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Jeff Thomas and east st louis Doc SIAP

This kid is going to work his *** off and ball at the U. Our staff is perfect for him. Rooting for him. I just hope he doesn't get any chick pregnant.
 
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Just watched the video and man was that powerful. My heart goes out to that community as well as communities across the country that are just like East St Louis. It's hard to expect these kids to make "common sense" life decisions, when nothing in the surroundings or environment is common.

Many of these kids get labeled as "bad character" kids, when in all actuality, they are kids of high character who are resilient and have a keen sense of discernment (in this case, where intuition meets street smarts). That is why, when the ones that make it out of these communities, receive an education, they end up being some of the most successful people, regardless of the profession.

As a man, I can say that I am very proud of Jeff Thomas for fighting hard to get qualified so that he can better his life and the lives of those that are closest to him. I'm pulling for you young man!!!
 
ILCane2011 said:
OriginalCanesCanesCanes said:
I see people keep referencing his grades and/or test scores, and saying things like "I hope he can get in".

Is there really a potential issue with him qualifying?
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He has a qualifying test score, but his core GPA is an issue. That being said, from what his HS coach has said, it sounds like if he takes care of business this semester he'll be here in June. I'm pretty sure Pete has also said he expects him to qualify

Video does a great job of showing what a tough situation his home life is. It'd be nice if the NCAA actually understood what some of these kids are going through before they make up these qualification requirements
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it's a fair point.

big difference between a kid who struggles to qualify because he's just a knucklehead, versus one who struggles because the institution around him is so flawed
 
I've been to east St. Louis. It's definitely a bad area with a bunch of abandon buildings. Kind of like Cairo illinois but worse
 
Thanks for posting, incredibly moving story, man I hope all goes well for Jeff getting into Miami. This is the perfect staff for his development on the field and more importantly off the field. Richt is a man of principle and has hired a like minded staff that develop players and also help them grow into men of character. Also pulling for the QB, looks like a great kid who has already over come so much in life.
 
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Its all about the U said:
Thanks for posting, incredibly moving story, man I hope all goes well for Jeff getting into Miami. This is the perfect staff for his development on the field and more importantly off the field. Richt is a man of principle and has hired a like minded staff that develop players and also help them grow into men of character. Also pulling for the QB, looks like a great kid who has already over come so much in life.
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You're spot on regarding this ^^^^. The focus that Richt and company puts towards developing character is one of the reasons why I think we will have top recruiting classes every year under this resigme. A lot of these kids come from single parent homes in which the mother is often the parent in these cases. How many times have recruits referenced how much their mothers fell in love with Richt.

Father's typically put more focus on the player development side of the house. Mothers want to know if their baby is going to be okay. This staff covers both!
 
I watch a special about world crime last night and it made me think about the video in this thread. The special mentioned that as it relates to countries, Honduras is the murder capital of the world. Even though East St. Louis is not a country, it was brought up because for every 100,000 people, it has a higher murder rate than Honduras. After watching the special, I researched other crime rates in East St. Louis and came across the information below.

Crime East St. Louis National average
Murder 101.9% 5.6%
Rape 251.3% 32.2%
Robbery 1,347.0% 195.4%
Assault 5,847.3% 340.1%
Burglary 2,442.8% 814.5%
Auto theft 2,067.5% 526.5%

With the stats that are mentioned above, Jeff graduating from High School, to me, is just as big of a deal, or a bigger deal than most people graduating from College. The odds that he overcame to get a high school degree, is absolutely astounding. I could not be more proud of this kid. I have my favorite canes of all time, like everyone else on this board, but I have never rooted for anyone the way that I will be pulling for this kid. It's a cherry on top that Richt/Dugans are the perfect Men/Positive Figures/Coaches for Jeff as well. It's all about The U, but this bigger than football.
 
reg said:
I watch a special about world crime last night and it made me think about the video in this thread. The special mentioned that as it relates to countries, Honduras is the murder capital of the world. Even though East St. Louis is not a country, it was brought up because for every 100,000 people, it has a higher murder rate than Honduras. After watching the special, I researched other crime rates in East St. Louis and came across the information below.

Crime East St. Louis National average
Murder 101.9% 5.6%
Rape 251.3% 32.2%
Robbery 1,347.0% 195.4%
Assault 5,847.3% 340.1%
Burglary 2,442.8% 814.5%
Auto theft 2,067.5% 526.5%

With the stats that are mentioned above, Jeff graduating from High School, to me, is just as big of a deal, or a bigger deal than most people graduating from College. The odds that he overcame to get a high school degree, is absolutely astounding. I could not be more proud of this kid. I have my favorite canes of all time, like everyone else on this board, but I have never rooted for anyone the way that I will be pulling for this kid. It's a cherry on top that Richt/Dugans are the perfect Men/Positive Figures/Coaches for Jeff as well. It's all about The U, but this bigger than football.
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Agreed but I dont think I can root for anybody more than I did for artie...
 
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LoyalCane24 said:
Agreed but I dont think I can root for anybody more than I did for artie...
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Great point regarding Artie. I have a lot of love for Artie. Walton also comes to mind as well. In my post above, I was referring to incoming freshmen. I should have been more specific.
 
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Bryan Cox, the Dolphins LB from the early to mid 90s, came from the same program in East St. Louis, played at Western Illinois (the "Leatherneck Football" shirt worn by the QB is for Western Illinois) and was a pro bowler for Miami.

One disconcerting item: The coaches. ILCane2011 pointed out their HCs and key assistants are regular faculty members, with coaching being a second income, I imagine. Conjecture on my part, but the Assistant Coach drives a Lincoln Navigator or Mark LT and the HC is driving an Infiniti...Yet the devastating teacher strike which hurt this district immeasurably was about $$$$...Sorry, another NEA failure in my book and one SI ignores because it doesn't fit their narrative.
 
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