Thank you for printing the story about the Illini basketball team’s “family values.” The U of I has to decide whether personal responsibility and “justice for all” are more important than a winning team. If Luther Head was just a promising mathematician or biology student would Champaign county state’s attorney John Piland have treated the case differently?
What lesson has the U of I basketball coach taught our children? I suggest he consider this one: “Doing the right thing is usually the hard thing.” By clandestinely protecting athletes from prosecution, the university and the criminal justice system in Champaign County failed the victims, their parents and the community. A public apology from the players to the victims would be a good place to start demonstrating that accountability and respect are just as important as a great jump shot at the U of I.
