, so he ultimately signed with Sioux City, an independent AA team, in order to keep his prospects alive. Minor leagues were not operational this year, so he's currently out of baseball altogether.
One factor in filing the lawsuit is the statute of limitations is probably two years and this case was filed just under the wire. I'm sure the lawyer explained "it's now or never" and "use it or lose it."
My point being is he'd have to do one of those things for him to violate any laws. And since he didn't that's probably what his lawyer will argue.
Georgia does have campus carry now actually.
My logic is 21 HRs is good enough to get drafted in 1 of the 1500 or so picks per year, or at least get a FA gig.
If UGA was in the wrong, then he would have gotten an MLB opportunity, because the MLB would have deemed the incident not that big of a deal and would have had sympathy for him.
Since nobody in the MLB wanted to take a flyer on him, then it seems pretty clear that the incident was totally out of line, and he was deemed untouchable from a HR perspective.
He did this to himself and is desperate for anything, because I'm sure real world employers aren't gonna wanna hire him either.
UGA won't flinch on this.
just laugh.
Thanks, I need to read up on it myself. Basically, if there was a fight over what he said then it would be hate speech. UGA needs to change that to speech that said to be offensive to a group that is used in a derogatory, demeaning, or divisive way will not be tolerated and could result in a tribunal or immediate expulsion. And yes, a list of words and phrases should be listed so there is no confusion, but also make room for words and phrases that have not been used yet but maybe used later as hate speech.
Public universities have to follow the constitution. Public schools regulating speech that is protected would be government censorship. A student talking over an instructor would be punished for disrupting a class and not the content of his speech. States decide the rules for guns on campus. Some states ban them, others allow it, and some leave it up to the universities.
Learn something new everyday. Hopefully we never regret it. But, most schools and universities do not allow this. Don't think I have to explain why to everybody.
So far so good as far as I know.
There is no doubt that "he was deemed untouchable from a HR perspective."
But as @RxDawg's comment shows, reasonable can disagree as to whether the punishment fit the crime in this case.
That's why a lawsuit has been filed.
He was expelled a few days after the incident. I believe it was just for the semester. This is why he'll win the case. Not because he was necessarily undrafted, but I'm sure they're throwing that in just to see if it gets them more $$$.
don't want to get this too far off track, but I was initially against the idea of this until I thought about it from the perspective of a mass shooter situation...
If the shooter knows that multiple people could have a weapon, then they probably aren't gonna target that area.
just my $0.02 and I'd be glad to have this convo moved to a new thread by mods if needed