TT jailed on domestic violence charges.

[NarfUte]

Disgusting. I hope he gets the help he needs

[Tony (admin)]

Dang. Some people seem hell bent to, uh, not make good decisions.

[NarfUte]

one of these days I’m going to remember to use the link function, I promise 

[Tednab]

.. Dude is one @!$? human being

[chinngiskhaan]

Dude is mentally ill. He needs help.

[AZUTE]

Absolutely one of the dumbest comments I’ve ever seen of this board.

TT had a childhood I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. Homeless and off his meds.

No excuse for DV but it’s often a symptom of a greater illness.

To just label him like that is incredibly shortsighted and not getting to the greater problem.

[Tednab]

.. Yet by giving him a pass because of his childhood upbringing , numerous stories of people overcoming worse than him chose a different path .. he has also been given more resources then most to get the help. needless to say I do have empathy for him and hope that he’s able to turn himself around before that path destroys him and others.. but his ACTIONS speak for its self .. at some point accountability need to come into play .. the victim card only goes so far .. James Holmes suffered from a mental illness with no criminal history and ended up killing 12 and injuring 70 others in the Colorado theater shooting years back.. he is also labeled a mass murderer .

[dystopiamembrane]

Society is dangerous.

[AZUTE]

I must say it’s a good thing you are perfect so you can be the judge and jury for us all.

Thank you so much

[DrahtUte]

Someone has to be perfect to tell you that beating and threatening to kill your girlfriend is reprehensible?

Want to lecture us next on how we shouldn’t condemn Lauren McCluskey’s killer either because he had a tough life?

[AZUTE]

Ignorance personified with that comment .

Where did I say it wasn’t reprehensible?

What I said what domestic violence is a symptom that of greater illness.

Treat and fix the greater underlying problem.

Let’s understand the cause and effect but Not everyone is the same so we can’t pigeonhole in treatment.

You all act like spoons make people fat so ban all spoons. You are missing the greater picture.

[2008 National Champ]

I think what you are missing is that it is up to Tavion to get treatment for his illness once it has been diagnosed. If the reports of being off his medication are correct, then he wasn’t living up to his responsibility. There is no greater picture, just cause and effect.

The article noted at least 4 incidents over a 6 month period. How many more would be necessary for you to put the blame squarely where it belongs which is on the individual?

[Tednab]

I get where you’re coming from and you’re absolutely right every situation isn’t black and white .. there is more shades of gray .. humans consists of patterns and behaviors and are creatures of habit .. hopefully going forward he will get the treatment he needs

[RedRocks]

Should we as a society do better to help people that find themselves in this situation? Absolutely. Is he still responsible for his own actions? Absolutely. I don’t think you can really lay the blame for his actions on anyone but him. I have to think he had access to extensive resources as a student. You can’t force people to change; at some point, people have to choose for themselves.

[Tony (admin)]

I got you. 

[GameForAnyFuss]

Seems like he has untreated mental health issues that are exacerbating the poor decision-making. Sounds like he needs treatment. And probably to not take more hits to the head.

[utefansince79]

He had a difficult time in his youth without both of his parents much/all of the time and was often raised by an aunt who passed away.  But at some point one needs to be responsible for their own decisions.

He is on a path to a rather unhappy life.  Hope he can eventually get things sorted out and turn things around.

 

 

[dystopiamembrane]

Life is what it is. For many people on this planet, life is a nightmare.

[DrahtUte]

Glad the Utes distanced themselves from him before this happened. I think Kyle took too long doing it though. 

[Charlie]

Another way of looking at it, not saying it is right, Utah went above and beyond to help him. He just needed to help himself as well.

[DrahtUte]

Coaches looking the other way, bending rules and making excuses for Tavion is how he got to this point. It wasn’t the coaches just being forgiving – they didn’t hold him accountable for his actions because he was a great on the field talent and could help win games. It was totally self-serving by the coaches.

Tavion is on the path to be the next Brian Landry.

[Charlie]

Not sure I agree. Following your guess I will give you mine since I was not involved in the case. I do know Whitt gives these thing a lot of thought and he has a good record of helping several turn their life around. The process lays out specifics and involves a single second chance. It is not possible to be 100% successful. I have heard that coming off the Jordan and Lowe events and that of his grandmother complicated the process. I suppose that anytime there is a failure of a second chance some will offer second chances should not be given. I also suppose that with multiple cases there will be the one that is viewed as extending too much trust. Last, these things can often be confusing if different reports of fact are conflicting. I have heard Whitt talk about second chances and it would seem he gives effort to find balance. Keep in mine this last event is long after he was dismissed from the team. Whitt did allow him to come to pro day which may be considered extra help. I think this last event would not have involved a second chance if it occurred while on the team. Myself, I would need to see more than I have to feel the coaches are looking the other way.

[DrahtUte]

OnlyU has stated that he’d never seen a player get as many “second” chances as Tavion got. He didn’t get only one, like you are claiming. He got seventh, eighth, etc chances where we know that any other player would have been booted from the team. 

Tavion was physically attacking Benard and almost cost us Micah coming back because of the b.s. Whitt was allowing to happen. 

Look, I just don’t care about winning at all costs like some of you all apparently do. I don’t care how many touchdowns a running back can get us if they are a low life. I can’t believe I have to say this but threatening to kill women who don’t do what you tell them to makes you a low life. This really isn’t hard. 

You all can make whatever weak excuses you want to justify domestic violence but there is absolutely no excuse. I don’t want anyone like that ever representing the U. 

 

 

[Charlie]

I was thinking attacking Barnard is what got Thomas tossed. Whitt reacted to that, I disagree that he allowed that. I was focused on events prior to what got him tossed. As for the threat to the woman, that is after he has been tossed. Before these two events I thought he arrived to his last chance not so much because of an event but due to a number of ‘near the limit’ things that accumulated giving the feel of many chances. Yes the Jordan event was before Thomas arrived, however that impact was not at all short lived, instead magnified by the Lowe event.

I think you are half right. Everyone agrees due to the Bernard event and the recent event, everyone regrets he was part of the program. However, before the Bernard event that got him tossed, it was not win at any cost and not nearly as clear as some suggest. Football players through competitive practices and games often have words, shoves and standoffs. Even in HS. I don’t think you can get any players to agree that bad behavior is good if you just carry the team through wins. No fans defended Thomas after the Bernard event or after this last event that I know of. But I do get that from a distance thru media view it can have that feel. I am just not convinced that before the event that got him tossed, anyone was dealing with the feelings we have now down the road. I think Whitt does a very good job of control and demanding they are a positive part of the student body. He just can’t foresee bad events 100% of the time for 105 high octane athletes year after year. Goodness, who would we blame if it was just any student? If anyone could go in and improve Whitt’s process, I expect they could get paid handsomely, not just at Utah but almost any athletic department. You may be following a team that is much better than this current view.

[2008 National Champ]

Ty Jordan shot himself at least 6 months before Thomas got on campus so that is out the window as an excuse.

And Thomas is not the first example of players who didn’t live up to the standard that many believe Whitt sets. Who were the receivers that were still on the team long enough to get arrested for unlawful detention and/or rape? 2nd chances are a good thing when someone is committed to righting their behavior. Unfortunately, when it comes to major college athletics, those chances are given more based on physical ability as opposed to mental makeup.

Everyone wants to believe that because these kids wear Utah uniforms that they are all outstanding individuals. Until they prove they aren’t. However, I guarantee that there are as many A-holes, Douchebags, and flat out jerks in that locker room on a % basis as there are in the rest of the population.

[ProudUte]

Too bad.  He obviously has some emotional issues.  I hope that he can address these before things in his life get worse.

 

[SteelUte]

Truly sad, I hope he can get some help and counseling to work through his issues. Sad to see such a talent fall to his demons. Think he could have had a small chance to make an nfl team, now not so much.