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How do you know what Clough has done or not done for the AA? I remember seeing guy that posts (on the Hive)under the moniker 1951 saying he knows Clough personally and wrote him a letter about the football program, the admissions issues for athletes getting very difficult, etc... Clough writes him back that "football is just a game" and offers nothing more.
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I'm not here to argue about that. Whether someone is for or against something is all conjecture until theres recorded evidence of it, and right now everything is anecdotal. However, this does seem like a bit of BS to me, if he knows Clough personally then why would he send a letter about the issue? Lots of people say they "know" people, when in reality they're met them once and then they send an angry email.
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I am a GT grad, a former SA, 3 year starter, captain of my team, and helped rebuild the athletic program when it was in shambles, in the 1980's. I want to see every reasonable consideration given to the AA by the Hill. Maybe O'Leary hurt things. I don't know. But I can't see the current situation (regrading admissions, majors, eligibilty, etc...) as being optimal for the AA. I want a president that is willing to make every effort to find that balance between academics and athletics for the GT SA. It can only come from the school president and I don't see it happeneing now...
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I agree about it being a two way street, and I believe that Clough wants the best for academics. I also believe that Clough won't take advantage of a young man by giving him a worthless degree which everyone in the working world knows is just a "jock degree" were they cannot get work in the future except from alumns who take pity/repay them (look at all the former Mutts who drive beer trucks around middle GA).. thats not cool. Worthless degrees don't harm the school, as for the most part degree programs stand on their own and the Institutes overall rep would go untarnished, but it does harm the kid. Its a damn shame that college athletics has become such a big money business, this isn't the intent.
I agree, exceptions should be made for kids, I think it should be made for kids across the board though, not just in athletics. Let in a few kids every year who think they can do it, whether athlete, unchallenged smart kid, or town dumbass trying to prove everyone wrong and do momma proud. Obviously everyone can't be an exception though, cause then they aren't exceptions anymore. Maybe Gailey needs to man up and start requesting more exceptions, didn't they say he was never... or at least very seldom, turned down?
And for the record, I respect anyone who made it through GT while representing us/me in athletic competition, takes a lot more willpower, time management, and talent than I have/had.