My son’s best friend is a big Samoan boy (6’2" 300 lbs. +) He did very well on our high school football team, and was able to get a schollie @ Montana State. He even got some sniffs from UCLA and Wash. State. Due to a glitch in a class in HS, he didn’t qualify academically, decided to go to a Riverside JC to get academically qualified and to play football. After making it through “hell” week, he made the roster and was told that he would likely start. Suddenly, he called his mom here in Vista (CA) and told her that he was quitting and to come and pick him up. His dad was very upset with all of this. The reason that he decided to quit is that everybody in his athletic dorm smoked weed daily and bugged and teased him to join in. The coach that was assigned to supervise them knew and was OK with this. The coaches on the field used endless profanity to humiliate him and the other players. He decided that he wasn’t going to smoke weed and didn’t want to endure the profanity. He REALLY loves football and is quite good, and like any young kid dreams of playing in the NFL. Now I know that BYU is not perfect, and some of the coaches probably use some profanity, BUT I think that they DO provide a more wholesome environment for athletes than anywhere else. I am so proud of him standing up for what is right even though he knew his dad would be upset. He has decided to serve a mission now, which he wasn’t going to do. May be something else will work out for him. BYU???
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Make sure he lets his mission president know and have his president write a letter of recommendation when he is finishing up his mission. His parents can also contact the BYU AD through the official website and share the interest following his mission. If he can get his grades up eventually, they may be interested in a walk on type opportunity. But only if his grades get up so if he doesn’t stay in school but drops out and goes on a mission, he sets his chances back at least another year when he returns.