I was happy to see The State News has “Knott” forgotten to include Bobby Williams on the list of 2001’s biggest losers (“It doesn’t matter if you win or lose...,” SN 12/7). Although I agree with what you wrote, I feel that we, as a university, are the losers in this decision. Eric Knott didn’t lose. He gets to play football instead of going to jail.

Williams won. He got a player who was highly recruited by several major football programs. That looks good for the school, as long as you leave out the part that he admitted to assaulting a 13-year-old girl. The university tried to keep this recruit a secret, and we let them. We lost because, as a university, we sat around and talked about how wrong it is that Knott is getting a scholarship to play football, yet nothing has changed.

I stand here now and I ask every guy on this campus: If you and two of your high school buddies had assaulted a 13-year-old girl, would you be at MSU? Would you be reading this paper right now? I think “Knott.”

We all know the legal system is not perfect. For the most part we cannot change that. What we can change is the fact that our university recruited a player who committed a heinous crime and now he is here. Do we know the whole story? Of course not. Neither Williams nor Knott wants to talk about it anymore.

They want us to forget. They want Knott to be a football player. I commend The State News for remembering. After all, do we honestly think the little 13-year-old victim will forget? Where is her scholarship? Where is her second chance? So many women are assaulted each year. If they all boycotted applying to MSU, would members of the administration change their minds about standing behind Williams’ recruits? Lets just hope Bobby uses a little better judgment this year.

Regina Jones
social work senior