Shannon laying down strict law at Miami

[Steven Mace]

Shannon laying down strict law at Miami

By Mark Schlabach
ESPN.com
(Archive)

Updated: July 24, 2007, 4:57 PM ET

PINEHURST, N.C. -- New Miami coach Randy Shannon instituted several new rules for the Hurricanes when he replaced Larry Coker as coach in December. For the most part, the new tough standards kept the Hurricanes out of trouble this summer.

Miami players were noticeably absent from the police blotter this summer, a feat that has to please athletic director Paul Dee and university president Donna Shalala.

Last year, Miami endured two gun-related incidents off the field -- defensive lineman Bryan Pata was murdered outside his apartment and reserve safety Willie Cooper was shot in the buttocks after being confronted by an unknown person. The assailant fled when teammate Brandon Meriweather fired his own gun at the man.

On the field, the Hurricanes were involved in an ugly melee with Florida International in Miami's 35-0 victory on Oct. 14. The ACC suspended 13 players for their roles in that brawl.

Those distractions contributed to Miami's 7-6 record in 2006 -- the program's worst finish since a 5-6 mark in 1997 -- and Coker's firing after six seasons.

Shannon, who had worked as Coker's defensive coordinator since 2001, was hired to replace his former boss and set out to clean up the mess.

"The things we were trying to do were deteriorating," Shannon said. "When a bunch of little things pile up, it becomes a mountain."

Shannon outlawed guns for Miami's players -- any player caught having a weapon will not only be kicked off the team but also dismissed from school.

"If you're living in Iowa and you're going hunting, it's fine to have a rifle or shotgun," Hurricanes guard Derrick Morse said. "But if you're living in Miami, you don't need to be walking around with a handgun. I wish it was a year earlier when that rule went into effect."

Shannon also requires any player with a grade point average lower than 2.5 to live on campus. If a player is living off campus and falls below the 2.5 mark during fall semester, he'll be required to move back into dorms for spring semester.

"You better not sign a year lease if you're not going to take care of your classes," Morse said. "They've got to deal with that. They're grown men. They're 21 or 22 years old. They've got to act like grown men."

Players caught having cell phones in class will lose their phones for two weeks. Any teammates attending the same class also lose their cell phones for two weeks.

"Guys are looking out for each other now," Morse said.

If players skip class, Morse said, Shannon not only requires them to complete extra conditioning but also demotes them on the depth chart.

"His discipline is at a level where it's almost crazy," defensive end Calais Campbell said. "You don't want to do anything wrong."

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/story?columnist=schlabach_mark&id=2947370

Steve Mace

[recon]

:up:

[Steven Mace]

Posted on Wed, Aug. 08, 2007

Players split on Miami's ban on guns

Coach's stance isn't embraced by some on other ACC teams

KEN TYSIAC
ktysiac@charlotteobserver.com

Miami offensive guard Derrick Morse wishes coach Randy Shannon's ban on players owning guns had come a year earlier.

"You don't need to be living in Miami and have a handgun or anything like that," Morse said during the recent ACC football media kickoff. "Some people say they need it for their safety, but all it does is draw attention and problems."

Morse and the Hurricanes lost a teammate, Bryan Pata, who was killed in a shooting in November. Before the 2006 season, Miami safety Willie Cooper reportedly was shot in the buttocks, and teammate Brandon Meriweather returned fire at Cooper's assailant with three shots that apparently missed their target.

The problems led first-year coach Shannon to ban guns. What would happen if a player is caught owning a gun? "They're done (on the football team)," he said.

That's a stance some ACC players don't embrace. Although many states, including the Carolinas, have outlawed guns on school property, some players believe their Second Amendment right to bear arms should be preserved away from campus.

The Observer asked 13 players at the ACC media kickoff -- two from Miami and one from each other ACC team -- about the gun issue.

Five said players should be allowed to possess guns off campus if they own them legally.

Five said players have no reason to own guns.

Three said they had no opinion, but one of those, Virginia tight end Tom Santi, was the only one of the 13 who said he owned a gun.

"I grew up in Nashville, Tennessee, so as a kid hunting and fishing was something I did all the time," Santi said.

Other players cited hunting and personal protection as reasons players should be allowed to carry guns. Offensive tackle Duane Brown, among the 13 players interviewed, plays for Virginia Tech, where gun-toting Cho Seung-Hui killed 32 people before taking his life April 16.

Brown said players shouldn't be prevented from keeping guns off campus: "Some people like to hunt. You can have it for that reason. You can have it for self-protection. People in Miami are in a different area. We're in Blacksburg. And not a lot goes on in Blacksburg. That one incident, no one expects that to happen again, of course. In Miami, you are surrounded by a different environment."

Shannon said he worries about accidental shootings of children in the homes of his players if they own guns.

"I like the rule," Miami defensive end Calais Campbell, who considered Pata a mentor, told the Observer. "It's a safer environment with no guns."

North Carolina coach Butch Davis said campus was not an appropriate place for guns, but he said players who grew up hunting should have the right to choose to do that when they go home to their families.

Some players opposing the idea of a team gun ban said athletes shouldn't be denied a right that the rest of the population enjoys. Players on both sides of the gun argument said trouble can be avoided if athletes are polite and well behaved in public.

Maryland safety Christian Varner said he grew up in a rough area of Baltimore and understands why some people believe they need guns for protection, but he's undecided on whether players should be allowed to own them.

"Because I go to school and play football at Maryland, I take myself out of the places I used to hang and can't do the things I used to do because I want better for my life," he said. "If people take that perspective on life, then you won't need a gun."

http://www.charlotte.com/colleges/story/228049.html

Steve Mace

[Blubaru]

That's stupid!