When Syracuse guard Eric Devendorf had his season long suspension reduced to only 40 hours of community service before he could rejoin the Orange, it was figured that he could bang it out in a week over Syracuse's winter break. He would miss the last two non-conference games, but if he just put in the time he would be back for the start of Big East Conference action on December 30 against Seton Hall.Sure enough, Devendorf spent the week washing dishes at the Rescue Mission of Syracuse. By Friday he was back practicing with the team. Exactly a week after the decision was made by the Syracuse Appeals Board.
Will a week washing dishes at a rescue mission really change Devendorf? Will it make him appreciate the opportunities before him to play basketball at a major conference program and get an education? For some reason I doubt it.
Seeing the pictures of himself in a hair net washing dishes as a foreshadowing of what could be awaiting him if he blows it? Well, that might actually have something of an effect.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
12-29-2008 @ 1:41PM
Quse said...
Did you ever think that he owed it to his team to finish the community service ASAP? You ignore the fact that his suspension was hurting the team, a team that wasn't intended to be punished. Any teammate should feel guilty for letting another down, and in doing whatever he could to undo any punishment to the team was exactly what he should have done. Nobody can claim to know whether he 'learned his lesson' but Devo, but I guarantee the guilt of hurting his team will be just as much of a deterrent as the community service.
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1-02-2009 @ 12:11AM
CEEJ said...
I agree with the comments that Eric Devendorf should feel remorse for his infraction, as well as for letting his team down. It remains to be seen whether he will learn from his mistake and turn over a new leaf. However, he is, after all, a young kid who deserves another (perhaps his last) chance to grow up and take responsibility for his actions.
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