Last week Dave Bliss accepted the men's head basketball coaching job at NAIA Southwestern Christian University in Bethany, Oklahoma. Most would think this isn't a very big news story. To be honest, I've never even heard of Southwestern Christian University or many NAIA schools for that matter. I have heard of Dave Bliss before; all I needed to hear was that he was the former men's basketball coach at Baylor.
Dave Bliss committed an NCAA infraction, "Bliss didn’t just pay for players’ tuition or look the other way when it came to his team’s drug and alcohol use – though he did those things. In the midst of a murder investigation in which one of his players killed another, Bliss sought to paint the victim as a drug dealer. He tried to sully the reputation of a dead man. Basically, he was complicit in a coverup" (Cherry, 2015). Bliss was involved with the murder of one of his players, Patrick Dennehey by another one of his players Carlton Dotson. He tried to convince the public that Dennehey was a drug dealer and that this was the unfortunate fate for him. He paid for players tuition and provided improper benefits at every coaching stop he made.
Does he deserve a second chance? From my standpoint, I think he's already burned up his second, third and fourth chance. People can dislike John Callipari all they want for having suspicious practices, but he's never covered up a murder all while trying to avoid NCAA investigators.
Do you think Bliss is deserving of a second chance? can you think of any coach who has done something similar to what Bliss did? Do you think Bliss should be banned from ever coaching again?
By Eric Vendemia
References
Cheery, B. (2015, April 11). Brice Cherry: should forgiveness also include a second chance for Dave Bliss? WacoTrib. Retrieved from http://www.wacotrib.com/sports/baylor/mens_basketball/brice-cherry-should-forgiveness-also-include-a-second-chance-for/article_a31fdc35-6f58-57f7-9cac-94a8c0f01c0f.html.
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ReplyDeleteI was surprised reading this because I hadn’t heard a thing about Dave Bliss and this apparent murder cover-up. Either the university kept this situation under wraps very well so there was little media coverage, or I just didn’t read the news or watch SportsCenter for a period of time. If these allegations hold true about Bliss, I don’t think there is any room in any collegiate conference for him. This situation goes past what a university’s code of ethics is or what the leagues ethical guidelines are. This is about Bliss’ morals as human being. DeSensi and Rosenberg (2010) define morality as our “social values, motives, and attitudes” (p. 4). Clearly, Bliss didn’t show any regard to upholding positive social values and behavior when committing multiple NCAA infractions. I am all for second chances to deserving people, but I don’t believe Bliss is deserving of such a thing.
ReplyDeleteReferences:
De Sensi, J.T., & Rosenberg, D. (2010). Introduction. In Ethics and Morality in Sport Management (3rd ed.) (pp. 3-19). Morgantown, WV: Fitness Information Technology.
In no way does Dave Bliss deserve a second chance, in my opinion. This was an incident that is beyond any others that have been involved in collegiate athletics. There are offenses that coaches make that relate to gaining a competitive advantage, but this particular offense involved much more.
ReplyDeleteI feel that Bliss used up all of his chances. He should have been banned from coaching forever. In my opinion when a University hires someone like this, they are endorsing his actions. This particular institution must be absolutely desperate for media attention.
Derek Shay