which means not having a head coach who bristles and attacks anyone who brings up the case. it means not having Orange Bowl officials escort reporters out of press conferences who ask Mixon about the incident.

I'm mostly for rehab. but it's hard to see signs of that here. the way this was seemingly dealt with by OU was to let his lawyers control everything and have him sit out a year on scholarship. a punishment that conveniently "hid" him from the public.

if you're a head coach or school official and truly want to put these kids on a different path, then you better grant the same leniency to the 85th player on scholarship as the starting five-star running back. and we all know that doesn't happen.

there's also a point where maybe a kid continues to be a fucking asshole. and should continue his personal development outside his current program, regardless of how talented he may be. but there's different rules for different players, and that's how this circle goes unbroken from high school to college to the NFL.