As Ohio State students we all have heard about the scandal involving Terrelle Pryor and 5 other football players. All 6 of these students were suspended for NCAA violations. Some of the violations consisted of selling their gold pants, uniforms, and Big Ten title rings. Terrelle Pryor, Mike Adams, Dan Herron, DeVier Posey, and Solomon Thomas are to sit out the first 5 games of next season and repay for what they sold. Jordan Whiting is to sit out for the first game of the season. Do you feel as if this punishment is fair? If not what do you think should have been done? Does this whole scandal make you look down on them or at the university? Do you feel they tainted the true meaning of being a buckeye?

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/12/23/5-ohio-state-football-players-suspended/

Miguel Cabrera's DUI

This blog talks about Detroit Tiger and five time all-star Miguel Cabrera's DUI he received on Wednesday, February 16th. Cabrera also has had a history of domestic disputes with his wife, and ran in to trouble with alcohol in 2009. He was so drunk the weekend before the Tigers were trying to clinch the AL Central title that he had to apologize to them before their next game. Although his manager has beens sticking up for him, does he deserve to be let off the hook? Or should he be considered a threat and should this incident be looked at with more concern?

http://www.examiner.com/mlb-in-national/miguel-cabrera-needs-help-before-a-disaster-occurs

A Second Chance for Christina Aguilera

This blog talks about Christina Agruilera’s possible second chance to sing the national anthem correctly. Millions of Americans tuned in last Sunday to watch one of the year’s greatest sporting events, the Super Bowl. For Super Bowl XLV, they had Christina Aguilera sing the nation anthem. Mid way through the song, she fumbled, and messed up the lyrics. Some are saying now that Christina is un-American for this mess up. And others want to give her a second chance and let her redeem herself. The Brooklyn Cyclones are offering Christina a re-do at the national anthem during their game on the 19^th. Is Christina worthy of this second chance? Does Christina’s word fumble make her un-American?

http://community.livejournal.com/ohnotheydidnt/55989132.html

Second Chance for Iowa's Adam Robinson?

This blog is about Iowa's sophomore running back Adam Robinson who was arrested for marijuana possession in late December. Subsequently, he was released from the football team in early January and now he is asking for a second chance. Right before Robinson's arrest, another player on the team was arrested for drug possession and Robinson claims his coach was under a lot of national spotlight affecting his decision. Robinson also struggled academically earlier in the year which could have affected the coach's decision. If these things had not occurred, Robinson believes his coach would not have made such a harsh decision.

Adam Robinson realizes he messed up and is taking the necessary measures to make changes in his life by getting back on track academically and planning to enroll in drug counseling. However, are these changes enough to ensure his marijuana use never happens again. Does Adam Robinson deserve another chance at Iowa? Would it be fair to the rest of the team for the coach to let him back on the team?

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/22555/second-chance-for-iowas-adam-robinson

Mel Gibson thinks “everybody deserves a second chance”

This blog discusses the thoughts on second chances of a fallen actor/producer, Mel Gibson. Mel Gibson was recently casted as a Bangkok Tattoo artist in the upcoming film “The Hangover 2”. However, cast and crew members had much to say about this. After finding the cast and crew’s disgust with working with Mel Gibson, the director cut him from the film entirely. Mel Gibson was looking forward to this role as his comeback role in his acting career, and as you could imagine he was pretty upset by the news. One of Gibson’s sources told us, “ He doesn’t understand why Mike Tyson, a drug user who turned his life around, was given a chance while Mel was kicked to the curb. Everybody deserves a second chance.”
Is it possible that Mel Gibson is being hypocritical towards Mr. Tyson when he doesn’t have the best background/ media image either? The blog brings up Mr. Gibson’s mistakes from the past such as his DUI, history of Anti-Semitism, his poor apologies to the Jews, racism, and sexism. Not so innocent Mel now are we?

http://www.celebitchy.com/123229/mel_gibson_thinks_everybody_deserves_a_second_chance/

A New Chance at a Second Chance

This blog comments on the overly severe consequences of having a felony on record. Having a misdemeanor on your record could cost more than previously thought. Most people with a criminal background are not considered for hire in the job market. Without a job, these people have a hard time supporting their families. The families go hungry, some even homeless. People who serve a sentence and pay their debt to society end up paying for whatever mistake they made for the rest of their life. The Ella Baker Center for Human Rights is trying to change this. The Center believes that people should receive a second chance at life. That minor crimes such as theft shouldn't leave someone suffering for the rest of their lives. The Center's mission is to restore fairness to those who have made mistakes but attempted to recover from them. Also, to open up the job market so that employers look at the skills of the potential employee and not automatically turn them down. Bill AB2727 has been introduced in California to give people with a criminal background a fair chance to get called back for an interview. Should convicted felons get a second chance at a new life? What types of felonies should not be overlooked, and which should? How much time should pass before an employer hires someone with a criminal background?


http://www.ellabakercenter.org/blog/2010/05/a-new-chance-at-a-second-chance/

Welcome to our class blog!

Welcome to our class blog! This is where our class will identify, read, and discuss blogs written about second chances. The featured blog might be about a person who is trying to make a new life, or about a company or entity which is trying to restore its public image after misfortune. For prompts, please see "The Blog Project" on Carmen. It is not necessary to stick to the prompts; this is a place for candid, public discussion and you are not limited to these questions. This is a place for conversation and communication, so replies to comments are encouraged.

I'm looking forward to reading the blogs and comments!